The Prince Sultan Advanced Technology Research Institute (PSATRI) has completed its final experiments on unmanned tactical aircraft capable of flying at an altitude of 18,000 feet and for a distance of 200 kilometers, night and day. The project was the brainchild of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RAF), represented by the Military Operations Authority, which oversaw the design, production, testing and field trials, of the Saudi drone. The project comes in the context of strengthening national capabilities in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Gharmallah bin Saad Al-Ghamdi, PSATRI Deputy Executive Director, expressed his happiness and pride over the success of the project, appreciating the support of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Institute. Al-Ghamdi said PSATRI had recruited talented Saudi youth and had sent them on scholarships abroad to boost their expertise in the aerospace industry. The distinguished PSATRI engineering cadres will work to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi added. For his part, Yousef Al-Zukri, an engineer, said before manufacturing a drone, experiments were conducted on a miniature model in which many technical aspects were tested. The first phase of the project covered the engineering design of the aircraft, which included the casting of the body and manufacturing of its various parts at the PSATRI workshops and laboratories. Fahd Al-Malki, another engineer, said that the plane was first tested at several altitudes and for long distances. It proved its ability to carry out the tasks for which it was manufactured, including photography from high elevations as per international standards and specifications. The Institute decided to manufacture three crafts, weighing 250 kg, a wing span of seven meters and load capacity of 50 kg of signal and communication gears, thermal imaging unit and advanced electronic warfare devices. The design took 24 months to complete.
