After Larinae and Aarok, both presented last year, France arrives with its latest unmanned aerial vehicle, the Veloce 330. According to its manufacturers, EOS Technologie, it is a mini version of the famous Iranian Shahed 238..
This kamikaze or MTO (remotely operated munition) drone is capable of reaching speeds of up to 400 km/h and could fly for at least three hours. Although its exact size has not been revealed, the fact that it is a mini version of the Iranian drone (with a wingspan of more than two meters), allows us to speculate that it would be, at most, half its size.
According to the company, the drone traveled 50 kilometers in 16 minutes in its third flight test phase and reached a top speed of 400 km/h, although it only used half its fuel tank to cover the distance.
Veloce 330 uses vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, is equipped with a core generating charge to counter active defenses. It also has a GPS-independent and interference-resistant navigation system, developed by TRAAK, a French army contractor. This ability to avoid interference is becoming one of the constants in drones, due to the number of devices that include electronic warfare technology to combat drones.
In addition, the drone can carry out intelligence missions thanks to the presence of an optronic sphere capable of detecting vehicles at a distance of up to 14 kilometers during the day and approximately 3 kilometers at night.
According to the manufacturer, the next step is to transform the drone into a remotely operated munition capable of penetrating tank armoralthough they also highlight that the attack and decision-making capacity of the Veloce 330 will continue to be a matter of humans and will not be relegated to machines.