07:42 GMT, March 10, 2010 Ottawa, Ontario | The Canadian Armed Forces recently retired the CU-161 Sperwer reconnaissance drone.

The Sperwer was an integral part of Canadian overseas operations, including in Afghanistan, where it served from 2003 to 2009. The aircraft is remotely piloted and capable of flying at altitudes above 16,000 feet for up to 5 hours. This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will become part of the collection at the Canada Aviation Museum.

“Overall, the Sperwer logged over 4,300 flight hours on more than 1,400 missions,” said Lieutenant-General André Deschamps in his speech at the Canada Aviation Museum.

Improved tactical knowledge
The approximately three-metre long aerial vehicle carried out countless reconnaissance missions, sending back images of enemy troop movements that allowed our troops to approach the enemy with a better tactical knowledge of the ground.

The aircraft is equipped with a camera that can relay images of targets at a maximum distance of 150 kilometres from the ground operator.

“Our soldiers could deploy on the ground knowing that the benevolent eye of the Sperwer was watching over them,” explained Lieutenant-Colonel Yvan Auden as the new exhibit was unveiled.

Landing the Sperwer was its biggest problem. Because it was not attached to any runway, it had to land in a predetermined open space with the help of parachutes and air bags. However, it sometimes landed in minefields where it crashed because of technical accidents or human error.

The aircraft was also criticized for being unarmed and therefore unable to engage in combat with enemy land forces. The enemy, upon recognizing the drone in the air, was able to change positions.

The machine was replaced by the Israeli-designed IAI Heron.


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Sgt Pascal Nobert