以色列“搜索者”（Searcher）2型无人机

December 2, 2020: Thailand recently ordered a Chinese UAV simulator for $3.2 million. Thailand has also asked a Chinese firm to develop a UAV to replace the Israeli Searcher 2 UAVs that have been used by Thailand for about two decades. There have been earlier efforts to replace the Searcher 2s. In 2008 an Israeli Aerostar TUAV (Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), similar to Searcher, was purchased for evaluation. This is a 210 kg (460 pound) aircraft that has a 50 kg (110 pound) payload, and endurance of up to twelve hours. It can operate up to 200 kilometers from the operator, and at altitudes of up to 5,800 meters (18,000 feet). More Aerostars were ordered by Thailand over the next few years.

2020年12月2日：泰国最近以320万美元的价格订购了中国的无人机模拟器。泰国还要求一家中国公司开发一种无人机，以取代泰国使用了大约二十年的以色列“搜索者”（Searcher）2型无人机。以前曾有过取代“搜索者”2型的努力。在2008年，购买了一架与“搜索者”类似的以色列“航空星”(Aerostar)TUAV（战术无人机）进行评估。这是一架210公斤（460磅）的飞机，有效载荷为50公斤（110磅），续航时间长达十二个小时。它可以距操作员200公里，最高海拔高度5800米（18000英尺）。未来几年，泰国订购了更多的“航空星”无人机。

 

Thailand was an early adopter of UAVS, buying and operating some early British models in the 1980s. Then Thailand became aware of what pioneering work Israel was doing and has been using Israeli UAVs ever since. Now China seems poised to give Israel some stiff competition. While Israel developed the first practical and widely copied UAV designs in the 1990s, for about two decades the United States was the only other country to successfully copy the Israeli designs. This produced the Predator, Reaper and a lot of smaller UAVs like Raven. Then Chinese firms began developing and producing many new quad-copter UAVs and now dominate that category. Other Chinese firms copied the Predator and Reaper and, unlike the United States, sold them to anyone who could pay. Middle Eastern nations have been big export customers for these UAVs. China will probably offer Thailand replacements for the Israeli Hermes UAVs.

泰国是无人机系统的早期使用者，在20世纪80年代购买和操作了一些早期的英国型号。然后，泰国意识到以色列正在做的开创性工作，并一直在使用以色列无人机。现在，中国似乎准备对以色列进行激烈的竞争。以色列在1990年开发了第一个实用且被广泛仿制的无人机设计，而大约二十年来，美国是唯一成功仿制以色列设计的国家。这样就产生了“捕食者”（Predator），“收割者”（Reaper）和诸如“渡鸦”（Raven）之类的许多小型无人机。然后，中国公司开始开发和生产许多新的四轴无人机，现在主导了这一类别。其他中国公司抄袭了“捕食者”和“收割者”，并且与美国不同，将它们卖给了任何可以付款的人。中东国家一直是这些无人机的主要出口客户。中国可能会向泰国提供以色列“赫尔墨斯”无人机的替代品。

 

Thai officers observed Chinese progress, but kept buying Israeli. In early 2018 Thailand received four Israeli Hermès 450 UAVs. These were ordered in 2017 as part of a deal that cost $30 million and included training, tech support and some high-end sensors. Thailand has been using Israeli UAVs since the 1990s when Searcher UAVs were ordered specifically for border patrol. These were eventually retired and replaced by Searcher 2 and Aerostar UAVs. Searcher 2s were ordered about a decade after the first Searcher 1s. The new model entered service in the late 1990s and was basically an upgrade of the original Searcher. Searcher 2 is a half-ton aircraft with an endurance of 20 hours, max altitude of 7,500 meters (23,000 feet), and can operate up to 300 kilometers from the operator. It can carry a 120 kg (264 pound) payload.

泰国军官观察了中国的进步，但仍在从以色列购买。2018年初，泰国收到了四架以色列“赫尔墨斯”450型无人机。这些是在2017年作为一笔交易的一部分订购的，该笔交易耗资3000万美元，包括培训，技术支持和一些高端传感器。从1990年开始，泰国就一直在使用以色列的无人机，当时搜寻式无人机是专门为边境巡逻而订购的。这些最终被淘汰，并被“搜索者”2型和“航空星”无人机取代。“搜索者”2型是在第一个“搜索者：1型大约十年后订购的。新型号在1990年后期投入使用，基本上是原始“搜索者”的升级。“搜索者”2型是一种半吨重的飞机，续航时间为20小时，最大高度为7,500米（23,000英尺），可以离操作员300公里进行飞行。它可以携带120公斤（264磅）的有效载荷。

 

Thailand currently has all of its larger UAVs in the 21st Aviation Battalion which contains many veteran maintainers and operators. This makes maintenance easier and cheaper, even with new models like the Hermes 450. Thai forces also have a number of smaller UAVs, like the American Raven, which are controlled by army or border guard units that operate them regularly.

