Tadiran Mastiff

The Tadiran Mastiff is a battlefield unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Tadiran Electronic Industries of Israel. Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an operational requirement for an aerial system to give field commanders the ability to see "over the hill," specifying a vehicle capable of carrying a 10 kg (22 lb) payload to ranges of 30 to 50 km (19 to 31 mi). Tadiran initiated development of the Mastiff Mini Remote Piloted Vehicle (RPV) after a group of entrepreneurs approached the company to provide the radio command system. The Mastiff performed its first flight in 1973.

Design

The Mastiff is powered by a German-made Limbach Flugmotoren two-cylinder, two-stroke piston engine. This engine drives a two-blade pusher propeller manufactured by Propeller Engineering & Duplicating, Inc. Avionics and sensor systems include miniaturized electronics and a data-link system designed to transmit live, high-resolution video coverage of targeted areas to operators. The aircraft has a length of 3.3 meters, a wingspan of 4.25 meters, a height of 0.89 meters, an empty weight of 72 kg, and a gross weight of 138 kg. Performance specifications include a maximum speed of 185 km/h, a service ceiling of 4,480 meters, and a maximum flight endurance of 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Armament

The aircraft has a payload capacity of 37 kg (81 lb). It does not carry offensive armament.

Operational History

The IDF operated three generations of the Mastiff for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. During the first Lebanon War, an IDF Mastiff video camera was used to monitor Yasser Arafat. The Mastiff was also exported to the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the United States Navy. US Navy deployments occurred aboard aircraft carriers and with the RPV squadron at Camp Talega within Camp Pendleton, California. The US Marine Corps unit VMUT-2 operated the Mastiff from 1984 to 1986.