Tel Aviv: The growing demand for UAV’s launched from patrol boats has brought Finland to evaluate an Israeli made UAV for marine missions.

Israeli company Aeronautics has concluded a successful evaluation week of the Orbiter 4 system, operating from the Finnish Border Guard’s Turva offshore patrol vessel. The Israeli company says that the UAV demonstrated high capabilities in a marine environment.

Over the course of the week, the Orbiter system was tasked with various maritime mission scenarios, including search & rescue, identification, surveillance & reconnaissance of suspicious vessels and figures, while transmitting a real-time video stream to the vessel’s command & control centre. This evaluation was carried out as part of the Border Guard’s Valvonta 2 (Surveillance 2) project, which is designed to examine future integration of UAVs on board its vessels.

“There is a growing need today for tactical drones capable of carrying out ISTAR missions in challenging marine environments,” says Matan Perry, Aeronautics’ Vice President of Marketing & Sales. “As pioneers in the field of small tactical UAS, we are proud to be able to successfully demonstrate a solution that has been adapted to meet the needs of the Finnish Border Guard.”