Icarus Aerospace has unveiled its new Tactivcal Air Vehicle or TAV™. Described as “a clean-sheet aircraft that is a force-multiplier solution for the world’s security and armed forces”, the highly customizable, twin-turboprop is multi-role capable aircraft, with a rugged, versatile, and technologically advanced design.
“We’ve developed TAV™ to be in alignment with latest international military armed overwatch and persistent presence requirements and challenges. The aircraft platform defines a niche of its own and excels in addressing all existing and future daily threats facing our troops, security forces and our world,” said Marko Ivankovic, Senior Product Development Manager and Flight Test Engineer for Icarus Aerospace.
In its baseline configuration, TAV™ will deploy with two crew in a tandem cockpit that features latest avionics configuration with sensor fusion and network centric capabilities. With a planned payload of 8,000 pounds, TAV™ will have an unrefueled endurance of 6 ½ hours at its jet-like high-speed cruise.
Designed from the outset to be optionally-piloted, TAV™ can utilize its innovative software, avionics and systems to meet a wide variety of mission requirements, including battlefield management, communication relay, aerial refueling, re-arm & re-supply and medivac – with crew, remotely piloted or as a fully autonomous system.
TAV™ is the first in a family of specialized aircraft, including WASP™, a mission-oriented version, focused on Close-Air Support (CAS), Maritime & Coastal Patrol and Anti-Submarine Warfare, and surveillance, and BRANTA™, a long endurance, high-altitude optionally-piloted/unmanned combat air vehicle (OPV/UCAV).
“We are now moving TAV into its next stage of development, to ensure that Icarus Aerospace has the financial resources to bring our exciting new program to fruition,” said Ivankovic.
The Avitionist website was quick to point out the resemblance to the Vietnam-era OV-10 Bronco. Designed specifically for counter-insurgency (COIN), the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco was in operational service from 1969 to 1995. Some were brought out of mothballs to fight ISIS, showing the continuing viability of the design.
A new Canadian company based in the Montreal aerospace cluster, Icarus Aerospace describes itself as “a nimble, capable, and lean organization, driven by a multi-disciplinary team with decades of world-class aeronautical product design and development experience”.
