S-TEC Sentry

The S-TEC Sentry is a battlefield mini-UAV, comparable to the BAI Dragon drone, that was introduced in 1986 by S-TEC Systems of Texas, now part of DRS Unmanned Technologies. The company’s primary business is producing autopilots for civilian aircraft, and small UAVs were a natural offshoot of that work. The Sentry is built from carbon composite and Kevlar, powered by a 19.5 kW (26 hp) piston engine in a tractor configuration, and visually resembles an Exdrone with a twin-boom raised tail.

It launches from a wheeled dolly or pneumatic catapult and recovers via parasail or skid landing gear. Over 130 units have been sold. In an unusual test, S-TEC experimented with carrying the BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed Weapon anti-armor submunition on the Sentry.

After release, the cylindrical SFW deploys a small parachute to orient itself, then fires four "skeet" projectiles in four directions. Each skeet uses an infrared sensor to detect when it passes over an armored vehicle, then fires a penetrator slug downward to punch through the top armor. S-TEC has partnered with TRW Corporation in the United States and IAI of Israel to market the UAV internationally.