As part of its customer acceptance program with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Schiebel successfully demonstrated the heavy fuel variant of its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS.

The UAS successfully completed its flying program for the RAN validation and verification customer acceptance program at the Jervis Bay Airfield facilities in New South Wales, Australia.

Schiebel says that in a comprehensive series of tests, the JP-5 (NATO F-44) heavy fuel powered CAMCOPTER S-100, equipped with a “Wescam MX-10S payload,” and at operational ranges of up to 60 nautical miles as well as altitudes above 10,000 feet, showcased its ability to deliver world-class imagery to commanders.

“The heavy fuel variant of the S-100 has performed very well during the validation and verification program and the RAN looks forward to utilizing this platform to achieve NMP1942 project objectives over the coming years,” says RAN Contract Manager Kevin Beare.

Under the directive of the Navy Minor Project (NMP) 1942 to procure a “vertical takeoff and landing Maritime Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System – Interim Capability (MTUASIC),” RAN searched for a platform for shipborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

The CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS was selected thanks in large part because of its maturity and demonstrated capability.

“The S-100 will prove to be an effective asset in enhancing the Navy’s ISR capabilities,” says Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group.

“We are excited about the positive feedback we are receiving from RAN and are looking forward to continued cooperation in the future.”