Falco UAV | |
---|---|
Falco UAV from Selex ES | |
Role | Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle |
National origin | Italy |
Manufacturer | Selex ES Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (since 2008)[1] Leonardo Leonardo-Finmeccanica (since 2016) |
Designer | Galileo Avionica |
First flight | December 2003[2] |
Introduction | 2009[3] |
Primary user | Pakistan Air Force |
Number built | ~50 production aircraft[4] |
The Falco (English: hawk) is a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and produced by Selex ES (now Leonardo formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and Finmeccanica, originally by Galileo Avionica of Italy). The UAV is designed to be a medium-altitude, medium-endurance surveillance platform capable of carrying a range of payloads, including several types of high-resolution sensors.[2] A larger variant, the Falco EVO,[5] is capable of carrying larger payloads is also available. Neither system is designed to carry weapons, The launch customer, Pakistan, reportedly wanted the Falco armed, a request that Italy rejected.[6]