Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Saudi National Technology Institution Transforms ex-Manned Aircraft to Drone | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55378950
Caption:

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has unveils a new strategic drone program called Saqr 1 in Riyadh, SPA


Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced on Monday successfully transforming a manned aircraft into a functioning drone.

KACST President Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed cited the successful field test of the unmanned aircraft, named “Al-Nawras,” said the Saudi-owned news agency SPA.

This experiment upgrades the nation’s strategic advantages.

The top academic further explained that an air fleet constituting three independent “Al-Nawras” drones have successfully been controlled from a single operations room. The machines can fly up to 30 hours and carry out joint missions.

Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed also said that Al-Nawras drones are part of KACST’s projects in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program 2020 and Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

He further said that the drones effectively carrying out joint missions have significant advantages, such as employment as an air station for transferring extensive data between different aircraft and ground operations room.

Such specs cover large distances nonstop, given that the drones are equipped with day and night high-resolution cameras and can also carry different loads and satellite work.

He concluded that the drones will be also utilized in the military field, as they allow for operational flexibility and operations reconnaissance.