CU-161 Sperwer
Canadian Military Aircraft
Serial Numbers
Canadian Armed Forces
Detailed list CU-161 Sperwer
Photo courtesy
of Department of National Defence
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NOTE(1):
The information on this page has been assembled from publicly available
Department of National Defense documents and press releases,
speculative articles in the trade journals (such as Jane’s Defense and
Flight International), and a bit of guess work on my part. It
should be considered
very tentative. The CU-161s in Afghanistan from spring of 2006
have been operated by the Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight,
made up of members from No. 408 (Tac Hel) Squadron at CFB Edmonton and
the 5e Régiment dartillerie légère du Canada from CFB Valcartier.
NOTE(2): A french web
site has reported that the French military has purchased the six
surviving CU-161s (2 of them damaged) in mid 2009.
Designer
Manufacturer
basic designation
variant or model
name
company
designation
company number
161001
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
This
may have been the unit used for initial training in Canada from
September 2003. Deployed to Afghanistan on
29 October 2003, with the UAV Troop of 2 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
Regiment, Petawawa, Ontario. First public
flight in Afghanistan on 6 November 2003. Operational
in Kabul as late as April 2004. Believed
to have returned to Valcartier, PQ in August 2004.
Used for training at CFB Suffield, Alberta in September
2005. Category B damage near Kandahar,
Afghanistan on 21 November 2006, when landing air bags deployed shortly
after launch. Landed 250 metres from
launcher. Investigation focusing on air
bag control system, improvements being developed. Category
B damaged again at Kandahar on 1 November 2008, appears engine kill
button inadvertently pushed during launch.
161002
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
Deployed
to Afghanistan on 29 October 2003. Category
B damage on 20 March 2004, near Kabul, Afghanistan.
Was launched on operational mission, failed to climb above
50 feet AGL. Parachute deployed, but did
not have time to inflate. Possibility of
mis-set carburetor, and resulting power loss at high density altitude. Believed to have returned to Valcartier, PQ in
August 2004. Used for training at CFB
Suffield, Alberta in September 2005. Back
in Afghanistan when it suffered Category B damage on 6 July 2006, when
airbags deployed shortly after launch. Impacted
ground 300 metres from launcher. Investigation
focusing on possible failure and sand contamination in valve in airbag
inflation system. Category B damage on 9
May 2008 at CFB Wainwright, Alberta. Propeller
tip contacted launcher during launch, aircraft crashed 50 metres from
end of launcher.
161003
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
Deployed
to Afghanistan on 29 October 2003. Crashed while performing test flight
in Afghanistan, as part of granting of flight authority.
Parachute failed to deploy at end of flight, turbulence
may have played a role.
last
date:
21 November 2003 – Category
A damage after “hard landing” near Kabul, Afghanistan
161004
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
Category
C damage on 30 June 2004, near Kabul, Afghanistan.
Contact lost near end of night time operational mission. Recovered in emergency mode and landed in a
residential area, lightly contacting a
power line and coming to rest against the wall of a house.
No obvious collateral damage and no injuries were
experienced. Damage to the right
wing and nose areas. Alternator positive
cable found to have abraded on bolt due to incorrect clamp
installation, causing short and total electrical failure.
Classified as Category C damage. Subsequent
investigation found several other maintenance anomalies, report stated
“hastening of maintenance training in order to expedite theatre
deployment of the UAV troop had a detrimental effect on maintenance
quality assurance.” Believed to have
returned to Valcartier, PQ in August 2004.
161005
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
Deployed
to Afghanistan on 29 October 2003. Was
practicing autopilot recovery circuits, descent command was issued
early on fourth practice approach circuit. Impacted
the terrain while in a descending final turn to the inbound track. The air vehicle sustained A category damage.
last
date:
19 January 2004 – Category
A damage after flying into terrain on training mission, near Kabul,
Afghanistan.
161006
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: August 2003 – Order
placed.
Last
of first order for 6 airframes. Operational
in Afghanistan by 2006.
161007
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2004 – delivered
Replacement
aircraft, part of second batch ordered c. April 2004.
Possibly rebuilt from earlier serial number?
Category D damage at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta on 1 May 2005. Aircraft was being used to test maximum link
range and recovery accuracy, when the aircraft suffered total
electrical failure, resulting in automatic recovery.
Category C damage on 14 October 2005, during training
mission at Camp Wainwright, Alberta. Drifted
after recovery parachute deployed, landed in group of small birch
trees, 288 meters from intended touch down point. Operated
at that time by the TUAV Flight, made up of personnel from No. 408
(TacHel) Squadron and 5e Régiment dartillerie légère du Canada. Severe damage on 24 October 2006, when engine
lost power shortly after launch from Kandahar airport.
Carburetor had been replaced a few days earlier. Category B damage at Kandahar on 18 august
2008, when parachute did not fully deploy after normal mission.
161008
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2004 – delivered
Replacement
aircraft, part of second batch ordered c. April 2004.
Possibly rebuilt from earlier serial number?
