Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution

Tactical Unmanned Air System (UAS) / Surveillance Drone

Portugal | 2014

"Portuguese UAV maker Tekever has evolved its AR line into the AR5 series model under consideration by several global forces."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/29/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Tekever marketing material.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Portugal has followed the global push to locally design, develop, and produce Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) of various shapes, sizes, and over-battlefield roles. The AR5 "Life Ray Evolution" from Tekever is one product to emerge from the nation and fulfills the "Medium-Altitude, Medium-Endurance" (MAME) role during a period when such vehicles remain in high demand. The AR5 is marketed with reduced operating costs, low risk, and excellent endurance when compared to typical industry leaders such as the General Atomics "Predator" line.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the AR5 to be its primary European Maritime Patroller for the testing of such air vehicles in the maritime surveillance role (under "Project RAPSODY".

The Ar5 maintains a traditional aircraft arrangement despite its UAS categorization. There is a slender, streamlined fuselage containing the powerplant, fuel stores, avionics, sensors, and cameras. The wing mainplanes are situated along the sides of the fuselage in the usual way and are capped by upturned tips for additional control and fuel-efficiency. The tail unit is comprised of a twin-vertical rudder arrangement with individual horizontal planes attaching these members to the fuselage. An air intake is set over the aft-section of the aircraft to aspirate the engine within. The engine drives a three-bladed propeller unit in "pusher" fashion. The undercarriage is wheeled at all three members for ground-running and is fixed to the underside of the aircraft.

Dimensions of the aircraft include a length of 3 meters and a wingspan of 4.3 meters. Its cruising speed reaches 140 kmh and endurance is out to 12 hours.

Communications with ground operators is handled by a Beyond Line-Of-Sight (BLoS) satellite-based system (Line-of-Sight communications are also supported). Onboard the aircraft are real-time processing systems covering still imagery, moving video, and general sensor data collection. Internally, the aircraft can carry various payloads for a more modular, tactically-minded approach. The air system can a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of up to 500 kilograms. The AR5 is flexible enough to be launched from unprepared airfields for both take-off and landing actions. Both are furthermore handled through an automatic process reducing the workload of the operator.

Beyond its obvious military value, the AR5 is also useful in humanitarian assistance, Search-and-Rescue (SAR), and industry-minded roles such as environmental disasters (oil spills and the like). Border patrolling and maritime security are other strong suits where industry abuse can run rampant.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution Tactical Unmanned Air System (UAS) / Surveillance Drone.

1 x Conventional engine driving three-bladed propeller assembly in "pusher" configuration.
Propulsion

93 mph
150 kph | 81 kts
Max Speed

870 miles
1,400 km | 756 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution Tactical Unmanned Air System (UAS) / Surveillance Drone.

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

9.8 ft
3.00 m
O/A Length

14.1 ft
(4.30 m)
O/A Width

220 lb
(100 kg)
Empty Weight

331 lb
(150 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution Tactical Unmanned Air System (UAS) / Surveillance Drone .

None. Mission payload of up to 50 kilograms.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution family line.

AR5 - Base Series Name

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 20 Units
Contractor(s): Tekever Group - Portugal

[ Portugal ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (93mph).

Graph Average of 75 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Production Comparison

20

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

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Image of the Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution

Image from official Tekever marketing material.

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Image from official Tekever marketing material.

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Image from official Tekever marketing material.

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Image from official Tekever marketing material.

❮ ❯

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

SEARCH & RESCUE

RECONNAISSANCE

UNMANNED

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Tekever AR5 Life Ray Evolution Tactical Unmanned Air System (UAS) / Surveillance Drone appears in the following collections:

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