Desert Hawk III

Putting Capability in the Hands of the Warfighter

DH III
Putting
Capability
in the
Hands
of the
Warfighter

Lockheed Martins Desert Hawk III (DH

III) small-unmanned aircraft system
(UAS) provides the warfighter with
an easy-to-use persistent surveillance
platform with day/night situational
awareness capability.
Featuring Open System Architecture,
DH III consists of a lightweight, handlaunched, ruggedized air vehicle with
snap-on Plug and Playloads, a portable
ground station and a remote video
terminal. DH IIIs design ensures mission
flexibility, growth capabilities and
interchangeable payloads.
The DH III was designed for portability
and ease of use and is currently deployed
with British Army forces. The DH III
consists of a rugged air vehicle that is
quiet, features a 360-degree turret and
operates in high winds.
The system also includes a lightweight,
portable Ground Control Station (GCS)
which provides tactical situational
awareness, operator training, autonomous
preflight planning, in-flight control of

plug-and-play optical and infrared sensors,

terrain avoidance measures and the ability
to provide real-time dynamic in-flight
mission and flight profile retasking.
The DH III offers a tactical persistent
surveillance platform capable of being
assembled, mission-planned and launched
in as little as 10 minutes. Relying on
warfighter feedback, Lockheed Martin
has continuously upgraded the DH III
with improvements such as a 360-degree
Infrared (IR) turret - a first for a handlaunched UAS to significantly enhance
night combat operations. An enhanced
wing design increases lift and provides
better stability in mountainous elevations
and hot weather. This helps make DH III
the ideal surveillance tool for warfighters
requiring continuous eyes on critical
events on the ground. This rugged eightpound UAS is backpack- or suitcaseportable, is hand-launched and recovers
via a skid landing.
DH IIIs upgraded payload control and
navigation provide improved geocoordinate accuracy. The aircrafts

relative simplicity enables operators

to easily complete the majority of
the repairs in the field. The DH III
system includes battery chargers and
a field repair kit stocked with common
replacement parts.
DH III Missions

Precise geolocation of ground points of

interest
Combat search and rescue
Monitor lines of communication
Persistent surveillance of ground forces
and threats
Airborne surveillance support to tactical
operations
Perimeter surveillance
Augment manned airborne assets
a force multiplier
Quiet/Covert

DH IIIs low aural and visual signatures

make it ideal for covert operations.
When airborne, DH III is essentially
inaudible at slant ranges greater than
150 meters, allowing covert operations
without compromising surveillance
techniques or endangering personnel.

Persistent Payloads

Modular Plug and Playloads can be

easily swapped for quick deployment
to meet the tactical surveillance needs.
Currently, three different imaging Plug
and Playloads are available
for the DH III:
Color EO imager. Housed in a
360-degree, stabilized turret, the color
EO imager is capable of 10x optical
zoom. Our turret design offers true
persistent surveillance of ground
targets, making it possible to maintain
continuous coverage without the need
to maneuver the aircraft.
Long-wave IR imager. Also housed in a
360-degree turret.
SIGINT payload capable of geolocating
indoor or outdoor RF transmissions in
the 20 MHz to 1 GHz frequency range.
Ground Control Station

The user-friendly, lightweight DH III

Ground Control Station (GCS) comes in
a ruggedized carry case. The GCSs size
and weight has been reduced by more
than 50 percent. To further expand its
effectiveness, DH III includes a robust
global positioning system satellite

tracking capability and utilizes digital

communications that enable the operation
of up to four DH IIIs from a single GCS.
The GCS uses an internal antenna
integrated into its carry case or a
freestanding tripod-mounted antenna,
which can be located up to 100 feet
from the GCS to maximize line-of-sight
connectivity ranges. Both configurations
use omni-directional antennas, eliminating
the need to continuously point the
antennas at the UAV during flight.

The DH III GCS features a touch-screen

display, allowing operators to easily
place waypoints and easy access to key
and frequently used features. The system
also uses DTED for additional mission
assurance and situational awareness of
the operating area and environment.
The GCS records all video enabling
the operator to retrieve information for
future analysis.

DHIII Features

The GCS allows the operator to focus on

controlling and monitoring the sensors
while the autopilot navigates the air
vehicle to preplanned missions and any
real-time dynamic retasking changes to
the missions. The GCS supports:
Mission planning and preflight
simulation
Dynamic in-flight retasking
Terrain avoidance
Moving map
Mission playback
Multiple lost-link procedures
Mission and operator training
Video posting and recording

Wingspan: 54 in.
Wing Area: 504 sq. in.
Empty Weight: 6 lbs.
Payload: Up to 2.0 lbs. or 288 cu. in.
Endurance: 90 min.
Portability: Backpack or small
ruggedized carry case
Operational Range: Up to 15 km/ 9.3 mi.
Max Winds: 25 kts
Modular Payloads: 360-degree
EO/IR and SIGINT
Speed: 30-50 kts, rugged and reliable
Combat proven, Simple operation

DH III Summary

DH III is one of the most capable systems

in this class of unmanned aircraft. The
DH III is virtually undetectable aurally
at altitude and possesses an extremely
rugged design, Plug and Playloads that
consist of a 360-degree, steerable camera,
and the ability to fly in high winds and at
high altitudes.
DH III ensures mission flexibility and its
interchangeable payloads enable future
payloads to be added as they become
available. For todays warfighter, DH III
provides the greatest capabilities from a
small-UAS system.

Plug-and-Playloads
Modular, snap-in payload
360-degree IR turret
360-degree color Electro-Optic (EO) turret with 10x zoom
Radio Frequency (RF) signal geolocation module (SIGINT)
Persistent surveillance
Room for payload growth

Airframe
36 inches (0.9 meters) long, 59 inches (1.5 meters) wide
8.2 pounds (including payload)
Up to 90-minute endurance with rechargeable batteries
15 km downlink range
Able to fly in up to 25-knot winds
Able to fly in mountainous elevations up to 17,000 feet
Speed (cruise/dash) 28 kts/50 kts (56 km/hr/92 km/hr)
-20 to 140-degree Fahrenheit operating range
Rugged composite-over-foam construction
Autonomous Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation
Hand-launched with skid landing
Quiet acoustic signature (most silent MUAV inside
150-meter slant range)
Imagery
Live video via data link
Unrivaled stability, accuracy and precision
Metadata overlaid on imagery
Still images and video clips can be saved and shared
IR feed either white hot or black hot selectable

Ground Control Station (GCS)

Field-proven in combat operations
Weighs only 15 pounds
Open System Architecture
Digital communications
Digital data recording/storage of live missions
STANAG 4609-compliant
GCS and comms gear fit into single backpack
Easy to use
Moving map
Supports:
Mission training profiles
Mission planning
Built-in tests
Safety risk reduction software
Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED)
NIMA mapping products

DH III Backpack
Contents
2 DH III AVs, 6 batteries
Total Weight: 36 pounds

Lockheed Martin
Mission Systems AND4RAINING
300 M Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003, USA
www.lockheedmartin.com/mst/product_contacts
Copyright 2013 Lockheed Martin Corporation
All rights reserved
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