The Skylark 1-eVTOL enables users to operate without launch and recovery equipment, or a runway. (Elbit Systems)

Elbit Systems will supply the Israel Defense Forces’ Artillery Corps with its Skylark 1-eVTOL small unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the company announced at DSEI 2023 in London.

Speaking to
Janes
, Ziv Avni, vice president and head of marketing and business development for Elbit Systems’ Aerospace division, said that the Skylark 1-eVTOL had been developed to match the operating profile of the company’s Skylark 1-LEX system.

Work on the system began around 18 months ago in response to both customer demand and an internal recognition of the need for the operational capabilities provided by the UAS, Avni explained.

The UAS is designed to have an expeditionary footprint, operating without the need for infrastructure in the launch and recovery phases. The aircraft has a fixed-wing and boom tail design, and is configured with an electrically powered pusher propeller. On the underside of nacelles are mounted two electrically powered, two-bladed rotors that provide the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability.