BAE Systems SkyEye

The SkyEye is a reconnaissance UAV whose origins trace back to the early 1970s in the United States. Developmental Sciences Inc—later renamed Developmental Sciences Corporation, a Lear Astronics division that eventually became part of BAE Systems—built the first SkyEye prototype in 1973. The company was among the earliest American firms to explore battlefield drones. An improved version, the R4E, first flew in 1981 and has since undergone continuous refinement through a series of subvariants.

Several nations, including Egypt and Morocco, operate the R4E for battlefield surveillance. It has also seen commercial use, such as pesticide spraying. The US Army’s South Command acquired a small number of stock R4Es for border patrols in Latin America. The US Army once considered a variant called the McDonnell Douglas Sky Owl for its short-range UAV competition, but that design was generally outperformed by the RQ-5 Hunter.

The SkyEye features a common pusher-propeller, twin-tailboom layout, but its slightly swept wings and antennas atop the tailplanes are distinctive. Power comes from a UAV Engines Limited (UEL) rotary engine producing 39 kW (52 hp). It can carry two underwing stores in addition to its main payload. Landing is accomplished via a retractable centerline skid, or the aircraft can be recovered by parachute.

The Royal Thai Armed Forces designate the R4E-30 variant as the B.W.1.