Skylark II
South Korea chooses Israeli-made pilotless surveillance plane
Skylark II uses drone aircraft with range of over 36 miles to gather intelligence even in difficult weather. System won 2006 award for best innovation
South Korea has decided to buy an Israeli-made pilotless surveillance plane, the Israeli high-tech defense electronics company Elbit Systems said Monday.
The Skylark II system won an international competition for the contract, the company said in a statement. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but it was believed to be several million dollars (euros).
The Skylark II system uses a drone aircraft to gather intelligence. It has a range of more than 36 miles. It can operate in day, night or adverse weather conditions, Elbit said.
Haim Kellerman, a senior Elbit officer, said in the statement that the Skylark II's ''silent electrical propulsion system'' was one of its main selling points. The system received the ''2006 Best of What's New'' award from Popular Science magazine last year.
This week Israeli officials said Israel has become the world's fourth largest defense exporter, with $4.3 billion in signed contracts.
