Helo drone maker unveils new electric aircraft for maritime, covert missions

JERUSALEM — Unmanned helicopter maker Steadicopter has created two new models of its rotary unmanned aerial vehicles that use quieter electric engines and can perform maritime and covert missions.

The Israeli company announced this month that it updated its existing Black Eagle 50 platform to two new models: the Black Eagle 25E and Black Eagle 50E.

The coronavirus pandemic spurred focus on these new products, according to Noam Lidor, director of sales and marketing for Steadicopter. With the spread of COVID-19 slowing the global economy, the company found the time to review recent customer requests to develop a system more suitable for local and tactical missions. That resulted in providing the two new electric drones, which can be used for covert missions that require a quieter engine, or for maritime surveillance of facilities such as offshore gas platforms.

The Black Eagle 25E weighs 18 kilograms and can carry a payload that increases its maximum weight to 25 kilograms. The 50 and 50E drones can weigh up to 35 kilograms, with the 50 weighing 27 kilograms and the 50E weighing a bit less due to the electric engine. With the lighter engine, the 50E can carry 10 kilograms of payload.

Of the three options, the Black Eagle 50 has the longest range, at 150 kilometers, as well as the longest endurance, at 4 hours of flight time. The Black Eagle 50E can reach the highest altitude at 10,000 feet.

Steadicopter is based in northern Israel and was founded in 2005. Like many Israeli companies that sell defense or security products, Steadicopter doesn’t name customers. The Black Eagle 50 was shown at the Singapore Airshow in February 2020, DSEI in London in 2019 and Eurosatory in 2018.

Seth J. Frantzman is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has covered conflict in the Mideast since 2010 for different publications. He has experience covering the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and he is a co-founder and executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.

耶路撒冷——无人直升机制造商 Steadicopter 开发了两款新型旋翼无人机，它们使用更安静的电动发动机，可以执行海上和秘密任务。

这家以色列公司本月宣布，已将其现有的 Black Eagle 50 平台升级为两款新车型：Black Eagle 25E 和 Black Eagle 50E。

据Steadicopter公司销售和市场总监诺姆·利多尔（Noam Lidor）介绍，新冠疫情促使公司更加关注这些新产品。随着新冠疫情蔓延导致全球经济放缓，公司得以利用这段时间重新审视近期客户的需求，开发出更适合本地和战术任务的系统。最终，公司推出了两款新型电动无人机，它们可用于需要更安静发动机的隐蔽任务，或用于海上设施（例如海上天然气平台）的监视。

黑鹰25E无人机重18公斤，可携带有效载荷，使其最大载重达到25公斤。50和50E无人机的最大载重均为35公斤，其中50型重27公斤，50E型由于配备了电动机而略轻一些。由于电动机较轻，50E型可携带10公斤的有效载荷。

在三种型号中，黑鹰50的航程最远，达150公里，续航时间也最长，可达4小时。黑鹰50E的最高飞行高度可达10000英尺。

Steadicopter公司总部位于以色列北部，成立于2005年。与许多销售国防或安全产品的以色列公司一样，Steadicopter不透露客户姓名。其黑鹰50型无人机曾于2020年2月在新加坡航展、2019年在伦敦DSEI防务展以及2018年在欧洲防务展（Eurosatory）上展出。

塞思·J·弗兰茨曼是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。自2010年以来，他一直为多家媒体报道中东冲突。他曾报道过打击伊拉克和叙利亚境内伊斯兰国组织的国际联盟行动，并且是中东报道与分析中心的联合创始人兼执行主任。