Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk

For the 1944 serial, see The Desert Hawk.

Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk
Desert Hawk preparing to be launched.
Role	Remote controlled UAV
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin
Primary user	United Kingdom Military

Desert Hawk being launched with a bungee cord.

The Desert Hawk is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for base perimeter protection. It was designed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for the Air Force FPASS (Force Protection Airborne Surveillance System) Program on a quick-reaction contract issued late in the winter of 2002, with the first system delivered in the early summer. It was designed quickly because the program leveraged technology and design studies developed for the MicroStar MAVs. The program is run by Electronic Systems Center.

It is made mostly of plastic foam, suggesting something like a Nerf toy, and uses an electric motor driving a pusher propeller as a powerplant, making it very quiet. It is launched with a bungee cord, carries three small CCD cameras, has an endurance of about an hour. It flies mostly under autonomous control, with the "pilot" keeping track of what's going on with a laptop computer.

The Desert Hawk is also used by the 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery of the British Army as a tactical surveillance system, and has seen use in Afghanistan ^[1].

Desert Hawk has since been replaced with the more capable, rugged Desert Hawk III.

Specifications

• Maiden flight : 2003
• Wing Span 52 in (1.32m)
• Length 34 in (0.86m)
• Weight 7 lb (3.2 kg)
• Engine : electric motor driving a pusher quiet propeller
• Endurance approx. 1 hour

Notes

1. ^ http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/RoyalArtilleryToTakeUavToAfghanistan.htm

External links

United States Air Force portal

• Official website
• Desert Hawk: Mini UAV Goes Operational, CodeOne Magazine, 2003
• DESERT HAWK UP: New Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Part 1, Military.com
• Desert Hawk helps protect Tallil, 332 AEW Public Affairs, 10/24/2003
• Desert Hawk gives security forces an eye in sky, 379 AEW Public Affairs, 7/21/2004
• Desert Hawk III - Armed Forces International
• Lockheed Martin Flies First 360-degree Infrared Sensor on Small Unmanned Aircraft System, Lockheed Martin Press Release 8/10/2009