The Calidus B-250 is a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

-seat,

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

, light attack aircraft with

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

capability. Its structure is constructed entirely of

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

, thus making it much lighter than its competitors. It has 7 hard points for placing weapons as well as EO/IR. It has Pro Line Fusion II avionics systems supplied by the American company

Rockwell Collins Rockwell Collins, Inc. was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radi ...

Design and development

The B-250 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a retractable

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

. It has an enclosed cockpit with two Martin-Baker ejection seats in tandem. It has a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-68 turboprop in tractor configuration. It was designed and developed in Brazil by Novaer, with mass production to be undertaken by Calidus in the United Arab Emirates. The chief designer for the project was Joseph Kovács who created the Embraer Tucano. In 2019, 24 aircraft were ordered by the

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...

at the 2019

Dubai Airshow The Dubai Airshow () is a biennial air show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in cooperation with Dubai Civil Aviation ...

. Intelligence Online revealed that Calidus and Indonesia were working to transform the B-250 aircraft into a state-of-the-art combat drone. The project was discussed with

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his edu ...

Prabowo Subianto Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo (born 17 October 1951) is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and former four-star Indonesian Army, army general who is serving as the eighth and current president of Indonesia since 2024. He was previously t ...

, during his visit to Abu Dhabi in May 2024. Avionics, surveillance and weapons from both nations were to be used for the new drone. Some Indonesia-made components were also to be used to facilitate the drone’s production in Jakarta. Intelligence Online said the drone plane could also be equipped with AI Tariq and Thunder (formerly P3) missiles developed by the EDGE Group.

Operators

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Specifications

References

External links

Calidus B-250 webpage

Calidus B-250 webpage

Novaer B-250 webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calidus B-250 Single-engined turboprop aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2017 Emirati military aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft

Design and development

Operators

Specifications

See also

References

External links