Spaitech COLUMBA

History of Spaitech COLUMBA

COLUMBA is a flying wing drone designed, developed and produced by Spaitech, Spain. It is a camera-equipped solution designed for versatility and reliability, proving suitable for intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR) roles and easily adaptable to civil, humanitarian and industrial needs as needed. The drone is launched from the catapult assembly and recovers to the ground with a delayed descent by parachute.

Controlled by ground operators.

COLUMBA uses a hybrid "wing body" design common to "tailless" flying wing aircraft to achieve maximum lift through increased drag, increased latency and internal storage of associated systems, and increased payload based on optics. The main plane is elegantly shaped and features a downwardly curved tip for added control and stability in flight.

The nose section contains two-bladed propeller assemblies arranged in a "wire puller" fashion, while the gyro-stabilized optics are "blisters" embedded along its belly line near the center mass of the aircraft.

All-electric propulsion makes this Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) solution environmentally friendly while reducing noise levels compared to comparable combustion powered types.

The UAS can stay in the air for 120 minutes, the flight distance is up to 120 kilometers, and the online transmission distance is 40 kilometers. It reaches an altitude of 3,000 meters at a cruising speed of 100 km/h. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 7 kg. Its wingspan is 2 meters in diameter.

COLUMBA is one of several UAS currently (2022) sold by Spaitech, including the flagship SPARROW as well as WINDHOVER, SPARROW LE, ANSER and ARDEA.

Specification

BASICS

Year of Service

2020

Origins

Spain

Status

Active.

Crew

0

Production

250

Manufacturer

Spaitech - Spain

Operator

Spain

Roles

Close Air Support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

Special Mission: Search and Rescue (SAR)

Ability to locate and evacuate personnel from potentially hazardous or dangerous areas, such as downed pilots at sea.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Unmanned ability

Aircraft designed (or later developed) have inherent unmanned capabilities and can fill a variety of battlefield roles.

Notable features

All-electric

The design uses an all-electric powerplant for propulsion.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Operation Lakes

Able to operate over the ocean and survive certain harsh marine environments.

Unmanned operation

The design features the ability to fly without a pilot, with actions controlled by onboard programming and/or ground operators.

Autonomous operation

The design features autonomous flight operations through artificial intelligence or onboard pre-programming.

Camera equipment

Payload supports photographic devices that provide still and/or live image/video results.

Dimensions and Weights

Width/Span

6.6 feet

(2.00m)

Cured weight

15 lbs

(7kg)

MTOW

15 lbs

(7kg)

Wgt Difference

+0 pt

(+0 kg)

Main Aircraft Structure

monoplane/low mount/delta, no tailplane

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

install low

The main aircraft is mounted low on the side of the fuselage.

delta fanny pack

The delta plane lacks the traditional tail arrangement, where the entire wing area is occupied by the delta plane.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Spaitech COLUMBA production variant)

POWER & PERFORMANCE

Installed:

1 x Electric motor driving two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

75 mph

(120 kph | 65 kts)

Cruise Speed

68 mph

(110 kph | 59 kts)

Maximum Speed Diff

+6 mph

(+10 kph | 5 kts)

Ceiling

9,843 ft

(3,000 m | 2 mi)

Range

75 mi

(120 km | 222 nm)

RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: < 614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

ARMAMENT

None. Payload reserved for real-time camera optics as well as thermal imagers and the like.

VARIANTS

COLUMBA - Base Product Name.