The Orbiter Mini UAV System is a compact and lightweight

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

designed for use in military and security applications. It has been used in the Middle East since it was first developed. The system is used for 'Over The Hill' reconnaissance missions, Low Intensity Conflicts and Urban warfare operations as well as any close range

ISTAR ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managi ...

mission. It is manufactured by the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i company

Aeronautics Defense Systems Aeronautics Ltd. ( he, אירונאוטיקס בע"מ) (formerly NETS Integrated Avionics Systems) is an Israeli company specializing in the manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Systems for military uses. Since its establishment in 1997, the company ...

. Aeronautics announced in May 2015 the Orbiter 1K "Kingfisher" version with a fuselage adapted to carry a explosive payload, turning it into a

loitering munition A loitering munition (also known as a suicide droneLoitering Muniti ...

. It can be controlled by an operator, or is capable of being given a waypoint and independently scanning the area to detect and destroy a stationary or moving target. If a target is not detected, the Orbiter 1K can return to base and land for reuse. The Orbiter 1K can fly for 2–3 hours carrying an

electro-optical Electro–optics is a branch of electrical engineering, electronic engineering, materials science, and material physics involving components, electronic devices such as lasers, laser diodes, LEDs, waveguides, etc. which operate by the prop ...

infrared sensor Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

with a unique warhead that, due to its low acoustic signature, “is not detected until two seconds before it starts its kill dive”. Aeronautics announced the armed loitering UAV achieved operational status in August 2016.

Accidents and incidents

According to news reports, an Orbiter Mini UAV, operated by the Mexican Federal Government, likely the

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

, malfunctioned on December 17, 2010. During a surveillance operation, it crossed the border into US

airspace Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as aerospace, which is the ...

and crashed in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

. No property was damaged, as the UAV apparently deployed a parachute during its descent. It was reported to and retrieved by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Operational history

The Orbiter 1k was employed by the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

during the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involving Azerbai ...

. In 2017, Israeli company Aeronautics Limited was hit with fraud charges and violation of Israel's export control laws. Israeli members of the company were found to have “demonstrated” their suicide drone with an actual strike on Armenians in the region. Critics maintained that Israeli supplying regimes cheap drones like these were fueling the conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Operators

* -

Azerbaijani Land Forces The Azerbaijani Land Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri Quru Qoşunları) are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to create professional, well trained ...

- Orbiter-3 - has a local plant for manufacturing * -

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national ...

- The latest variant Orbiter 3b - 6 * -

Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircra ...

- two sets delivered - Orbiter-2B * -

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...

- 27 will be procured for use with the SPIKE-NLOS systems mounted on

Plasan SandCat The SandCat ( he, פלסן קרקל) is a composite armored vehicle designed by the then Plasan Sasa (now Plasan) of Israel. The SandCat was shown publicly for the first time at AUSA during October 2005. The latest models were shown for the firs ...

or JLTV * - Paskhas - Orbiter-2B * - Irish Army - Orbiter-2B * -

Israeli Sea Corps The Israeli Navy ( he, חיל הים הישראלי, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'' (English: The Israeli Sea Corps); ar, البحرية الإسرائيلية) is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily i ...

Israeli Sea Corps
* - Mexican Federal Police

PEMEX Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

- Orbiter-2B * -

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional mission ...

* -

Polish Land Forces The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

and

Polish Special Forces The Special Troops Command (Pol.: ''Wojska Specjalne'') is the special forces command of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (SZ RP). The command was formed in 2007 and is the fourth military branch of the SZ RP. Composition The Specia ...

- 11 sets delivered - Orbiter-2B * -

Serbian Army The Serbian Army ( sr-cyr, Копнена војска Србије, Kopnena vojska Srbije, lit=Serbian Land Army) is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. History Originally established in 1830 as the Army of Pr ...

- 10 sets * -

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the Aerial warfare, aerial Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for Air supremacy, controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air ...

- Orbiter-4 * -

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...

* -

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

- Orbiter-3. * -

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as ...

* - Orbiter 2B * - Orbiter-4 * - 3 on order * - Witnessed in the Ukrainian skies on November 17th 2022

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Unmanned military aircraft of Israel

Orbiter A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to spaceflight, fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth ...

Single-engined pusher aircraft High-wing aircraft Tailless aircraft

Accidents and incidents

Operational history

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Operators

References

External links