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2020-08-11

Belgian and Royal Netherland Navies to Deploy UAV SKELDAR V-200

ECA Group recently awarded UMS SKELDAR a procurement contract to supply the UAV SKELDAR V-200, as part of the naval mine countermeasures capability replacement, a programme led by Belgium Naval & Robotics – a consortium including Naval Group and ECA Group. The contract will supply 12 mine hunters equipped with drone systems (Toolbox) to the Belgian and Royal Netherlands navies.

Working across 12 new generation ships (six each for the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies), this contract is the first to materialise the stand-off concept by using a Toolbox – a system composed of a variety of drones to be deployed by operators in order to fulfil autonomous mine clearance missions at sea.

The UAV SKELDAR V-200 is an integrated part of the Toolbox, which will also consist of surface drones USV INSPECTOR125, underwater drones AUV A18-M, towed sonars T18 for mine detection, alongside the MIDS system (Mine Identification and Disposal System) for mine identification and neutralisation, SEASCAN and K-STER.

Also, selected by the German and Canadian Navies, the SKELDAR V-200 provides navies with an embedded, “eye in the sky” intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability to enhance its capacity to perform primary and secondary missions. For the contract with ECA Group, serial deliveries of the UAV SKELDAR V-200 are expected to start in 2023.

“We are very pleased to announce our choice of UMS SKELDAR as a partner to join this first world’s navies programme based on autonomous technologies. Together with Naval Group, we believe that strong partnerships and close cooperation are key to the success of this project,” said Jean-Louis Sambarino, Program Director of ECA Group.

While Axel Cavalli-Björkman, CEO of UMS SKELDAR, highlighted: “This is a significant contract win for us and confirms our market-leading capabilities within the maritime sector. The SKELDAR V-200 was conceived as a maritime platform, and we have continued a programme of enhancements including technical, sensor and flight endurance along with improvements of our superior heavy fuel engine.”

“The SKELDAR V-200 is undoubtedly an essential asset in the stand-off concept. This UAV with its integrated sensors and endurance will improve the situational awareness and enhance the detection process in the mine threat area. Ultimately, this will result in a more efficient and safer mission for our valuable crewmembers,” concluded Cdr SG Claude Bultot, Programme Director for the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies.

Meeting Functional Requirements

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Belgium Naval & Robotics teams have reached a new milestone within the framework of the mine war programme, which provides for the delivery of 12 mine hunters equipped with their toolbox. The milestone reached on May 23, called “Systems Functional Review”, validates the functional and architectural studies of all the systems of mine action ships developed by Naval Group such as computer networks, electrical installations, propulsion or combat systems, as well as those of all drones developed by ECA Group. This review also focused on the systems of systems that provide mission management, communications and cybersecurity, as well as on the integration of drone systems on the ship.

In charge of the preliminary design of the ships, Naval Group works in close collaboration with Kership who will carry out the detailed design of the ships and their construction. Kership’s activities will start after crossing the Preliminary Design Review milestone, which is scheduled for December 2020.

“The COVID-19 challenge was resolutely taken up and mastered by Belgium Naval & Robotics and our binational project team. The flexibility, diligence and professionalism of both parties were the ingredients necessary for the success of this important step in the contractual deadlines. The constructive atmosphere and expertise of Belgium Naval & Robotics inspires confidence in the prospect of the next milestone this fall,” said Commander Claude Bultot, programme director for the Belgian and Dutch navies.

The contract for 12 mine hunters for the Belgian and Dutch navies will span over 10 years. After a design period of three years, Belgium Naval & Robotics will move on to the production phase of these ships and drone systems, with an initial delivery scheduled for 2024. Six ships will be delivered to the Belgian navy and six to the Dutch navy; they will be equipped with a complete drone system (Toolbox) containing a total of more than 100 underwater, surface and aerial drones entirely dedicated to mine hunting.

Reference Text/Photo:www.umsskeldar.aero,www.naval-group.com

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