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Spaitech ARDEA


Vertical Take-Off and Landing ISR Drone [ 2020 ]



The ARDEA is just one of several versatile options being marketed by the Spanish concern of Spaitech.



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

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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Spaitech of Spain produces a complete line of versatile, portable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), each differing in configuration and capability. The ARDEA is one of the options currently marketed by the concern and its design is centered on a general, multi-purpose Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) approach. ARDEA joins the SPARROW flagship product which headlines other types including the SPARROW LE, COLUMBA, and ANSER types (all detailed elsewhere on this site).

The general arrangement of the ARDEA system is largely conventional, with a slim, "tear-drop" shaped fuselage housing all pertinent systems such as avionics, all-electric drive, and camera equipment. The glider-like mainplanes are seated over the fuselage and are of straight design with swept tips. Each mainplane side features a protruding housing capped by a two-bladed propeller unit while a third twin-bladed propeller system is used as a lift unit positioned dorsally on the fuselage amidships. The tail unit is comprised of a "V-plane" arrangement. The optics package is installed ventrally at the belly to provide unobstructed views of the action below and consists of a combination camera arrangement (High-Definition video / thermal imaging) electromagnetically-stabilized, twin-axial focus-controlled unit.

Because of its unique tri-propeller arrangement, the ARDEA can take-off and land under its own power, giving it an inherent helicopter-like Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability. Additionally, the system can be launched by hand and recovered by parachute-retarded descent making for a truly versatile field product.

The ARDEA can fly for up to 2.5 hours at speeds of 68 miles-per-hour out to a distance of 93 miles at altitudes nearing 8,200 feet. Online transmission is up to 25 miles and the system's Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) reaches 20 lb. Its wing span is 10.5 feet.

Its uses are many, covering military-minded battlefield roles such as artillery-spotting / redirection and reconnaissance, to law enforcement, humanitarian aid, and industry-related sorties.©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.
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Specifications



Service Year
2020

Origin
Spain national flag graphic
Spain

Status
ACTIVE
In Active Service.
Crew
0
UNMANNED
Production
100
UNITS


National flag of Spain Spain
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
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.


VERTICAL TAKE-OFF / LANDING (VTOL)
Series has a tactical capability to take-off and / or land vertically, a quality commonly associated with helicopters.
ALL-ELECTRIC
Design utilizes an all-electric powerplant for drive power.
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
10.5 ft
(3.20 m)
Empty Wgt
18 lb
(8 kg)
MTOW
22 lb
(10 kg)
Wgt Diff
+4 lb
(+2 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Spaitech ARDEA production variant)
monoplane / high-mounted / straight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
High-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper-most position allowable along the dorsal line of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Spaitech ARDEA production variant)
Installed: 1 x Electric motor driving 2 x Twin-bladed propeller units at each wing and 1 x Twin-bladed propeller lift-unit mounted dorsally on the fuselage (for VTOL capability).
Max Speed
75 mph
(120 kph | 65 kts)
Cruise Speed
62 mph
(100 kph | 54 kts)
Max. Speed Diff
+12 mph
(+20 kph | 11 kts)
Ceiling
8,202 ft
(2,500 m | 2 mi)
Range
93 mi
(150 km | 278 nm)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Spaitech ARDEA 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 restricted to camera optics and sensors.


Supported Types




(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
ARDEA - Base Series Name.


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Images Gallery



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Image of the Spaitech ARDEA
Image from official Spaitech marketing materials.


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