Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has loaned the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile – FACh) two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the aftermath of the recent earthquake, a company spokesperson told Jane's .
An Orbiter mini-UAV and Aerostar tactical UAV, which are both manufactured by Aeronautics Defense Systems and promoted by Rafael, have been loaned to FACh "for an indefinite period", Lova Drori, Executive Vice-President Marketing at Rafael, said at FIDAE 2010 on 25 March.
The UAVs will be used to assess post-earthquake damage to the country's infrastructure and to help the security forces police the night-time curfew in the most afflicted areas. Operated by a team of three from Aeronautics, the UAVs will feed real-time video directly to their ground control stations, which can be quickly analysed and acted upon by the relevant authorities.
Drori told Jane's that Rafael is hopeful that Chile may decide to buy the systems once their capabilities have been demonstrated, but he insisted that loaning the systems to the FACh is meant as a humanitarian gesture. "In a situation like this, you do not count coins," he said.
Drori added that more systems are available to the FACh should it request them.
Jane's
