TSAMTO, August 12. On August 9, the Austrian company Schiebel Aircraft announced the completion of a demonstration conducted jointly with Arete Associates to the US Navy command of the capabilities of the S-100 Kamkopter helicopter type UAV developed by it.
According to Janes Navy International, the tests were carried out on the US Navy's R & D controls on board a commercial vessel off the coast of Pensacola (Florida). Arete Associates has provided an image formation sensor for monitoring in the coastal waters of PILLS (Pushbroom Imaging Littoral Surveillance) for installation on board the UAV. Additional details of the tests are not disclosed, except that the PILLS sensor allows hydrographic mapping of coastal areas of the ocean using a small-sized light low-power sensor (SWaP), which is easily integrated on board the S-100.
The US Navy and Schiebel do not report whether the tests will lead to the purchase of UAVs for combat use.
Schiebel has previously demonstrated the possibility of using the S-100 Kamkopter UAV at sea for the Navies of Australia, France, the Netherlands and a number of other countries.
In this version, the S-100 was tested with the DeckFinder navigation and positioning system of Airbus Defense and Space, which allows you to take off and land from the deck of small ships in the absence of a GPS signal. The tests included information collection, surveillance and reconnaissance on board a ship loaded with dangerous substances, as well as the use of a station with electro-optical / infrared sensors to detect, identify and escort a ship suspected of smuggling.
As reported by TSAMTO, the S-100 is a helicopter-type UAV with a length of 3.11 m, a height of 1.1 m and a width of 1.2 m. The fuselage of the device is made of carbon fiber with titanium elements. The duration of the UAV flight with a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg in the basic version with a full fuel tank and 34 kg of cargo is over 6 hours. An additional tank increases the duration of being in the air up to 10 hours. The UAV's own weight is 110 kg. The engine runs on aviation gasoline or heavy fuel. The range of the UAV in the line of sight is 200 km, the practical ceiling is 5480 m (18,000 ft), the maximum speed is 240 km/h, the economical speed is 102 km / h. Flights can be carried out at any time of the day and in difficult weather conditions along a programmed route using a GPS navigation system or under the control of an operator.
