The Hydra IV is an autonomous powered paraglider offered by Medusa. The Hydra IV is a Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance ISR platform which provides for long (24+ hour) dwell times for a variety of sensor applications.
The Hydra powered paraglider design offers several advantages over traditional hard-winged UAV platforms.
- Composite, Medium Aspect, High Efficiency, Elliptical Wing
- 100 lb payload configuration
- 24+ hours endurance from a 30hp Rotax COTS aircraft engine
- Simple, rugged design
- Compact size for transport and storage – 575 lbs gross weight
Hydra is simple to operate.
- Two person ground crew
- Can be launched from a small clearing, with no paved runway requirement
- The wing is unfurled and laid out behind the vehicle
- Take off occurs in 75-100 ft
- Alternative launch mode from a moving vehicle or trailer
- Easily launched from a marine vessel
The Hydra’s slow-flying, long-endurance characteristics make it an ideal platform for persistent ISR.
- Mission configurable payload bay for IMINT and/or SIGINT sensors
- Real-time full-motion video downlink
- Small visual and acoustic footprint
- Hydra is capable of extremely slow flight and a very tight turn radius orbit to simplify target tracking
Hydra can operate fully autonomously or be remotely piloted via a portable base station computer and advanced software which allows continuous tracking, mission and flight planning, video and data downlink.
- Mission critical features include up to 24 hours of flight in an average ISR configuration
- Flight times vary based on payload weight and airspeed
- Multiple systems can be deployed in a swarm or fixed formation
Technical Specifications & Configurations
Available on Request
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