KZO Drone System Delivered to Bundeswehr
28 November 2005
Unmanned aerial reconnaissance keeps soldiers out of harm's way
The handover to the Bundeswehr today of the first KZO drone system by Rheinmetall Defence Electronics in Bremen gives the German Army one of the world's most effective unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems. The ability to reconnoitre hostile territory from a safe standoff will make an important contribution to protecting the lives of German troops.
The KZO, which stands for 'Kleinfluggerät Zielortung', or 'small aircraft for target localisation', is a state-of-the-art unmanned air vehicle, specially designed to support the German Army during hazardous out-of-area missions. It underscores the role of Rheinmetall Defence Electronics - a subsidiary of the Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group - as a global leader in the domain of drone technology.
By the end of 2007, the German Army will have six KZO systems in its inventory, comprising sixty drones and twelve ground systems.
As the Bundeswehr's new "eye in the sky", the drone provides the ground station with precise, comprehensive information in real time. Apart from its obvious role as a source of battlefield intelligence, the KZO can also be deployed to monitor ceasefires or sanctions. With its versatile performance spectrum, the KZO represents a major milestone in the modernization of the Bundeswehr, which turned fifty this year.
Given its intelligence gathering and reconnaissance capability, coupled with mobility and operational effectiveness, the KZO is clearly oriented to the Bundeswehr's new mission profile. But it also lends itself to non-military activities such as law enforcement and civil defence. For example, the KZO could be highly useful in a coast guard role or in detecting illegal border-crossers.
Once the KZO has been successfully fielded by the Bundeswehr - always a good reference customer - Rheinmetall Defence Electronics sees promising opportunities for marketing it internationally as well.
In the United States, the Bremen-based company and its American partner, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., have already been awarded an initial contract. Relying on superior KZO technology, they aim is to supply the North American market with flexible, high-performance UAV systems for real-time reconnaissance and monitoring missions.
The KZO drone operates at altitudes of 300m to 3,500m. Equipped with a de-icing system, it is deployable in virtually all weathers. Even under conditions of heavy electromagnetic interference, it can transmit target information back to base at ranges of over 100km. The KZO can detect stationary and moving targets alike, including their speed and direction of travel; it can remain aloft for over 3.5 hours.
Due to its small size and advanced stealth technology covering the entire spectral range, the KZO is virtually invisible when in flight. Manufactured of stealth-material, Rheinmetall's new UAV is compactly dimensioned, with a wingspan of 3.42m and a length of 2.26m; the fuselage measures a mere 36cm in diameter.
