France eyes CORVUS as alternative to Skylark
The CORVUS UAV was developed as an alternative to the Skylark I-LE platform. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
French SOF take a do-it-yourself approach to drone development.
The experiences of personnel in Air Parachute Commando No 10 of the French Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air have resulted in the development of the Ultralight Wing Reconnaissance Sensor for Special Operations (French acronym: CORVUS) miniature UAV for ISR missions.
Shephard was told that Skylark I-LE UAVs, operated since 2010 by the French unit, regularly suffered damage on landing, and it often took a long time (sometimes even a year) to repair them and reintroduce them into service — at no small financial cost.
CORVUS offers several advantages over Skylark, according to Sergeant ‘Lucas’ (surname withheld), one of the developers of
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