Saab's Skeldar UAS finds its wings
Saab's Skeldar UAV has entered operational service on the BAM Meteoro offshore patrol vessel in support of the Spanish Navy. The system is providing surveillance capabilities while taking part in the EU Atalanta operation in the Gulf of Aden.
It was confirmed in July that the Spanish Navy had selected the Skeldar V-200 VTOL UAV for maritime operations, marking the first sale of the system.
Prior to the commencement of the Atalanta deployment successful integration trials were conducted on-board the BAM Relámpago in the waters outside the Canary Islands.
Mikael Franzén, director, tactial UAS, Saab, said: ‘The Skeldar UAS is operated together with a manned helicopter to enhance the vessel’s surveillance capabilities during its mission to fight piracy as part of the EU Atalanta operation in the Gulf of Aden.
‘Since signing the first contract we are seeing an increasing interest for Skeldar where more and more potential customers are discovering Skeldar’s unique strengths and features, including air worthiness, heavy fuel engine, high performance and operational capability.’
Skeldar is a rotary wing, short to medium range UAV that can be controlled from a tailored control station. It can be equipped with a wide range of payloads, including surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and 3D mapping.
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