Scout VTOL

Scout VTOL is a man-portable quadcopter developed by Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) of Pakistan for day and night intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It has a quadrotor airframe with four brushless electric motors, a maximum take-off weight of up to 13 kg, and carries a 2 kg payload to a stated service ceiling of 3,200 m above mean sea level.

Overview

GIDS is Pakistan's state-owned defence conglomerate, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Rawalpindi, built to develop domestic air, land and sea defence manufacturing capability. Its unmanned aircraft line spans hand-launched and medium-range tactical systems, including the fixed-wing Shahpar family, alongside smaller multirotor types such as Scout VTOL. GIDS has described Scout VTOL as a mini UAV system requiring a two-person crew: one to fly the aircraft and one to operate its day/night camera payload, using handheld ground-control-station consoles for each role.

The manufacturer's own product page for Scout VTOL, which this entry's specifications are drawn from, is no longer reachable as of this review; GIDS has since reorganised its public UAV catalogue around newer models such as the Scout Mini Quadcopter and the fixed-wing Scout V30 electric VTOL, neither of which states the same specifications as the Scout VTOL described here. The facts below reflect the last confirmed manufacturer listing for this model and should be treated as unverified pending a current source.

Design and capabilities

Scout VTOL uses a carbon-fibre quadrotor airframe with detachable, tool-less arms for man-portable transport by a single operator. GIDS quoted a 1,280 x 1,280 x 500 mm unfolded footprint and a take-off weight of 11 kg in its lighter ISR configuration, rising to 13 kg when carrying its full 2 kg payload-dispensing load. The manufacturer quoted a data-link range of 5–7 km, with endurance of more than 65 minutes flying a day/night ISR camera or more than 40 minutes with the additional 2 kg payload fitted, a service ceiling of 3,200 m AMSL, and a wind-resistance limit below 14 m/s.

The standard payload pairs a daylight camera offering 30x optical zoom with a 1 km laser rangefinder and 1080p25 full-HD video, with a separate night sensor giving 640 x 480 resolution at 25 Hz through 13 mm and 52 mm lenses with 2x and 4x digital zoom. Telemetry covers flight mode, battery voltage, signal strength, altitude, attitude, distance and speed, with support for offline, scanned and Google Maps base imagery. An automatic return-to-base and landing failsafe triggers on low battery or loss of the control link.

Operational history

GIDS has publicly exhibited its Scout family of UAVs at Pakistan's biennial IDEAS defence exhibition in Karachi alongside its larger Shahpar and Uqab lines, but no independently sourced report confirms a specific in-service date, unit cost or named operator for the Scout VTOL variant covered here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the payload capacity of the Scout VTOL?

GIDS quotes up to 2 kg, carried on a maximum take-off weight of 13 kg.

How long does the Scout VTOL fly?

The manufacturer quoted more than 65 minutes with its day/night ISR camera alone, falling to more than 40 minutes with the full 2 kg payload fitted.

What is the Scout VTOL's range?

GIDS quoted a 5–7 km data-link range.

How high can the Scout VTOL fly?

GIDS stated a service ceiling of up to 3,200 m above mean sea level.

Who makes the Scout VTOL?

Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS), Pakistan's state-owned defence conglomerate headquartered in Rawalpindi.