Abraham Karem
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
Abrahan Karem | |
---|---|
Born | June 27, 1937 | (age 84)
Citizenship | American |
Alma mater | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology |
Occupation | Engineer |
Known for | Predator (Drone) |
Title | Founder of Karem Aircraft |
Abraham Karem is a pioneer in innovative fixed and rotary-wing unmanned vehicles and is regarded as the founding father of UAV (drone) technology.
Early life and career[]
Abraham Karem was born in Baghdad to a couple. His family moved to Israel in 1951, where he grew up. From an early age, he had an innate passion for aeronautics, and at the age of 14, he started building model aircraft. Karem is regarded as the founding father of UAV (drone) technology. He graduated as an aeronautical engineer from The Technion. He built his first drone during the Yom Kippur war for the Israeli Air Force. In the 1970s, he immigrated to the United States. He founded Leading Systems Inc. in his home garage, where he started manufacturing his first drone, Albatross, and later on, the more sophisticated Amber, which eventually evolved into the famous Predator drone, which brought him the title of "Drone father".[1]
Karem has been described by The Economist magazine as the man who "created the robotic plane that transformed the way modern warfare is waged and continues to pioneer other airborne innovations".[1] Leading Systems has since gone bankrupt and was bought up by the US defense contractor General Atomics, which employed Karem and his team for the development of ultra-high endurance UAVs. The new development resulted in the creation of Predator, based on the previous model Amber.[2]
In 2010, Karem was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for the development of long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles and variable rotor speed VTOL aircraft systems.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The dronefather". The Economist. The Economist Newspaper Limited. December 1, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ Steve Coll, Ghost Wars (Penguin, 2005 edition), pp. 527-8 and 658 note 5.
- American aerospace engineers
- American people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
- Israeli aerospace engineers
- Jewish inventors
- Living people
- People from Baghdad
- 1937 births