IAI Search History

Israelis recognized the value of drones in warfare long before most and developed a very mature industry to meet a variety of needs. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has made a significant contribution to this area, adding in 1992 the "Seeker" - a reconnaissance-oriented UAV for reconnaissance and surveillance missions in friendly and hostile airspace . This type is a conventional powertrain with a conventional design, managing the payload of the equipment.

The series spawned the original Searcher 1 in 1992, followed by Searcher 2 in 1998. The search engine was sold to a handful of allies in Asia.

The Searcher 2 has a payload capacity of 150 pounds, including the tracking system, sensors and camera equipment. With a combined weight of 1,100 pounds, it can be handled by a handful of ground crews. The fuselage has a barrel length of 19 feet 2 inches and a wingspan of 28 feet.

Height is listed as 4 feet. The overall design includes a fuselage nacelle spanned amidships by a pair of high-mounted straight wing assemblies. Two thin tubular struts extend from the trailing edge of the wing and connect to a horizontal array on which is a pair of vertical tail fins. The nose is well angled for better aerodynamic efficiency.

The drone is powered by a 47-horsepower Limbach L550 series engine that drives a three-blade propeller assembly in a "slider" configuration mounted to the rear of the fuselage. Performance specs include a top speed of 125 mph, an operational service ceiling of 20,000 feet, and an 18-hour mission duration.

The landing gear is fixed and consists of a single-wheel front leg and a pair of single-wheel main legs.

The Searcher series is used by the armed forces of Israel, India, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey. They appear in standard light sky gray uniforms and desert-ready camouflage schemes.

IAI Finder Specification

Basic

Year:
1992
Status:
active, on duty
Staff:
0

Production

[200 units]:
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) - Israel

Roles

- driverless

Dimensions

Length:

5.85m

Width:

28.02 ft (8.54 m)

Height:

4.10 ft (1.25 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

350 kg

MTOW:

500 kg

(difference: +331lb)

Performance

1 x Limbach L550 engine, 47 hp.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

124 mph (200 km/h; 108 knots)

Service Limit:

20,013 ft (6,100 m; 3.79 mi)

Armor

No. The payload consists of optics and sensors.

Changes

Viewfinder - Base Series Name

Searcher Mk I - 1st generation model from 1992

Searcher Mk II - Improved second generation model from 1998.

Searcher Mk III Updated Searcher drone platform

Related stuff

1400 1514 1587 1765 1774 1775 1776 1782 1785 1786 1791 1797 1811 1813 1819 1840 1841 1842 1852 1853 1855 1856 1857 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1873 1874 1875 1877 1878 1885 1886 1888 1889 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Contact  |  Privacy Policy