Hydra Technologies Ehécatl

The S4 Ehécatl, (Echikätell) an unmanned aerial vehicle, is the first UAV completely designed and manufactured in Mexico, providing safety for human lives in hazardous zones. The craft is developed and manufactured by a Mexico-based firm, Hydra Technologies. [Hydra Technologies (2007)]

Overview

A prototype of the airplane was presented in the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget on June 19 2007. In August 2007 at Washington D.C., a full-scale model of the latest beta design (the S4) was exhibited at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) symposium, an aeronautics exposition with over 275 exhibitors. At the conclusion of the AUSVI symposium Hydra Technologies became the first non-U.S. recipient of the AUSVI's 'Al Aube Outstanding Contributor Award' for the development of the S4 Ehécatl UAS (Unmanned Aerial System). [Hydra Technologies (2007).]

In 2008, Hydra Technologies received the Leonardo Da Vinci award, given by the International Aeronautics Congress of Mexico (CIAM for its Spanish abbreviation) in its fourth instauration, for the development of the S4 Ehácatl, as well as the newly commercialized E1 Gavilán.

Furthermore, in August 3th, 2008, the State of Jalisco and Coecytjal presented Hydra with an unpresedented award in the XXIX CANETI (National Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics Industry in Spanish abbreviation) Annual National Convention, for its contribution to the informatics, microelectronics and communications industries in Mexico.

Name

The name is derived from _na. ehēcatl, meaning "wind" or "air". ["ehēcatl" is formed from a reduplication of the word "ecatl", which has the same base meaning. "Ehēcatl" has in addition several metaphorical uses, including "divinity", "invisibility", "malady" or "epidemic" (particularly as an "ill wind"). See entry under "EHECATL" in Wimmer (2006).] In the mythology of the Aztecs and other cultures of pre-Colombian central Mexico, Ehecatl is a deity figure associated with the wind. He is most regularly interpreted as another aspect of the Feathered Serpent deity Quetzalcoatl, in his aspect as a god of winds (Ehécatl-Quetzalcóatl). [Miller and Taube (1993, pp.84–85).]

Description

The Ehécatl is an aerial unmanned surveillance system whose development began in 2002. Its principal market is directed towards providing security and surveillance capabilities in support of the Armed Forces, as well as civilian protection in hazardous situations. According to Hydra Technologies, the drone “observes what happens by land or sea. Because of its unmanned nature, it can enter dangerous zones being undetected.” cq|date=September 2007

Apart from an American-made FLIR infrared thermal sensor system, all of the S4 Ehécatl's componentry and avionics are designed, developed and manufactured in Mexico by the firm Hydra Technologies.Fact|date=September 2007

The S4 has a complex electronic system that is designed to provide up to eight hours of autonomous flight, in either daytime or nighttime conditions. The craft is controlled from a mobile central facility installed in a specially equipped three-man ground vehicle.Fact|date=September 2007

According to Hydra Technologies, who seek to introduce the product into the Mexican and American markets, the airplane is billed as competitive in cost and quality to other drone systems.Fact|date=September 2007 The surveillance capabilities of the product is also billed by Hydra Technologies as possibly offering "an effective solution of the border problems between the U.S. and Mexico." [Quoted from press release, Hydra Technologies (2007)]

The project developing the craft is a joint effort of the Mexican Federal Government, the Financial Sector, and Mexican academic and scientific institutions like CONACYT, the Instituto Politéctino Nacional, the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and ITESO.Fact|date=September 2007

Specifications

*The airplane is a UAV, also called UAS.
*The version for the Ehecatl ready for market as for December 2007 is the S4, having its first flight in 2006.
*The system was designed for military and civilian use, including the Mexican Armed Forces, for its use in ready-made platforms, like the Brazilian Surveillance System Embraer 145 and the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye AEW Aircraft.
*It has a maximum velocity of 90 knots, with a maximum operating ceiling of 15,000 ft in height.
*It can take-off from higher altitudes than 8,000 ft.
*It provides Mode Techniques for any type of weather or terrain.
* All the data is integrated by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.
*The S4 model has a wingspan of 12 ft (3.7 m), and MTOW of 120 lb, including a payload of 20 lb.
*It has a flight autonomy of 8 hr at the cruising speed of 38 knots.
*The device only contains one piece that is American-manufactured: the FLIR, a thermal sensor system for infrared imaging.

Use

The Mexican Department of Pulic Safety (SSP) is currently using this UAV in its war against drugs. It also helps to monitor the Mexico-USA frontier, and natural disaster areas. It is also being used for search & rescue of fishermen at sea. [cite news | first=Nurit | last=Nurit Martínez Carballo | coauthors= | title=Vuela alto el Politécnico | date=2008 - 08 -13 | publisher= | url =http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/sociedad/511.html | work =El Universal | pages = | accessdate = 2008-08-13 | language = Spanish ]

Notes

See also

* E1 Gavilán, by Hydra Technologies
* Hydra Technologies of Mexico

References

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*|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Navy
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* Read the newswire published in the address below:
*|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/09-07-2007/0004658596&EDATE=

External links

* [http://www.hydra-technologies.com Hydra Technologies de Mexico] company website

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