The Israeli Navy wants unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on its ships, and that is the reason for recent efforts made by Aeronautics.
Company sources told IHLS that the Orbiter has been successfully tested and launched from several types of navy patrol boats.
The Orbiter -2 has a 1 meter long fuselage and a 3 meters wing span. It has 3.5 hours endurance. It is a proven system that was selected by the Israeli Navy for deployment on some types of its combat ships.
The Orbiter-2 is launched from the ship by the standard catapult and is water sealed, capable of floating on the surface until it is hauled back to the ship’s deck. At the end of the mission the UAS is captured by a 4×4 meters net.
The Israeli company is also developing another version of the Orbiter, the Orbiter-3. Its fuselage will have a larger volume and a 3.6 meters wingspan. The Orbiter-3 has an endurance of 7 hours and carries a 3 kg EO payload.
Source: IHLS