Opale – Optional Piloted Surveillance and Reconnaissance System |
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The Opale system represents a new generation in aerial sensor platform technology. Being able to fly either piloted or unmanned Opale offers solutions for a broad spectrum of tasks e.g. reconnaissance, surveillance, border control, agricultural monitoring and more. Opale is based on the twin-engine DA42 Twin Star from Diamond Aircraft.
Airframe
The U-2 like high aspect ratio, high L/D airfoil wing ensures low speed capability and stability, high altitude performance and exceptional runway and climb performance. The DA42 is built of field repairable carbon epoxy composites offering strength, durability, corrosion resistance and optimum aerodynamic efficiency.
Avionics
The standard all glass Garmin G1000 fully integrated flight deck offers improved functionality, situational awareness and a variety of options for Terrain, Traffic and Weather Information.
Propulsion
The two jet fuel burning turbo-diesel geared engines, driving low rpm constant speed propellers, offer power plant redundancy, simplicity of operation and the ability to operate on Jet or diesel fuel, making fuel supply logistics a thing of the past. Power plant control is by single lever Full Authority Digital Engine Control.
Operating efficiency
The DA42 is designed to offer high speed cruise for repositioning and transit to deployment sites, while offering exceptional low speed capability and endurance for long loiter times on station. The aircraft offers a wide speed range, from a 65kts loiter speed up to 152 kts (ias), fully equipped. In cruise configuration (75% power), the DA42 will fly at 150 kts (tas). In loiter speed observation mode the aircraft can stay on station up to more than 11 hrs without refueling. The maximum range at 50% power exceeds 1500 nm. No other aircraft offers the flexibility of the turbo-diesel powered DA42.
Sensors
To fulfill the different missions Opale can be equipped with various types of sensors that may be installed in combinations at the same time due to the high payload capacity of the aircraft. The selection of sensors has been made to achieve the best performance for the specific task e.g. land or maritime surveillance and reconnaissance.
Data link
Due to the conceptual design of Opale to fly either piloted or as UAV the sensor data can be transmitted to the ground for further processing. For the most effective mission the system will be equipped with different data links like:
- Beyond line of sight satellite uplink for command, control and payload data
- LOS-broadband data link with up to 5MBits for command, control and payload data and a range up to 120 km
- HF-narrowband data link for redundant command and control
Ground control station / Section control center
RDEs interoperable Ground Control Station/Section Control Center is modular in design and its system architecture permits links with several aircraft for mission-planning, flightcontrol, payload-management, data-evaluation, information distribution and data-management purposes. Every Ground Control Station/Section Control Center is equipped with identical workstations with interchangeable and expandable tasks for:
- Mission management
- Flight control
- Sensor control
- Communications interface
- Data distribution |
Main features |
- Operations either piloted or unmanned
- Cost efficient approach
- High coverage
- Minimum need of terrestrial infrastructure
- Flexible operations
- Easy extension
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Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH
Product Unit Airborne Systems
Brueggeweg 54
28309 Bremen, Germany
Phone: +49 421 457-01
Fax: +49 421 457-2900
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