Sagem CU-161 Sperwer - Ottawa, Ontario
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N 45° 27.485 W 075° 38.649
18T E 449637 N 5034041
This Sagem CU-161 Sperwer was acquired in 2003 from the French Societé d'applications générales d'électricité et de mécanique (SAGEM), Montluçon, France. This unpiloted aerial vehicle was the first one operated by the Canadian Forces.
Waymark Code: WM10XRW
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 07/07/2019
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From an information panel on site:
SAGEM CU-161 Sperwer
Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle
The Spewer was the first unpiloted aerial vehicle UAV) operated by the Canadian Forces. The military acquired this drone in 2003 to provide an 'eye in the sky' for troops serving in Afghanistan. This Spewer was the first unit received by the military.
SAGEM CU-161 Sperwer
Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle
2003
Société d'applications générales d'électricité et de mécanique (SAGEM), Montluçon, France.
artefact No. 2010.0001
"SAGEM CU-161 SPERWER CANADIAN ARMED FORCES SERIAL CU161001 (By T.F.J. Leversedge - Canadian Aviation and Space Museum Research Volunteer)
Designed by a French company, SAGEM,1 the Sperwer (Dutch for Sparrow Hawk) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system was comprised of aerial vehicles, a ground control station (GCS), a transportable hydraulic catapult and a ground data terminal (GDT) housed in a communications shelter carried on high mobility vehicles. The entire system could be transported in five C-130 Hercules aircraft and could operate from unprepared sites using a catapult launch and a combined parachute and airbag recovery system.
A Canadian Forces CU-161 Sperwer is catapulted from its launcher on a mission - (CF Photo)
The overall system supported simultaneous control of two aerial vehicles, from a single GCS. Furthermore, several GCSs could control multiple missions, and could hand-over UAVs between each other. The ground station was equipped with advanced mission planning tools, including 3-dimension terrain modeling and flight path presentation on a geographical data system, image processing, interpretation and connection to command and control networks.
The Sperwer platform was primarily designed to carry a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) payload, providing high resolution day and night imagery and target geo-location with an accuracy of 20 meters (65 ft 6 in).
In Canada, the Sperwer system was procured as an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) in support of ongoing Canadian Army operations in Afghanistan. In August of 2003, the Canadian Forces (CF) provided a battalion group and and brigade headquarters in support of a 12-month mission in Afghanistan (known as Op ATHENA). Their mission was to provide security and stability in the Kabul region and in order to provide “real time” situational awareness, the Army urgently acquired the Sperwer as a tactical UAV (TUAV) system. Designated, while in Canadian use, as the CU-161 Sperwer, the system was used in Afghanistan from October 2003 until April 2009. It was then declared as “surplus” and, on 11 August 2009, most of the remaining
Canadian Forces (CF) Sperwer UAV air vehicles / assets that were still in flyable condition were sold to the French Government.
The Sperwer was the first UAV operated by the CF in combat and it paved the way for the use of future UAV systems, including the CU-170 Heron system which was also employed in Afghanistan.
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