Daher announced Tuesday that it completed a flight demonstration of its EyePulse Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone prototype, meeting a commitment to the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) under a call for projects. The automated flight was conducted utilizing a modified single-engine turboprop TBM platform from the company’s facility in Tarbes, France.
The demonstrator was developed with Thales and featured Thales’ ScaleFlyt avionics system integrated into Daher’s platform, enabling a fully autonomous flight sequence after activation from the ground. According to the collaboration, the control system uses a technology-agnostic approach designed to remain interoperable with various architectures.
The prototype was produced in less than six months, Daher said.
Daher was one of five companies selected during the Paris Air Show in June by the DGA to develop MALE drone demonstrators. The initiative is aimed at establishing a fully operational and deployable system by 2030.
“This EyePulse flight demonstration confirms the relevance of our approach and our ability to scale up production,” said Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of the Daher Group’s Daher Aircraft division.
Lahousse added that the speed of the effort “illustrates the company’s agility” and noted the role of certified technological components in supporting integration for defense applications.
Yep, my 960 is capable …