High-end UAS Performance in a Compact, Cost-effective Package

Among the products Tellumat will be promoting at IDEX this year will be the ASTUS Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).

Launched at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition in September, ASTUS is a medium-size, medium-range tactical surveillance UAS, suitable for lengthy day/night missions requiring real-time surveillance data collection and delivery, such as border and coastal security, environmental protection and peacekeeping missions. It can also be used in the cost-effective training of UAS crews for the beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) operations of larger UAS.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 5.2m, a maximum take-off weight of 92 kg and is powered by a 210 cc fuel-injected 2-stroke motor providing 8 hours of flight time at 5,000 feet. Low latency payload control and monitoring is available via the modular, portable ground control station (GCS), which can be networked to allow control of ASTUS by more than one pilot and more than one payload operator, who could be geographically separated across very large mission areas.

Quick to deploy and easy to operate in a wide range of missions, the system has a minimum crew requirement of only four, comprising a pilot, payload operator, safety pilot and an aircraft technician. The ASTUS UAS is provided with all necessary support equipment, operational spares and base spares to allow for extended operations without external support. It addresses the market need for high-end UAS performance in a compact, cost-effective package, accommodating various types of payloads.

Tellumat will also be promoting its families of ground-to-air and air-to-ground command and control video/data links, as well as its identification friend or foe (IFF) interrogators and transponders, together with unique-per-country national secure mode solutions.

The company’s diverse offering and broad skill-set provide a solid platform for partnerships that promote mutual self-reliance and strengthen government ties between countries. “True and meaningful partnership is underpinned by advanced technology transfer,” comments Key Accounts Manager for the Defence & Security division, Brian Ferguson.

Tellumat has a full range of engagement options, from simple agreements of sale through to training on installation and maintenance, integrated logistic support, manufacturing and development collaboration.