Defense
Schiebel S-100 Camcopter Makes the Grade With MDA Contract
Schiebel, an Austrian unmanned aerial systems company with offices also in the USA, UAE and Cambodia, have won a contract to provide Maxar Technologies’ MDA with an S-100 UAS camcopter.
MDA, who have a proven track record in conducting surveillance operations in challenging, complex and hostile environments, recently entered an agreement to provide technology for unmanned aircraft systems to the Royal Canadian Navy.
The contract, valued at over $6 million USD, with Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) to provide Maritime Miniature Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MMUAS) was announced last month. It involves providing services to support training, resource and equipment development activities and development, as well as validation of naval tactics and new capability development. The MMUAS plays an important role in extending communication and sensor capability during maritime security operations over contentious or hostile areas.
Although it is unclear if this is the client that will make use of the S-100, the contract means big things for Schiebel, including responsibility for the fleet and its required infrastructure, training, airworthiness, logistics, supply chain management, maintenance and all flight operations.
“We are honored that MDA has chosen our best-in-class CAMCOPTER® S-100 to fulfill the requirements of this prestigious contract,” said Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group. “We are excited about this partnership and look forward to the opportunity to once again demonstrate the proven capabilities of the S-100 and its unique suitability for ISR missions.”
Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 is an unmanned VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, with a relatively small logistical footprint allowing for flexible and fast launch. Able to be deployed in both night and day, the UAS is capable of carrying a wide variety of high-end payloads.
The French Navy is also conducting experiments with the with the Schiebel Camcopter drone, while it waits for the launch of the SDAM (Navy Aerial UAV System) program, which will be launched as part of the upcoming LPM (Military Program Law).
In 2017, this project was embarked upon aboard the French Navy launch vessel BPC “Diksmuide”. In May, the flight area of the drone was unveiled when the aircraft was shipped to carry out a first series of experiments. On the launch of the mission “Jeanne d’Arc” in 2018, the first operational capability was announced.
In the long term, the piloting functions of the drone and its sensors is being integrated into the BPC operations center. Once completed, the Camcopter will be serve as a fully-fledged sensor for the vessel.
