EADS Rolls Out the First Modernized CL-289

Released on Thursday, April 24, 2003

The EADS corporation handed over the first modernized AOLOS-289 reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle to the German Armed Forces at Friedrichshafen facilities, Germany.

The modernization contract awarded to EADS was worth €24 million and has funded extensive development activities and test flights of the prototypes. The final cost of CL-289 modernization program has increased up to €36 million.

Under this modernization program, in the next 3 years 160 AOLOS-289 unmanned Air Vehicles from France and Germany will be retrofitted with new software in order to improve their performance. This program will ensure reliability of the CL-289 reconnaissance system. The CL-289 was deployed during the conflicts of Bosnia and Kosovo.

The CL-289 is an international program shared between Germany, France and Canada. It achieved initial operational capability in 1991 with the armed forces of Germany and France. The AOLOS-289 is equipped with an IR-line scanner and an optical camera and has a maximum range of 400 km flying on a pre-programmed flight path at 730 km/h.

The modernization program will enhance CL-289 performance and also ease the maintenance and repair activities.