Tadiran Mastiff

1981 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT DRONE TECHNOLOGY

• 1 The Story of the Tadiran Mastiff
• 2 Tadilan Mastiff Specification
  • 2.1 Basic
  • 2.2 Production
  • 2.3 Roles
  • 2.4 Dimensions
  • 2.5 Weight
  • 2.6 Performance
  • 2.7 Performance
  • 2.8 Armor
  • 2.9 Changes

The Story of the Tadiran Mastiff

Israel's Tadiran Electronic Systems produced the large Tadiran Mastiff UAV in the 1980s in response to IDF requirements for an airborne observation platform. This need stems from Israel's experience in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against the armies of warring neighbors led by Egypt and Syria. Mastiffs allow ground troops to scout areas close to combat without exposing helicopter pilots and low-flying aircraft directly to danger on the front lines. The Mastiff shares a similar, if more practical, version of Israel Aircraft Industries' unrelated streamlined reconnaissance drone. In fact, the Mastiff and Scout were competitors for the new Israeli drone demand that emerged in the 1970stwo designs that were eventually embraced in large numbers in the 1980s.

In the early 1990s, Mastiff and Scout were replaced by the IAI Searcher UAV.

In terms of design, the Mastiff employs a rectangular fuselage nacelle with a well-tilted nose that houses the necessary optical payload, fuel storage and engines. The engine is mounted at the rear of the nacelle and placed in a "slider" configuration. A straight wing assembly was added to the top of the nacelle.

Twin booms extend from the lower rear of the nacelle, each boom controls a vertical tail that is connected by an elevated horizontal plane. The landing gear is fixed, in a tricycle arrangement, with two single-wheel main legs and a single-wheel front leg.

Dimensions include 10' 10" barrel length, 13' 11" wingspan and 2' 11" overall height. The vehicle is 170 lbs empty and 300 lbs gross with mission equipment installed. The performance of the single-engine mount results in a top speed of 115 mph. Battery life is 7.5 hours.

Drones can operate from ceilings as high as 14,700 feet.

Because the Mastiff is used to conduct aerial surveys of the territory below, its payload is limited to optics in the form of cameras and sensors weighing up to 80 pounds. Real-time communications are relayed to ground control units (GCUs) operated by specially trained personnel.

Since its inception, the Mastiff has been further developed through three continuously modernized variants and successfully used in the Israel-Lebanon War of 1982-1983.

Tadilan Mastiff Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes