Israeli Unveils First Unmanned Hybrid Helicopter of its Kind

The Black Eagle 50H is designed for law-enforcement, maritime, civilian and covert missions.

By JNS.org

Israeli rotary-systems company Steadicopter Ltd. unveiled on Tuesday the first unmanned hybrid helicopter of its kind, which relies on a combination of gas and electricity propulsion.

The Black Eagle 50H can carry up to 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of payloads and has an “extremely long endurance for its category,” Steadicopter said in a statement.

The system will go on display at the Singapore Air Show from Feb. 15 to 18.

The Black Eagle rotary unmanned aerial system is “designed for a wide range of law-enforcement, maritime, civilian and covert missions,” added the statement.

Capable of up to five hours of flight time, Black Eagle is designed to provide “flexibility for both security forces and civilian applications, such as search and rescue, cyber, intelligence, offshore rigs and high-end naval missions,” it stated.

Steadicopter described the system as one that is easy to maneuver and maintain, environmentally friendly and able to operate day or night.

In November, Steadicopter announced the Black Eagle 50 Electric, “the first electrically-powered unmanned helicopter with a maximum takeoff weight of 50 kilograms [110 pounds].”

This latest one is a hybrid model with a different propulsion system.