At World Defense Show 2024, held in Riyadh from 4-8 February, BAE Systems unveiled a version of its T-650 heavylift unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed as a battlefield casualty evacuation (casevac) platform.
The T-650 is an electrically powered UAV that features an impressive payload capacity of up to 300 kg. The system has a range of 30 km with its maximum payload or 80 km without payload. Constructed from lightweight carbon fibre, the T-650 can achieve a maximum speed of 140 km/h and features extendable arms that can be detached for transportation purposes.
According to BAE Systems subsidiary Malloy Aeronautics, which developed the T-650, the UAV could find wide applications not only within military and security forces but also potentially in the civilian market. For instance, it could be used for transportation, for the evacuation of injured individuals or for search-and-rescue operations during natural disasters such as floods and fires.
BAE Systems also lists more demanding tasks such as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore movement, resupply missions, mine neutralisation, surveillance and monitoring, along with the potential carriage of weapons and sensors to support military operations on both land and sea.
Both companies emphasise that the T-650 will feature an open-system architecture to facilitate integration with systems and sensors provided by third parties. This approach is also intended to enhance flexibility in modernisation and the addition of new applications in the future.
The T-650 is an evolution of the T-600, which serves as BAE Systems’ testbed platform and technology demonstrator. In September 2023 BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronatics showcased the capabilities of the T-600 during NATO’s Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Uncrewed Systems (REPMUS) exercise in Portugal, during which it successfully released an inert Sting Ray training-variant anti-submarine torpedo during a flight mission at sea for the first time.
The T-600 has a payload capacity of up to 200 kg and can travel at speeds of up to 140 km/h out to a maximum range of 80 km (without payload).
