Lockheed Martin Upgrading Desert Hawk III UAS

By Richard R. Burgess, Managing Editor

Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems, Egan, Minn., is upgrading its Desert Hawk III unmanned aerial system (UAS) with a new sensor and larger wing, Bill Daly, the company's business development manager for the system, said at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 4 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.

The Desert Hawk III system used an 8-pound, battery-powered, hand-launched fixed-wing aerial vehicle to carry a sensor package for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for small combat units and shipboard use. The 3-foot-long vehicle, which has a 90-minute endurance and can link data from more than 15 kilometers away, carries sensors in a modular bay in the ventral fuselage. The vehicle currently deploys color electro-optical and infrared cameras for 360-degree coverage.

Lockheed Martin has designed a signals intelligence (SIGINT) receiver for the vehicle that can be carried in place of camera system. The SIGINT system has a geo-location capability and can intercept frequencies in the 20 megahertz to 1.0 gigahertz range. The system, expected to reach operational capability later this year, could be used to support perimeter and area protection, convoys, dismounted patrols and route reconnaissance.

Daly said the vehicle's wing is being enlarged slightly to improve high-altitude performance and allow launch at lower speeds. The Desert Hawk III is used by the U.K. armed forces and has flown more than 10,000 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.