As part of the agreement entered into between the Israeli Ministry of Defence and the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence for the purchase of SPIKE systems, Israeli Aeronautics will supply Greece with Orbiter 3 unmanned aerial vehicles. The entire agreement for SPIKE and Orbiter 3 amounts to 370 million euros.

Also read: Spike-NLOS | The signatures between the Ministries of Defense of Greece and Israel – Agreement worth 370 million

The Orbiter 3 can operate in conjunction with the SPIKE missiles, through the Command Control and Communications (C4I) “Fire Weaver” system, performing surveillance, detection and target recognition in the field of operations. The small size of Orbiter 3 allows it to have a small radio section trace (RCS), while it can operate in an environment that does not allow the use of GPS and under adverse weather conditions.

Through the “Fire Weaver” feature, the system can quickly switch control of the SPIKE NLOS missile during its flight to the target from autonomous to sensor-to-shooter engagement, which can contribute to the successful completion of each mission.

Although Aeronautics did not mention an exact number of Orbiter-3 systems in its announcement, media reports indicate that the deal involves the supply of 27 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Orbiter 3 Specifications:

• Endurance: 6 hours
• Maximum take-off weight: 32 kg
• Payload weight: 5.5 kg
• Capabilities to mount different payload options such as Electro-Optical with laser designator and range finder, Wide-Area Motion Imaging (WAMI), Electronic Warfare (EW), Intelligence Gathering (COMINT, ELINT)
• Range: 50 km
• Datalink: 50 km
• Maximum speed: 70 knots
• Wingspan: 4,4 m
• Catapult launch and parachute collection

Orbiter 3 has been tested in the Nagorno-Karabakh war as Azerbaijan also has a domestic production line, while it is also used by other states, including Spain and Croatia. From the Israeli Aeronautics (which has been acquired by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Stolero Aeron Ltd), the Republic of Cyprus has also procured the Aerostar-type unmanned aerial vehicles. For more information, read the following article.

Also read: Aerostar | The National Guard’s first tactical UAV – VIDEO & PHOTOS