EMT sells iR&D drone
On 11 July, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) contracted EMT Ingenieurgesellschaft Dipl.-Ing. Hartmut Euer mbH for €63 million to supply three operational LUNA NG unmanned aerial systems (UAS), alongside a training system, as tactical follow-on systems to the German Armed Forces’ (Bundeswehr) KZO and LUNA UAS. Deliverable until 2020 there is an option for nine additional systems.
One system consists of five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV aka drone), with sensors, two ground control stations in protected command and control containers and two launchers.
The UAS was build on EMT’s own dime and is part of the Bundeswehr’s UAS mR (medium range) programme. The development of the new version began in 2010, based on lessons learned in operational service in the past six years in Afghanistan.
The new drone has a wing span of 5m and weighs 80 kilogrammes. EMT designed LUNANG for operation with all the existing equipment of the LUNA system, except the luncher, which will have to be strengthened to launch the heavier weight at higher initial speed.