RUAG Ranger (ADS-90 / ADS-95)

Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV)

Switzerland | 1999

"The RUAG Ranger tactically-minded UAV is the product of a mating between Swiss-based RUAG Aviation and IAI of Israel and based in the Scout design of the latter."

Image from official RUAG marketing materials.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/23/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The RUAG "Ranger" is a Swiss-centric, tactical-level Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) developed with the help of Israeli-based Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and based on the company's own "Scout" UAV detailed elsewhere on this site. It is of conventional design arrangement and function, equipped for the Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) over-battlefield role. The Ranger was operated by the 7th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron out of Emmen Air Base (under the local designations of ADS-90 and ADS-95) until 2017 and is currently (2022) only fielded by the nation of Finland.

The series entered formal service in 1999 following state trials for military use.

The aircraft has a traditional twin-boom arrangement which sees a centralized fuselage - housing pertinent operating components including avionics, the optics set, fuel, and engine - with booms emanating from the trailing edges of the wing mainplanes. The booms are conjoined at the rear by way of a single, shared horizontal plane straddled by vertical tail fins. The mainplanes themselves are of straight design and mounted high along the sides of the fuselage.

The Ranger does not have a conventional / traditional wheeled undercarriage for ground-running. Instead, it relies on a fixed tricycle skid arrangement allowing it to land in unprepared frontier areas. Take-off is by way of hydraulic launcher system.

The optics set consists of a traversing "blister" unit located at the belly just ahead of midships. This provides the onboard camera and sensor equipment with unfettered, 360-degree views of the terrain below. The optics set can be customized to suite the customer need and, therefore, allows the ranger to operate beyond military settings and into civilian market and industry-related sectors covering sorties such as humanitarian work, engineering review, and maritime / law enforcement / border patrol.

Structurally, the aircraft has a length of 15 feet with a wingspan of 18.7 feet and height of 3.7 feet. Propulsion power is by conventional means through a 2-cylinder, 2-stroke engine driving a two-bladed propeller at the rear of the fuselage (in "pusher" configuration). With a payload capacity of 100lb, the drone has a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 630lb.

Performance-wise, the UAV has a maximum speed of 130 knots and can fly up to altitudes of 18,000 feet out to a range of 110 miles. The vehicle sports a useful mission endurance window of 9 hours of flight time.

The Swiss Air Force has since moved on from the Ranger to another Israeli-produced UAV, the Hermes 900 series from Elbit Systems.

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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 RUAG Ranger Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV).

1 x 2-cylidner, 2-stroke engine developing 42 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller unit in "pusher" configuration.
Propulsion

149 mph
240 kph | 130 kts
Max Speed

18,045 ft
5,500 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling

112 miles
180 km | 97 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the RUAG Ranger Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV).

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

15.1 ft
4.61 m
O/A Length

18.7 ft
(5.71 m)
O/A Width

3.8 ft
(1.15 m)
O/A Height

386 lb
(175 kg)
Empty Weight

628 lb
(285 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the RUAG Ranger (ADS-90 / ADS-95) family line.

Ranger - Base Series Name.

ADS-90 - Original operational Swiss Air Force form.

ADS-95 - Follow-up operational Swiss Air Force form.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the RUAG Ranger (ADS-90 / ADS-95). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 50 Units
Contractor(s): RUAG Aviation - Switzerland / Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) - Israel

[ Finland; Switzerland (former) ]

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Image of the RUAG Ranger (ADS-90 / ADS-95)

Image from official RUAG marketing materials.

Going Further...
The RUAG Ranger (ADS-90 / ADS-95) Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) appears in the following collections:

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