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Feb. 22, 2011 / 1:01 PM

French drone fleet to modernize, expand

A Sagem Sperwer drone at the Paris Air Show in 2009, courtesy of Wikimedia user Tangopaso.

A Sagem Sperwer drone at the Paris Air Show in 2009, courtesy of Wikimedia user Tangopaso.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- France's defense procurement agency DGA has contracted Sagem to modernize and expand the French army's fleet of Sperwer tactical drones.

Under the contract, three French Army Sperwer drones will be equipped with Sagem's new Euroflir 350 optronic observation system.

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The contract, which includes an option to purchase more drones, covers delivery of Sagem's remote video terminals and modernization of the RVTs delivered under a previous contract.

Developed and produced by Sagem, the RVT comprises a touch screen and portable transmitter-receiver, either a man-pack version or installed in a vehicle.

Used by forward observers or front-line troops, the RVT provides a high-resolution, real-time display of geo-referenced images sent by the drone, against a digital map background.

The RVT features a modular, open and scalable design and can operate at different frequencies and with different waveforms.

This latest contract will bring the number of Sperwer drones produced by Sagem's Montlucon plant in France to 130.

The French army's Sperwer drones have operated in Afghanistan since the end of 2008.

Additional details of the contract weren't disclosed by the company, which released news of the contract from an international defense exposition in the United Arab Emirates.

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