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2020-11-08

SKELDAR V-150 VTOL Platform Completes First Remote Automatic Flight

Europe’s leading provider of Rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms, UMS SKELDAR, has successfully completed the remote automatic flight of its V-150 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platform.

The flight, which was a world first and a major milestone for both the company and the platform, was performed across multiple continents, with the platform itself based in Switzerland and observed by team members onsite.

While travel restrictions remain in place owing to COVID-19 pandemic, this breakthrough achievement enables UMS SKELDAR to provide remote product demonstrations to prospective customers across the globe and offer attendees the opportunity to fully test the system without leaving their base.

As stated by David Willems, VP Business Development and Strategy for UMS SKELDAR: “This development will open new doors for UMS SKELDAR as it enables us to provide cost-effective demonstrations to customer prospects who otherwise would not be able to experience a live flight of the system.”

The existing software within the V-150 has been enhanced to make it fully automatic and allow a person not present at the Remote Pilot Station (RPS) to safely and remotely control the UA/RPA from even thousands of kilometres away.

Additionally, UMS SKELDAR’s flight demonstrations can incorporate a wide variety of mission simulation scenarios.

The demonstrations will provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations remotely to the customer, with applications in search and rescue, border patrol, energy and military sectors.

Willems explains further: “We are not just presenting the customer with the chance to take off and go in circles. Instead, the V-150 will perform a simulated mission with various events taking place in the background. This is exciting because we are advancing traditional flight demonstrations and incorporating many new elements that will maximise the customer experience, even from thousands of kilometres away.”

Propulsion System

The SKELDAR V-150 operates on a turbine engine propulsion system that uses heavy fuels. It has a current endurance of up to 2.5 hours with a 12kg payload. This is likely to increase to 4 hours in the near future thanks to modifications being worked on.

The V-150 incorporates two payload bays that includes up to 30kg in the main bay and up to 12kg in the nose. Within these, it provides a variety of payload options, including powerful Electro Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, hyperspectral and multispectral cameras for airborne remote sensing, LiDAR and a variety of small tactical synthetic aperture radars (SAR) for delivering real-time intelligence in all weather conditions.

The V-150’s modular design enables system customisation and functional development, with air maintenance carried out at unit level.

Units can be accessed, removed and repaired in a very short timeframe, making it a unique offering in the UAV market.

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