SELEX Galileo Falco Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (2009)
The Italian Galileo FALCO UAV can be now be purchased as armed or unarmed depending on mission requirements.
Outwardly, the Falco mimics the clean streamlined profile of a high-end civilian sports aircraft. The fuselage is well-contoured and aerodynamically refined, sporting high-mounted monoplane wings that are straight in their design and slightly cranked downwards at near-mid span. From the wings emerge thin twin tail booms that mount the vertical tail fins and these are further joined at their base by a horizontal plane. The engine is housed within the aft fuselage and powers a three-bladed propeller assembly in a "pusher" arrangement. The undercarriage is fixed and consists of three landing gear legs, each sporting a single, shrouded wheel. Payloads are managed along the underbelly and can be varied according to operator needs (NBC sensor equipment, electronic countermeasures, thermal imaging, TV, radar, laser designators). Avionics are housed in the nose assembly. Power to the aircraft is supplied by an 80 horsepower engine allowing for top speeds of approximately 135 miles per hour with a service ceiling of 16,500 feet and operational range equal to 14 hours. The Falco is not a small machine by any regard and promotes a running length of 17 feet with a wingspan equal to 24 feet. When at rest, the Falco tops 6 feet in height requiring several hands to set her into place. The UAV can take off under its own power from a completed runway but has also since been tested with a pneumatic catapult launcher for improved in-the-field capabilities. It is assumed that the UAV can be recovered through some sort of erected netting system as well.
As with other UAVs, the Falco is just one component of a complete UAV package offered by its host company. The suite includes the UAV aircraft itself (or several as needed), the Ground Control Station (GCS) and all applicable supporting equipment including the pilot station and mission screens. Information is relayed to the GCS in real-time and full-color, allowing commanders to make quick decisions on-the-fly. Such UAVs as the Falco also hold an advantage in their relatively quiet performance and small profile, often times going unnoticed near concentrations of enemy personnel - as proven by American UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan. A later development effort has brought about the "Falco EVO" which intends to allow the fielding of guided munitions (2 x missiles underwing), extensively broadening the mission scope of this new Italian UAV. The Falco EVO will be dimensionally larger and perhaps more powerful to compensate for the revised battlefield role.
In May of 2013, it was announced that the Italian government has moved to procure the American RQ-7 Shadow UAV series due to critical operational requirements in the Afghanistan Theater. This serves as something of a blow to the Galileo UAV program and Italian defense industry as a whole where government contracts were historically guaranteed to Italian defense firms. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
SELEX Galileo Falco
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Country of Origin: Italy
Manufacturer: SELEX Galileo - Italy
Initial Year of Service: 2009
Production: 50
Focus Model: SELEX Galileo Falco
Crew: 0
Length: 17.22ft (5.25m)
Width: 23.62ft (7.20m)
Height: 5.91ft (1.80m)
Weight (Empty): 0lbs (0kg)
Weight (MTOW): 926lbs (420kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Gasoline-fueled engine developing 65 to 80 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 134mph (216kmh; 117kts)
Maximum Range: 0miles (0km)
Service Ceiling: 21,325ft (6,500m; 4.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)
Hardpoints: 2
Armament Suite:
Usually none though two underwing hardpoints for guided munitions available with Falco EVO model. Base mission payload of up to 155lbs.
Variants:
Falco - Base Series Designation
Falco EVO - Improved Falco of larger size and provision for underwing stores.
Operators: Pakistan; Saudi Arabia
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