DVF 2000
Survey Copter · France · also known as DVF2000 · Updated
DVF 2000 is a catapult-launched, net-recovered mini-UAV built by Survey Copter, a French mini-UAV maker owned by Airbus, designed for shipboard and land-based intelligence, surveillance and monitoring missions. An electric motor drives a single propeller, and the aircraft is intended to be recovered without a runway, including from the deck of a warship.
Overview
Survey Copter built the DVF 2000 as a short-range mini-UAV for both military and civil customers, offering it in several versions. Airforce Technology reported in 2015 that the DVF 2000 was operated by "a large number" of armed and special forces worldwide, without naming them, and that the Lebanese Air Force was expected to receive the type under a DONAS contract signed between Saudi Arabia and France in November 2014. Survey Copter has continued to develop the same basic airframe: Army Recognition's coverage of Milipol 2021 describes a gyro-stabilised-turret version marketed as the "DVF 2000 VT / Aliaca," with a quoted endurance of three hours rather than the two hours of the standard electric version — the two sources may be describing different configurations of the same family rather than a straightforward replacement.
Design and capabilities
DVF 2000 is 1.2 m long with a 3 m wingspan and an 11 kg maximum take-off weight, carrying up to 1.1 kg of modular, plug-and-play payload. Airforce Technology gives a top speed of 100 km/h, a cruising altitude of 150 m and a maximum operating altitude of 2,500 m, with a range of 10–50 km depending on configuration and a standard endurance of two hours. The aircraft carries a gyro-stabilised gimbal with electro-optical and infrared cameras, giving real-time day and night video, and is compatible with payloads including the CARD Eyes VI and IR/T110 Visair sensor turrets. It is launched by catapult, typically from a vessel's deck, and recovered either in a net or on skids on a hard surface, with deployment taking under 10 minutes; Survey Copter rates it for operation between 0 °C and 50 °C.
Use cases
Survey Copter markets the DVF 2000 for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting; coastal and maritime surveillance; convoy and VIP protection; border surveillance; search and rescue; and monitoring of power lines and pipelines. Its net-recovery and skid-landing options, and its ability to be launched from a ship's deck, make it suited to naval as well as land-based customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DVF 2000?
A catapult-launched, net-recovered mini-UAV built by Survey Copter for intelligence, surveillance and monitoring missions.
How far can the DVF 2000 fly?
Airforce Technology gives a range of 10 to 50 km, depending on configuration, with about two hours of standard endurance.
How is the DVF 2000 launched and recovered?
By catapult, often from a vessel's deck, and recovered in a net or on skids on hard ground; deployment takes under 10 minutes.
Who operates the DVF 2000?
Airforce Technology reported in 2015 that it was in service with a number of armed and special forces worldwide, without naming them, and that the Lebanese Air Force was expected to receive the type under a 2014 Saudi-French contract.
Who makes the DVF 2000?
Survey Copter, a French mini-UAV maker owned by Airbus.
