Safran Patroller

The Patroller is a French medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle developed and manufactured by Safran Electronics & Defense (formerly SAGEM). The aircraft's airframe is based on the Stemme ASP S15 motor glider. The Patroller completed its first flight in June 2009 at Kemijarvi, Finland, and was displayed at the 2009 Paris Air Show. In 2016, the French Army contracted for its first 14 Patrollers, including 12 years of maintenance, at a cost of €300 million.

Design

The aircraft has a length of 8.5 meters, a wingspan of 18 meters, and is powered by a single liquid air-cooled turbocharged Rotax 914F engine. Its performance specifications include a maximum speed of 314 km/h, a cruise speed of 92 km/h, a service ceiling of 7,620 meters, and a takeoff distance of 250 meters. The UAV has an endurance of up to 30 hours and a total payload capacity of 250 kg, which includes the capacity to carry 80 kg under each wing. Onboard sensors consist of Euroflir 410 electro-optical and infrared systems. The Patroller operates using a Ku-band datalink with a line-of-sight range limited to 200 km, and it utilizes the same ground control station as the Sperwer II.

Operational History

In terms of deployment and operational history, the Patroller has conducted imaging and surveillance trials in southern France for detecting forest fires. The French Army has planned the acquisition of 5 systems, totaling 28 drones, to be delivered by 2030. The first system of 5 drones was scheduled for delivery in summer 2023. An initial pre-production example was delivered to the French Army’s 61st Artillery Regiment in May 2023 for evaluation and familiarization.

Greece became the first export customer for the system in June 2023, ordering 4 drones and 3 ground stations for the Hellenic Army to complement or replace its SAGEM Sperwer systems. Additionally, Safran signed a collaboration agreement with the Egyptian aircraft factory Arab Organisation for Industrialization (AOI). Under this agreement, the AOI-Aircraft Factory is positioned to handle the final assembly of the drones and develop a dedicated training center in Egypt for system operation and maintenance.