Elbit, an Israeli Defense firm, has developed the Skylark Mini Unmanned Aerial vehicle, a family of miniature UAVs. The Skylarks are a manpacked system designed for artillery fire adjustment, tactical close-range surveillance and reconnaissance missions as well as force protection and even perimeter security.
The Skylark mini UAV can be assembled in just 15 minutes prior to a mission and is capable of being launched by hand. Recovery is performed by a deep stall maneuver, which lands the vehicle safely on a small inflatable cushion, at a pre-designated point. The cushion is designed to protect the payload on landing. The entire mission is flown autonomously, feeding real-time continuous video and telemetry data to the portable ruggedized ground station.
Its wings and tail surfaces are constructed of a lightweight composites, as is the fuselage tubular boom.
The avionics and payload systems are contained in a pod carried below the boom. The gimbaled payload utilizes a daylight CCD or an optional FLIR for night operation, which can be rotated by four gimbals.
During the Second Lebanon war in July-August 2006, Skylark mini-UAVs were operated by IDF units performing close-in reconnaissance missions in support of the ground forces, providing valuable real-time intelligence, due to their low acoustic and visual signatures, Skylarks were able to operate at very low altitude practically undetectable.
Australia, Canada, France, Sweden and the Netherlands have all deployed the Skylark.
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