The Hunter system is capable of carrying out the following missions: real time imagery intelligence, artillery adjustment, battle damage assessment, reconnaissance and surveillance, target acquisition and battlefield observation.

Since 1999, Hunters have been deployed in Macedonia, in support of NATO forces in Kosovo. In the first three months of Operation Allied Force, Hunters flew over 600 flight hours per 30 day period, providing imagery and real-time data. The Hunters operated in relay with two air vehicles airborne simultaneously for each mission.

An Extended Hunter, a larger version of Hunter, has been developed for longer endurance and higher (up to 20,000ft) altitude tactical missions.

In October 2002, a series of flight tests demonstrated Hunter's ability to carry and deploy the Northrop Grumman BAT (Brilliant AntiTank) submunition. The BAT submunitions destroyed a BMP combat vehicle and incapacitated a moving T-72 tank.

The air vehicle can be launched from a paved or semi-paved runway or it can use a rocket assisted take off (RATO) system, where it is launched from a zero-length launcher using a rocket booster. The RATO launch is useful on board small ships and in areas where space is limited. The air vehicle can land on a regular runway, grassy strip or highway using arresting cables.

The B-Hunter, produced by IAI for Belgium, has an automatic landing and take-off (ATLND) system. The ATLND is based on a laser tracker sensor that is used to automatically guide the air vehicle to a flare point. The US Hunter has begun flight testing to incorporate the existing UAV Common Automatic Recovery System (UCARS), built by Sierra Nevada Corporation, that the US Government has developed for the Navy Pioneer UAV.

Hunter is capable of carrying other advanced mission payloads and has been used as a payload demonstration platform. Payloads have included a laser designator and various communications systems. A communications relay payload extends VHF/UHF communications beyond line of sight. Electronic countermeasures payloads have included communications warning receiver, communications jammer and radar jammer supplied by Northrop Grumman.

The GCS has three control bays and an optional intelligence bay. The Pilot Control Bay controls the flight of the air vehicle. An Observer Control Bay is controls the payload functions. The navigation control bay is equipped with a digital map display which traces the flight path and monitors the progress of the mission. The intelligence bay provides data processing and distribution capabilities. 

The communications uplink channels (UPL-1 and UPL-2) and the downlink channel (DNL) use fixed coded frame format. An optional spread spectrum modem on the main uplink channel provides anti-jam capability.

IAI Malat has developed a Compact Ground Control System, CGCS, which can be adapted for airborne, small ship and forward tactical deployment. 

Within 48 hours further NATO reports indicated that a Hunter had gone down over Kosovo and was presumed to have been shot down. However, NATO officials said evidence of this was not conclusive. US Defence officials, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the precise cause of the loss is under review.

Ben-Gurion International Airport, Israel - The Belgium Government announced December 10, 1998 its decision to buy three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Systems. The contract has been awarded to the "Eagle" alliance, a temporary association consisting of Alcatel Etca S.A., Alcatel Bell Space & Defense N.V., SAIT Systems S.A., Sonaca S.A. and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) MALAT Division. This alliance was established to provide the most capable industrial team to meet the Belgium Army's UAV mission requirements. 

The selected system is a version, with upgraded capabilities, of the Hunter UAV system developed by IAI/MALAT, and is based on the seven Hunter UAV systems/62 air vehicles purchased by the U.S. Army, and a Hunter system that was purchased by the French Army. 

The principal upgraded capabilities of the B-Hunter are full automatic takeoff and landing, advanced ground control station and advanced avionics. These advancements were based on lessons learned from the U.S. Army's successful operation of their Hunter UAV systems and are applicable to the U.S. Army's Hunter fleet. 

The announcement by the Belgium Government ends a period of stringent, comparative evaluation and rigorous testing of a number of candidate UAV systems. A highly qualified Belgium team who had more than 20 years of Belgium operational experience with UAV systems conducted the assessment. The final contenders were the French Sagem "Sperwer" UAV, the Swiss Oerlikon-Contraves "Ranger" system and IAI's Hunter UAV system, as proposed by the "Eagle" alliance. 

Sharing Malat's extensive UAV experience with its partners, the work on the new B-Hunter system will be conducted in both Belgium and Israel. The first system, to be used for validation purposes, will be delivered by the year 2000. 
 

Hunter UAV System Features
Multi-role short-range UAV system with combi electro-optical payloads 
Full automatic take-off and landing 
Take-off and landing from unprepared terrain 
Improved avionics & datalink 
New advanced ground control station 
High level of airworthiness 
Emergency parachute 
Twin engine configuration 
NATO standard compatible 
Meets European environmental requirements 
Integrated logistic support 

B-Hunter UAV System Major Characteristics
Endurance more then 10 hrs 
Range more then 100 km 
Altitude Up to 15,000 ft 
Max. Speed 110 knot 
Powerplant Twin engines, 4 stroke 2 cylinder 64 hp each 
Max. Take-off Weight 727 kg 
Overall Length 6.90 m 
Wing Span 8.90 m