The Royal Australian Navy has completed validation and verification trials of Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 unmanned air system (UAS), the UAS manufacturer has announced.
According to Schiebel, the S-100 was equipped with a Wescam MX-10S payload showcasing its ability to deliver imagery to commanders.
The tests were carried out at at the Jervis Bay Airfield facilities in New South Wales, Australia.
The S-100 was selected by the Royal Australian Navy in December 2016 following an international request for tender in late February 2016 for a UAS capability.
Schiebel’s heavy-fuel UAS navigates via preprogrammed GPS waypoints or is operated with a pilot control unit. Its carbon fiber and titanium fuselage carries a 75 lbs/34 kg payload up to 10 hours in its standard configuration.
“The heavy fuel variant of the S-100 has performed very well during the validation and verification program and the RAN looks forward to utilising this platform to achieve NMP1942 project objectives over the coming years,” RAN contract manager Kevin Beare noted.
“The S-100 will prove to be an effective asset in enhancing the Navy’s ISR capabilities,” said 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.”