Spaitech SPARROW

Multirole Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) / Drone [ 2020 ]

The Spaitech SPARROW is a conventionally-minded drone originating out of Spain and has seen export to several players around the globe.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/07/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from official Spaitech marketing materials.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The field of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) has grown considerably since the long-running wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, giving rise to all new designs as well as all-new sub-categories. This global explosion has allowed companies, both big and small, to undertake solutions to satisfy industry needs across multiple sectors. Spaitech of Spain headlines a collection of UASs that includes the SPARROW, SPARROW LE, the WINDHOVER VTOL form, the ANSER, the COLUMBA, and the ARDEA. The SPARROW - the focus of this article - is known to be in use in the on-going War in Ukraine following its February 2022 invasion by Russia.

Like other UASs of this type, the SPARROW can be used across military, civilian, and industry sectors covering roles such as special forces support, general scouting / reconnaissance, artillery direction / re-direction, border patrol / maritime law / drug enforcement, Search & Rescue (SAR), data-collecting research, radiation survey, land survey, forestry review, Oil & Gas, power line review, engineering review, and environmental observation - such is its versatility.

The SPARROW is promoted with such key over-battlefield qualities as mobility, reliability, autonomy, ease-of-use / operation, and rapid deployment.

The 3.21-foot-wide Sparrow takes on a "flying wing" planform where most of its surface area is dedicated to a blended body-wing design. The aircraft has down-turned wingtips and a simple two-bladed propeller unit set at the nose. The flying wing planform allows for exceptional stability in flight while also increasing internal volume for the carrying of variable payload options. The gyro-stabilized optics are positioned under the center mass of the fuselage providing unfettered, 360-degree views of the terrain below. The UAS supports a real-time feed as well as thermal imaging, photography, and dosimeter (used to measure radiation exposure). With its all-electric powerplant, the aircraft is inherently eco-friendly and generates relatively low noise levels when in operation.

Maximum take-off weight is just 6.6lb and the compact aircraft cruises at speeds up to 68 miles-per-hour. Launching is by way of catapult and landing is aided by a parachute that is deployed as the system descends back to the ground to be recovered.

The aircraft can remain in flight for up to 85 minutes and has a range out to 43 miles while flying at altitudes of up to 6,560 feet. Online transmission is possible up to 12.4 miles.

The complete SPARROW kit includes the aircraft itself (up to three can be networked) as well as the Ground Control Unit (GCU) hardened laptop, carry bags / case, antenna component, tripod, and spare parts. It can be carried on the back of a single infantryman.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

May 2022 - Russian forces claimed to have downed a Ukrainian-operated Sparrow UAV in the ongoing fighting of Eastern Ukraine.

Specifications

Service Year

2020

Origin

Spain

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

0
UNMANNED

Production

1,000
UNITS

Spaitech - Spain

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Spain; Ukraine

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

✓ Special Forces
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.

✓ Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

ALL-ELECTRIC

Design utilizes an all-electric powerplant for drive power.

WINGLETS

Mainplanes capped with winglets, providing improved fuel efficiency and enhanced handling.

RUGGED AIRFRAME

Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE

Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

SUPER PERFORMANCE

Design covers the three all-important performance categories of speed, altitude, and range.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

UNMANNED OPERATION

Design features ability to fly sans pilot, actions controlled onboard through programming and / or ground-based operator.

AUTONOMOUS OPERATION

Design features autonomous flight operations made possible through onboard artificial intelligence or pre-programming.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.

Width/Span

3.2 ft
(0.98 m)

Empty Wgt

7 lb
(3 kg)

MTOW

7 lb
(3 kg)

Wgt Diff

+0 lb
(+0 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Spaitech SPARROW production variant)

monoplane / shoulder-mounted / delta-clipped

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.

Delta
The planform takes on the general shape of a triangle in which the leading edges are swept back for high-speed efficiency while the trailing edge is straight.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Spaitech SPARROW production variant)

Installed: 1 x electric motor driving two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

68 mph
(110 kph | 59 kts)

Cruise Speed

47 mph
(75 kph | 40 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+22 mph
(+35 kph | 19 kts)

Ceiling

6,562 ft
(2,000 m | 1 mi)

Range

43 mi
(70 km | 130 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Spaitech SPARROW production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Payload reserved for optics.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

SPARROW - Base Series Name.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from official Spaitech marketing materials.