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Air · Drone / system

ART Quimbaya

Colombian tactical surveillance aircraft offered by CIAC for military, police and government observation tasks.

Role & capabilities

  • Reconnaissance aircraft
Supplier-reported statusSupplier-reported status
Primary domain
Air
System type
Reconnaissance aircraft
Developer / manufacturer
Corporación de la Industria Aeronáutica Colombiana (CIAC)
Origin / production countries
Colombia
Other names
Quimbaya
Variants / configurations
See the named configuration and evidence notes
Operators / programme customers
Not confirmed in the reviewed public sources

Evidence & current status

CIAC documents a marketed system and industrialisation programme. Specific military acceptance, current fleet size and full design lineage were not established.

ART Quimbaya is a Colombian surveillance aircraft programme marketed by CIAC. The manufacturer describes it as a platform for reconnaissance, critical-infrastructure observation and other government missions. Its system combines an aircraft, imaging equipment, ground control and a communications link. The public description offers manual, semi-automatic and autonomous flight modes, including automatic take-off and landing.

CIAC’s technical page lists eight hours of flight duration and one hundred kilometres of operating range. It also separates the seven-kilogram payload allowance into camera and electronics portions. That detail matters: the full stated amount should not be treated as unallocated capacity available for an additional sensor. The page gives a cruise speed and an operating ceiling, but a complete dimensional and mass baseline was not established in the reviewed text.

The current product listing confirms a marketed programme, while CIAC’s corporate reporting describes industrialisation work. Neither alone supplies a full military delivery or acceptance inventory. This entry therefore uses a supplier-reported status. It also avoids treating statements about national content as a verified audit of every subsystem or the aircraft’s complete design lineage.

Sourced specifications

Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.

SpecificationReported valueContext & source
AirframeFixed-wing reconnaissance aircraftPublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
Launch / recoveryAutomatic take-off and landingPublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
PropulsionNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
DimensionsNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
MassNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
Endurance8 hoursPublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
Range100 km operating rangePublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
Speed100 km/h cruisePublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
AltitudeOperating ceiling up to 12,000 ftPublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗
Payload7 kg total: 4 kg camera and 3 kg electronicsManufacturer allocation; not seven kilograms of additional spare payload capacity. Source ↗
SensorsElectro-optical / infrared imagingManufacturer-described system. Source ↗
Communications / navigationEncrypted datalink and autopilotPublished figure for the cited configuration; conditions and payload can affect performance. Source ↗

Publication history

  • — Added a sourced global catalogue profile with configuration-specific data and explicit evidence limits.

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Follow the evidence

Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.

  1. CIAC: ART Quimbaya published performance (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  2. CIAC: Quimbaya system and intended roles (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  3. CIAC: 2022 industrialisation programme report (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer

Explore the connections

Air · Coverage auditLatin America

Latin America defence drone coverage audit

4 original research topics reviewed: 0 resolved, 3 partially resolved and 1 still open. The remaining register identifies specific evidence needs.

Reviewed 21 Sept 2026Read