The SAAF Forum

S1: D09

S2: ZU-RPA

The ZU civil registration was when they were used to watch over the 1994 elections. They were fitted with radar transponders (the object on the nose?) and filed IFR flight plans with the civil ATC authorities.

ZU-RPA is used on all flight qualifications and long range tests for aircraft prior to delivery to customers, when operating in RSA airspace.

The box on the nose is an ELINT payload which can be mounted on the aircraft instead of the EO-payload.

Thanks for the pics Spice! Are you able to clear up the different aircraft variants?

The thing on the nose is the Avitronics Airborne Emitter Location System, commonly referred to as the ELS. The system was later upgraded and with Avitronics now being owned by Saab the system is called the Electronic Surveillance Payload (ESP) which combines the ELS's functions with an improved Probability of Intercept for search radars.

The purpose of the ELS/ESP payload is to detect search, tracking and fire-control radars across the entire band from 0.5 GHz to 18 GHz, detect the location and type of each of these emitters and downlink the data to the ground station. This allows the operator to build up a an accurate picture of which enemy radars are currently turned on and emitting.

It's a very neat system, which I believe is in service with at least one Middle Eastern or North African country.

More info on ZU-RPA from the SA register:

c/n: A-002
Mass: 262 kg
Year of manufacture: 2000
Date first registered: 2000-11-23
Date last modified: 2013-04-08
Listed status: Crashed
Deleted from register: 2013-04-08

This is what I have on the subject:

CSIR model (McCullagh 101) – tests circa 1977

CHAMPION

Pre-Production Model to Rhodesia 1978 for trials.
101 to Rhodesia 1978 for trials. To 10 Sqn Jan/April 1985
102 to Rhodesia 1978 for trials.
103 to Rhodesia 1978 for trials.
(renumbered?)

018 to 10 Sqn June/August 1987. Damaged in landing accident 06 Jan 1988 (?)
019 to 10 Sqn June/August 1987. To SAAF Museum March 1996.

RPV-1B SCOUT (modified with Dyad 280A engine) – five delivered early 1980

2011 shot down 30 March 1983 over Maputo
2712 crashed at St. Lucia Test Range 18 (21?) October 1985, structural failure.
(two others lost by 1983 through operator error?)

RPV-1C SCOUT (IAI Scout 700 System I?) “Project Cobalt” (Dyad 220C), first four locally built circa 1983.

301 accident 9 December 1985 at Upington
302
303 tested St Lucia Test Range October 1985
304

002 accident 21 September 1988
003 accident 27 November 1986, cat 5
004 accident 27 October 1986 at St Lucia
005 shot down 8 October 1987, SAM-8 in Angola
006 shot down 26 September 1987, SAM-8 in Angola
007 crashed at AFB Potchefstroom 19 April 1988 (28 March 1987?)
008 cat 4 damage on landing 12 April 1988
010 cat 4 damage on forced landing 4 August 1988
014 crashed on landing 05 October 1989

RPV-2A (development with Dyad 280A, originally Dyad 180)

P002 accident 27 November 1985

RPV-2B “Project Leghorn” (improved IAI Scout 800) for RC-2/4 Surveillance System (Dyad 280A), first flight 7 February 1984.

501 to 504 delivered November 1985
505 to 508 delivered May 1987
509 to 512 delivered August 1987

KENTRON SEEKER 2B (Dyad 280A)

e.g: P02 shot down 21 September 1987, SAM-8 in Angola

KENTRON SEEKER 2C (Sachs SF350)

e.g: P07 crashed into trees 28 March 1990 - control failure, cat 5

KENTRON SEEKER 2CL (Lumbach 550C)

CL1
CL2 trials by 10 Squadron, lost propeller and damaged 01 March 1990

KENTRON SEEKER 2D – 7 m wingspan, (Lumbach 550C)

e.g: D01 trials by 10 Squadron

KENTRON SEEKER 2E – 7 m wingspan, (Lumbach 550Ci)

eg: E05

A-002 registered as ZU-RPA 23 November 2000, fitted with E.S.P.

RPV-1C TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

CRUISING SPEED: 60 kias
SERVICE CEILING: 15 000 ftas/l
ENDURANCE: I hour
RANGE: 100 km

RPV-2B TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: two cylinder, two stroke horizontally opposed air cooled 280cc
CRUISING SPEED: 95 kias
SERVICE CEILING: 15 000 ftas/l
ENDURANCE: 7 hours
RANGE: 200 km

SEEKER 2B TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: two cylinder, two stroke, air cooled 352 cc 19 kw
CRUISING SPEED: 65 kias
MAXIMUM SPEED: 100 kias
SERVICE CEILING: 15 000 ft
ENDURANCE: 9 hours
4.5 hours over target at 100 km
2.5 hours over target at 200 km
RANGE: 200 km
MAXIMUM TAKE-OFF MASS: 200 kg
PAYLOAD CAPACITY: 40 kg

Woah! Awesome detail flyingspringbok, thank you.

Can you confirm that the RPV-1B is also an IAI Scout?

Also, this means that the RPV-* aircraft were all sourced from IAI, correct?

Possible / probable, but I have no further details.

Thanks for the info guys.

I was at 10 sqn from '88 till it closed in '90 working as MCS (mobile control station) technician
here are some pics





ground crew preparing for take off



External pilots - did the take off and landing from outside, normally was guys doing RC flying


lift off


landing, note the arrestor system at the back, hook below AC would catch line accros runway

Tracking & communication system



just a pity nobody knew about us or what we were doing, could have being deployed in a much broader spectrum


saw the system being used couple of years ago doing anti-poaching survailance along our coast

What was the external difference between a Seeker 2B and a Seeker 2C?

_________________
There are only two types of aircraft — fighters and targets.

Thanks for posting mate and welcome to the forum. On the subject of 10 Sqn, is there any further information regarding its rumoured re-establishment?

_________________
A plan is simply a basis for change.

We used the P-Aircraft as trainers once the D's were flying.