French Navy boosts its ISR capabilities
Additional VTOL UAVs will be deployed on Mistral-class vessels
Four more Schiebel Camcopter S-100 VTOL UAVs have been accepted into operational use by the French Navy.
The rotary-wing unmanned aircraft will be deployed on the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships Tonnerre and Mistral, to enhance their ISR capabilities.
Camcopter S-100 was previously integrated on Dixmude (another Mistral-class vessel) in 2019.
Factory acceptance tests for the latest systems were held in late October, with support from Naval Group.
‘This was the first time in Europe that a rotary-wing UAS had been connected to the combat system of an amphibious helicopter carrier,’ Schiebel noted on 14 December.
The S-100 can carry multiple payloads up to a combined weight of 50kg. The UAV has a mission endurance of 6h with a 34kg payload or 10h with optional external tank, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
Meanwhile, under the SDAM programme, the French Navy is buying up to 15 UAVs to operate from its new Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) frigates and other vessels. The current plan is for deliveries from 2028.
Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group collaborated on the project and were awarded a technology development contract in 2019 for the VSR700 rotary-wing UAV.
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