AAI aeroprobe
| Aeroprobe | |
|---|---|
 Graphic of the aeroprobe |
|
| Type: | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1997 |
| Commissioning: |
1997 |
| Production time: |
In series production since 1997 |
| Number of pieces: |
100 (as of July 2004) |
The Aero probe is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV unmanned aerial vehicle) of the AAI Corporation belonging company Aerosonde Pty Ltd., which since 1991 for the collection of weather - and atmospheric data ( temperature , air pressure , humidity , wind speed ) over seas was developed.
The machine is powered by a modified Enya R120 model airplane engine and has a computer, meteorological instruments and a global positioning system (GPS) for navigation .
The US military is testing the suitability of the Mark 4.4 aerospace probe for reconnaissance missions under the designation XMQ-19A .
Record flight
On August 21, 1998, an aerosonde called Laima was the first UAV to cross the North Atlantic from west to east in non-stop flight . Take-off and landing were carried out manually by remote control. Laima carried out the actual overflight automatically. The flight distance was 3270 km, the average altitude 1680 m, the flight time 26:45 h.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 1.7 m |
| span | 2.9 m |
| height | 0.6 m |
| Wing area | 0.57 m² |
| Empty mass | 13.1 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 13.2 kg |
| Cruising speed | 122 km / h |
| Top speed | 193 km / h |
| Service altitude | 4500 m |
| Range | 3000 km |
| Engine | Modified model airplane engine Enya R120, 20 cm³ 4-stroke, 1.28 kW |