Forpost ISR

Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Drone / UAV

Russia | 2014

"The Forpost is a Russian license-produced version of the Israeli IAI Searcher II drone."

Image released by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/10/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Few world military powers hold the experience in deploying drones over active battlefields like Israel does. Their victory over Syria in the 1982 Lebanon War was made possible, in part, by effective use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) so it stands as no surprise that the country is at the forefront of modern drone design, development and production and other world forces have taken note. Russia, for instance, has adopted the IAI "Searcher" UAV and manufactures this Israeli product under license as the "Forpost", based on a subsequent production design designated as "Searcher II" which is an improved Second Generation model introduced by IAI in 1998.

UAVs have proven themselves ideal over modern battlefields, particularly against less advanced foes. It is a booming industry and a hot commodity for any world-class military power and a plethora of manufacturers have popped up to sell their wares to whatever buyer is interested. Some are lightweight and hand-launched, others medium-class and catapult launched. Some have been designed as explosive, disposable suicide machines while, still others, are large, aircraft-like developments able to loiter over contested territory for hours on end.

The Forpost falls into the standard Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) category. Its form and function is largely similar to that as seen with the Searcher family line. A high-mounted monoplane wing arrangement is featured while an internal cargo bay holds mission support equipment. An optics fit is seen at the belly while a radar fit is identified along the dorsal spine of the aircraft. A 47 horsepower engine is seated at the rear of the fuselage in a "pusher" configuration, driving a three-bladed propeller. The Forpost retains the original's twin-boom, twin-tail-finned empennage and fixed, wheeled undercarriage.

Performance specifications are equal to that as seen in the Searcher II: a maximum speed of 125 miles per hour, a mission endurance window of about 18 hours, and a service ceiling up to 20,000 feet.

The Forpost has seen combat action in the skies over Ukraine and, presumably, Syria where Russian interest and direct involvement continues to grow.

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February 2020 - The Russian military has formally committed to an order of the Forpost-R ISR UAV series.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Forpost ISR Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Drone / UAV.

1 x Limbach L550 engine of 47 horsepower driving three-bladed propeller unit in pusher configuration.
Propulsion

124 mph
200 kph | 108 kts
Max Speed

20,013 ft
6,100 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Forpost ISR Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Drone / UAV.

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

19.2 ft
5.85 m
O/A Length

28.1 ft
(8.55 m)
O/A Width

4.1 ft
(1.25 m)
O/A Height

772 lb
(350 kg)
Empty Weight

1,102 lb
(500 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Forpost ISR Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Drone / UAV .

None. Mission-related equipment carried in the form of optics, sensors and other intelligence-gathering systems.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Forpost ISR family line.

Forpost-R - Base Series Name

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Forpost ISR. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 35 Units
Contractor(s): State Factories - Russia

[ Russia ]

1 / 1

Image released by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Going Further...
The Forpost ISR Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Drone / UAV appears in the following collections:

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