Role & capabilities
- Reconnaissance aircraft
- Primary domain
- Air
- System type
- Reconnaissance aircraft
- Developer / manufacturer
- Elbit Systems
- Origin / production countries
- Israel
- Other names
- No additional names recorded
- Variants / configurations
- Skylark 3 Hybrid; Original Skylark 3: distinct propulsion configuration
- Operators / programme customers
- Not confirmed in the reviewed public sources
Evidence & current status
The family’s service history does not establish Hybrid-specific deliveries. Endurance differs between the manufacturer brochure and current product page.
Skylark 3 Hybrid extends the Skylark tactical aircraft family with two different propulsion sources. Elbit describes it as a reconnaissance system for brigade and division users, carrying stabilised day and night imaging sensors. Its design places it between small short-duration aircraft and larger runway-based surveillance systems.
Public manufacturer documents do not give one consistent endurance figure. The downloadable brochure lists eighteen hours, while the current product page advertises up to twenty hours. These are retained as separate published claims; there is no basis in the reviewed material for assuming identical fuel load, sensor fit and flight conditions. The brochure supplies a wingspan and maximum take-off mass, but does not establish a complete current operator list.
The Hybrid designation matters. Specifications from the original all-electric Skylark 3 should not silently be merged into this profile. Likewise, Elbit’s operational totals and customer numbers for the wider Skylark family do not demonstrate the same service record for the Hybrid aircraft alone. This entry records the marketed system while leaving unconfirmed deliveries and fleet size open.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Fixed-wing tactical reconnaissance aircraft | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Launch / recovery | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Propulsion | Hybrid: combustion engine and electric motor | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Dimensions | Wingspan 4.7 m | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Mass | Maximum take-off weight 48 kg | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Endurance | 18 hours in brochure; current web page advertises up to 20 hours | Conflicting manufacturer publications; do not assume the same configuration. Source ↗ |
| Range | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Speed | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Altitude | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Payload | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Sensors | Stabilised EO/IR imaging payload; other intelligence payload options | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Communications / navigation | Ground station handover and remote video terminals described | Manufacturer-published figure; configuration and conditions may 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.