Bird-Eye 650

Bird-Eye 650 is a mini unmanned aircraft system designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and offered in India by Speck Systems of Hyderabad.

Overview

The Bird-Eye 650 is the mid-sized member of IAI's Bird-Eye family of man-portable mini-UAS, built for units that need their own organic surveillance aircraft rather than relying on larger tactical UAVs. IAI's own published figures put the aircraft at 11 kg maximum take-off weight with an 1.2 kg payload, a 3-metre wingspan, more than 4 hours of endurance and a 20 km range. In February 2015 IAI signed a teaming agreement with India's Alpha Design Technologies covering local production and marketing of the Bird-Eye 400 and 650 families; Speck Systems, a separate Hyderabad-based systems integrator, has also listed the Bird-Eye 650 among its own mini-UAV offerings, though the company has not published the terms of its own arrangement with IAI.

Design and capabilities

The aircraft is electrically propelled, giving it a low visual and acoustic signature intended for covert, over-the-hill reconnaissance. It carries a stabilized day/night electro-optical payload with a moving-target tracker, flies autonomously under a ground control station, and recovers using a flip-over, parachute-assisted descent rather than a runway landing. Speck Systems' own product literature describes the complete system — multiple aircraft, ground station and support gear — as transportable in three backpacks and operable by a two-person crew, with a stated 12-hour system operating capability sustained across the fleet's individual flights rather than a single aircraft's flight endurance.

Use cases

IAI and its Indian partners market the Bird-Eye 650 for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), urban operations, counter-terrorism, law enforcement, and patrol or convoy escort duties — roles suited to a man-portable system that a small unit can launch and recover without external support. No operator of the Speck Systems-marketed version has been publicly confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the Bird-Eye 650?

IAI's published specifications give a maximum range of 20 km.

How long can the Bird-Eye 650 fly?

More than 4 hours per flight, according to IAI; Speck Systems' marketing separately describes a 12-hour system operating capability across the fleet.

How much does the Bird-Eye 650 weigh?

11 kg at maximum take-off weight, with a 1.2 kg payload and a 3-metre wingspan.

Who makes the Bird-Eye 650?

Israel Aerospace Industries designed it; in India it has been offered by Speck Systems and, under a separate 2015 teaming agreement, by Alpha Design Technologies.

How does the Bird-Eye 650 land?

It recovers via a flip-over manoeuvre and parachute-assisted descent rather than a conventional runway landing.