Korea has selected Elbit's Skylark II close-range unmanned air vehicle after a tough evaluation. Eight contractors started the race; Korea downselected Elbit and AAI's Aerosonde before finally going with the Israeli design. This is the first announced export sale for Skylark II.

The UAV is unusual (possibly unique) in being a scaled-up version of a backpackable UAV - the successful Skylark I. Like its smaller sibling, Skylark II is electrically powered, and it uses the same recovery technique: a deep-stall descent cushioned by an airbag. It is launched from a lightweight rail-type catapult and the entire system can be moved with a single Humvee-type vehicle.

The ventral payload pod packs the MicroCompass stabilized electro-optical payload, produced by Elbit's ElOp unit. It includes a third-generation high-resolution infra-red imager, a high definition TV camera and a laser illuminator/marker. Air vehicle technologies include a highly efficient, redundant motor - with two elements on the same shaft - that provides a 6 hour endurance from lithium-polymer batteries.

The UAV is inaudible from 500 feet. Its design goal, DTI has been told, is to obtain positive ID from an undetectable standoff range: at that distance, the sensors can read license plates or acquire a recognizable facial image.