Scorpio is available in two versions, the Scorpio-6 and the Scorpio-30. It consists of a rotary-wing aerial vehicle and a gyro-stabilized turret housing the interchangeable visible-spectrum and infrared payloads. It is also equipped with a digital datalink and a hardened portable ground station that not only plans and manages the mission but also controls the payload. It is operated by two persons and is under automatic control throughout its flight. Scorpio is capable of hovering in one position and is therefore a device suitable for operations inside or outside urban zones. It enables to keep a major highway, a road junction, a building or a scene of operations under surveillance and can usefully deliver information to a front line unit as it advances. The development and production of the Scorpio-6 and Scorpio-30 systems are carried out under the overall prime contractorship of EADS, working in partnership with the company Surveycopter. Currently, a major western army is testing the Scorpio-30 in the context of its entire range of missions, including urban conflicts.
