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Austrian-based company Schiebel Group has announced its Camcopter S-100 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has successfully completed qualification flights for the French Navy.
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The flight trials, which were conducted from 29 May to 3 June, were performed from the deck of the Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) Dixmude, the newest of the French Navy's three Mistral Class amphibious assault ships.
The French fleet is currently undergoing a modernisation process, which Schiebel has participated in with flight trials to confirm the Ship Helicopter Operating Limits (SHOL) and to qualify the Camcopter S-100's integration onto the BPC.
Schiebel said during the flight demonstrations in the western Mediterranean the Camcopter S-100 conducted around 30 takeoffs and landings within a total of 15 flight hours during day and night.
A L3 Wescam MX-10 was used to transmit daylight and infrared data. Throughout the trials the system was operated independently by the French Navy CEPA/10s crew.
In February this year, Schiebel was awarded a contract by the Royal Australian Navy to provide a Camcopter S-100 unmanned helicopter and three years of logistics support.
But the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed at Beecroft Weapons Range east of Nowra, causing a small bushfire in March this year.
