Selex's Gabbiano T-20 tested on UAV

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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Italy's Selex ES says flight trails of its Gabbiano radar installed on the company's Falco unmanned aerial system have been successfully completed.

In the trials, the radar's T-20 version demonstrated capabilities such as air-to-sea surveillance; high-resolution ground mapping; ship target imaging and classification with ISAR mode; navigation with ground mapping and weather avoidance.

"The open-architecture of the Falco made installing the Gabbiano radar a simple matter of adapting the UAV's nose bay" said Selex ES head of unmanned aerial systems Fabio Pauluzzo.

"The successful combination of our Falco and Gabbiano product families will allow Selex ES to provide a more versatile tactical UAV solution for typical MALE multi-sensor missions."

The trials were announced at the IDEX conference and exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.

"The flight campaign highlighted how the Gabbiano T-20's light-weight, low-power consumption, ease of installation and advanced performance allowed it to improve the Falco's long-range surveillance capabilities," Selex ES said. "At up to 160 nautical miles over sea and ground, the Gabbiano was able to provide air to surface surveillance modes and high-resolution imaging information."

The company also reported continued improvement of its UAVs. The new EVO variant of the Falco recently extended its endurance to more than 18 hours and payload capacity to more than 220 pounds.