Australian navy selects Camcopter S-100
Schiebel has been awarded a contract by the Royal Australian Navy for the supply of the Camcopter S-100 UAV and three years of follow-on contractor logistics support, the company announced on 6 February.
The company submitted the S-100 for the navy's February 2016 UAS request for tender (RfT). The competition is understood to have included the UMS Skeldar.
The contract with Schiebel was awarded in December 2016 following proposal evaluation and negotiations.
The Camcopter is being acquired under Navy Minor Project (NMP) 1942, which requires a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV that is capable of covering an area of 400nm² for four hours and at a distance of 60nm from the host vessel.
Hans Georg Schiebel, owner of Schiebel Group, said: 'We feel most honoured by the Royal Australian Navy's decision to purchase our Camcopter S-100 UAS. We are sure that the S-100 will prove to be an effective asset that will set a new benchmark for UAS capability.'
An initial training system is expected to be delivered within six months of the contract announcement, and the S-100 will be used to build experience in operating a VTOL UAV aboard ships ahead of a major acquisition programme (two phases of Joint Project 129).
JP129 will oversee the purchase of one or two types of larger VTOL platforms for operation from the RAN's Future Frigate and, possibly, offshore patrol vessels that will be acquired in coming years.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
