Industry partners behind a joint German-Franco-Spanish mission to build a new twin-engine surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are concentrating on long-distance/endurance capabilities versus short-range ones, say industry officials.

The Advanced UAV (A-UAV) project - managed by EADS Defence, Thales and Indra - is reviewing 2 possible prototype configurations, a short-range, rapid reconnaissance version (FR) and a long-distance surveillance and reconnaissance version (SR).

“Our customers are interested in SR. Their drivers are distance to theatre, size of the surveillance area and frequency of re-visit time,” Peter Hunkel, EADS’ programme manager, Advanced UAV Military Air Systems, told Jane’s during the ILA 2008 Air Show in Berlin.

The team will draw on lessons learned from EADS’ Barracuda UAV demonstrator, a twin-jet vehicle of modular, carbon-fibre design unveiled in 2006, although a subsequent crash brought the project to a halt.

The Discovery Channel has put together its picks of the ten best fighter planes of all time. See if your favorite aircraft made it on the list.

10. F-117 Stealth Fighter
9. DR 1 Fokker Triplane
8. Mitsubishi Zero (A6M2)
7. Harrier Jump Jet (AV-8B Harrier II)
6. F-86 Sabre
5. Messerschmidt ME109
4. F-18 Super Hornet
3. MIG 21 (F-13 / Fishbed C)
2. Supermarine Spitfire
1. P-51 Mustang

This fighter pilot design was made by Alex Beltechi. Chosen for its unique theme and use of numerous Photoshop techniques, it was recently hailed at PSDTUTS.com as the most remarkable design.

Featured in this design are the WWII fighter Spitfire, bomber aircrafts, and the “Shark Face“.