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.