Operational in Afghanistan by 2006. Destroyed
at Kandahar airport on 22 November 2007, when parachute did not deploy
during recovery sequence.
last
date: 22
November 2004 –
Destroyed, see comments
161009
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – delivered
First
aircraft of third batch, ordered in December 2005, deliveries scheduled
for mid 2006. Destroyed on 6 May 2006,
when parachute did not deploy during recovery from an operational
mission at Kandahar airport. Destroyed by
post impact fire. Unlike first two
batches, this vehicle was in overall grey finish.
last
date:
6 May 2006 – Destroyed, see
comments
161010
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – delivered
Part
of third batch, ordered in December 2005, deliveries scheduled for
early 2006. Destroyed on 11 January 2007,
when engine failed 30 kilometres from Kandahar airport.
Initial report indicates fuel pump failure.
last
date: 11
January 2007
– Destroyed, see comments
161011
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – delivered
Part
of third batch, ordered in December 2005, deliveries scheduled for
early 2006.
161012
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – delivered
Part
of third batch, ordered in December 2005, deliveries scheduled for
early 2006.
161013
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – delivered
Part
of third batch, ordered in December 2005, deliveries scheduled for
early 2006. Operational in Afghanistan by
July 2006, in overall light grey scheme.
161014
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed in a crash at Kandahar airport on 24
January 2007, when controls froze during recovery operation after
hurried operational launch. Preliminary
investigation cites unofficial abbreviated check list being used, due
to time pressures.
last
date: 24
January 2007
– Destroyed, see comments
161015
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006.
161016
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Operational in Afghanistan by December 2007,
in overall grey finish. Category B damage
during a launch from Kandahar Airfield on 25 May 2008.
Propeller was damaged during launch, foreign objects
(tools) suspected on launch rail.
161017
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category B damage near Kandahar, Afghanistan
on 6 April 2008. Engine power dropped
shortly after launch, crew initiated emergency recovery, but aircraft
hit ground before parachute and airbag fully deployed.
Category B damage again at Kandahar on 25 July 2008,
ground station equipment faults resulted in hard
landing. Destroyed on 25 October 2008,
near Kandahar. Engine failure during
routine mission lead to emergency landing off field.
Airframe scavenged by locals before being recovered.
last
date: 25 October 2008 see comments
161018
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed in Afghanistan on 8 April 2007, when
the aircraft departed controlled flight while cruising en route to
operational location. Initial report cites
alternator failure, resulting in automatic recovery sequence being
started.
last
date: 8
April 2007
– Destroyed, see comments
161019
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Operated at CFB Wainwright, Alberta in May
2007, during Exercise Maple Guardian, in overall grey finish. Destroyed at Kandahar, Afghanistan on 5 March
2008. Failed to climb after launching,
struck piece of construction equipment 365 metres from launch site.
last
date:
5 March 2008 – Destroyed,
see comments
161020
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed in crash at Kandahar airport on 10
July 2007. Crew was performing manual
recovery sequence, parachute began deployment at too low an altitude
and aircraft was destroyed by impact.
last
date: 10
July 2007
– Destroyed, see comments
161021
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category C damage at Kandahar airport on 3
July 2007. Piece of propeller left
airframe shortly after launch, parachute did not fully deploy due to
low altitude.
161022
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed near Kandahar Airfield on 5 May 2008. engine lost power right after launch, aircraft
struck ground at high speed 10 seconds after launch.
last
date: 5 May 2008 destroyed, see comments
161023
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Probably
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category A damage at Kandahar airport on 31
October 2007, when parachute did not deploy during recovery sequence.
last
date:
31 October 2007 – Destroyed,
see comments
161024
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category B damage on 22 May 2008, near
Kandahar Airfield. Aircraft pitched down
and struck ground shortly after launch, blocked pitot tube suspected.
161025
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category B damage on 27 March 2008, west of
Kandahar airfield. Normal launch, but
contact lost while transiting to operational area.
Entered safe mode, damaged in parachute landing.
161026
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed at 09:00 local on 9 August 2008 near
Kandahar Airfield. Pitched abnormally
right after parachute deployed for normal landing, struck ground nose
down with partially inflated parachute. Parachute
misrigging suspected.
last
date: 9
August 2008 Destroyed, see comments
161027
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed on 18 March 2008 at Kandahar,
Afghanistan. Apparently lost control on
launch, rolled left and pitched down, striking ground at speed.
last
date:
18 March 2008 – Destroyed,
see comments
161028
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Category B damage during landing at Kandahar
Airfield on 24 October 2008. Main
parachute deployed too slowly, was not full inflated when aircraft
struck ground.
161029
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006.
161030
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed near Kandahar on 22 August 2008. Apparent engine failure in flight, emergency
descent started. Aircraft reported burning
on the ground shortly afterwards. Remains
scavenged by locals, no recovery attempted.
last
date:
22 August 2008 Destroyed, see comments
161031
SAGEM
CU-161
Sperwer
first
date: 2006 – order
placed
Possibly
one of the ex-Danish Sperwers, acquired second hand in September 2006. Destroyed near Kandahar on 6 November 2008. Engine failure during mission resulted in
emergency descent from low altitude, destroyed by post impact fire.
last
date:
6 November 2008 Destroyed, see comments
This
data has come
from a variety of sources, and may contain all sorts of errors. In the
future, I will add a complete list of references. For now, some recent
Internet references can be found at the links below. I would
welcome any corrections or additions you may have. Contact me using the
link below.
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©
2006, 2008, 2009 by R. W. R. Walker All rights
reserved under the copyright laws.
This is an amateur site – please don’t rely on any of this data for
anything important!
Created 10 February 2006. Updated 13 December 2009.