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NCSIST Cardinal UAV

NCSIST Cardinal UAV

The Cardinal, is a family of small unmanned aerial vehicles made by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

Variants[]

Cardinal I[]

The Cardinal I was the initial prototype of the Cardinal.[1]

Cardinal II[]

The Cardinal II began development in 2009 and is based on the Cardinal I but has a better payload design, digital data link, and automatic tracking antenna system. It was exhibited at the 2015 Paris Air Show. In service with Republic of China Marine Corps[2] and Republic of China Army.[3] Other than military missions the Cardinal II can be used for civil remote sensing and disaster relief missions.[4]

The components of a Cardinal II system are the aircraft, an antenna, and a ground control box. The Cardinal II is hand launched and recovered by parachute. The aircraft is equipped with an autopilot and can transmit data and imagery in real time.[4] The remote control flight range is 8km.[5]

Fire Cardinal[]

In 2019 NCSIST exhibited the Fire Cardinal for the first time at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. It was referred to by NCSIST as an "air-to-ground assault" UAV, what is more commonly known as a loitering munition.[6] The Fire Cardinal is a twin-propeller drone about four feet long with a six-foot wingspan. It weighs around 15 pounds and includes an electro-optical and infrared sensor as well as advanced target discrimination systems.[7]

Specifications (Cardinal II)[]

General characteristics

  • Length: 1.9[2] m (6 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 1.3[2] m (4 ft 3 in)
  • Gross weight: 5.5[2] kg (12 lb)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 55[2] km/h (34 mph; 30 kn)
  • Range: 50[2] km (31 mi; 27 nmi)

See also[]

References[]

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