泰国目前在第21航空营拥有其全部的大型无人机，其中包括许多资深维修人员和操作员。即使使用“赫尔墨斯”450型等新型号，这使得维护变得更容易，更便宜。泰国军队还拥有许多较小的无人机，例如美国“渡鸦”，由军队或边防部队控制，定期操作它们。

 

The Hermes 450 entered production in 1998 and within a decade became the primary UAV for the Israeli armed forces and a popular export item. Twenty or more Hermes 450s were in action each day during the 2006 war in Lebanon. That led to an expansion of the Hermes fleet. The Hermes 450s is a 450 kg (992 pound) aircraft with a payload of up to 180 kg. It can also carry Hellfire missiles and is 6.5 meters (20 feet long) and has an 11.3-meter (35 foot) wingspan. It can stay in the air for up to 20 hours per sortie, and fly as high as 6,500 meters (20,000 feet). In the last few years, some Hermes 450s have been armed, with two Hellfire missiles along with a laser designator. Most Hermes 450 users prefer the original, unarmed, version because it provides maximum endurance and a larger sensor payload. An individual Hermes 450 costs less than $4 million so the size of the Thailand purchase indicates the Thais ordered some of the advanced sensor payloads that can detect what (or who) is on the ground even when there is a lot of vegetation in the way (from trees that keep their leaves year-round, as is the case in tropical Thailand).

赫尔墨斯450型飞机于1998年投入生产，在十年内成为以色列武装部队的主要无人机和受欢迎的出口项目。2006年黎巴嫩战争期间，每天有20架或20架以上的”赫尔墨斯“450在行动。这导致了”赫尔墨斯“编队的扩大。”赫尔墨斯“450型是一架450公斤（992磅）重的飞机，有效载荷高达180公斤。它还可以携带”地狱火“导弹，长6.5米（20英尺），翼展11.3米(35英尺）。它可以在空中停留长达20小时，飞行高达6500米（2万英尺）。在过去的几年里，一些”赫尔墨斯“450型已经武装起来，配备两枚地狱火导弹和一个激光指示器。大多数”赫尔墨斯“450型用户更喜欢原始的非武装版本，因为它提供了最大的耐力和更大的传感器有效载荷。一架单独的”赫尔墨斯“450型的成本不到400万美元，因此泰国购买的规模表明，泰国人订购了一些先进的传感器有效载荷，即使在路上有很多植被的情况下，它们也可以探测到地面上的东西（或谁）（例如热带泰国的情况）。

 

Hermes 450 was one of the first large UAVs to be equipped with automatic takeoff and landing software. Operators are easy to train because Hermes 450 flight controls were designed for ease of use. The navigation system uses GPS and INS backup which has allowed many users to carry out Hermes 450 sorties without any need for operator action. An operator is always in contact, in case something unexpected is spotted or there is a malfunction. The operator can control a Hermes 450 up to 300 kilometers away but the Hermes 450 can operate at longer distances on automatic. The Hermes 450 is so adept at robotic operation that it is common for one operator to control two Hermes 450s at once. Hermes 450 was the first large UAV to use collision avoidance system that enabled it to be used in airspace containing commercial aviation.

”赫尔墨斯“450型是最早配备自动起飞和着陆软件的大型无人机之一。 操作员易于培训，因为”赫尔墨斯“450型飞行控制器的设计易于使用。 导航系统使用GPS和INS备份，这使许多用户无需执行任何操作即可进行”赫尔墨斯“450型架次出击。操作员始终保持联系，以防发现意外情况或出现故障。操作员可以控制最远300公里外的”赫尔墨斯“450型，但”赫尔墨斯“450型可以自主运行更远的距离。”赫尔墨斯“450型非常擅长机器人操作，以至于一位操作员一次控制两架”赫尔墨斯“450型是很常见的。”赫尔墨斯“450型是第一个使用防撞系统的大型无人机，使其能够用于包含民航的空域。

 

China already has a large share of the UAV market and is now trying to do the same in the flight simulator (for manned and unmanned aircraft) market. Currently American and European firms dominate both markets but China has already demonstrated that they can produce world-class full-motion airliner simulations. China is offering equally complete and compelling simulators for mid-size UAVs like Searcher 2 and Hermes.

中国已经在无人机市场上占有很大份额，并且现在正试图在飞行模拟器（载人和无人机）市场中做到这一点。目前，欧美公司主导着这两个市场，但中国已经证明它们可以生产世界一流的全动客机模拟器。 中国正在为“搜索者”2型和“赫尔墨斯”等中型无人机提供同样完善且引人注目的模拟器。