SEACURE To Use Schiebel Camcopter UAS

An Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) produced by Austrian drone firm Schiebel has been chosen for a major European Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Seabed Warfare (SBW) project.

The SEACURE programme, launched by the European Defence Fund (EDF) at the end of November last year, will span almost four years and features 35 partners from 13 E.U. member states. It is being led by French multinational defence contractor Thales.

As per a recent Schiebel press statement, its Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Camcopter S-300 has been selected as SEACURE’s dedicated UAS.

SEACURE is a follow-on programme from the SEANICE project, part of the European EDIDP (European Defence Industrial Development Programme). Its aim is to provide Europe with sovereign ASW and SBW capabilities.

The programme will be focusing on detecting, identifying, tracking and responding to threats to critical surface and undersea maritime infrastructure using uncrewed air, surface and underwater systems. It is working towards a large-scale sea trial scheduled to be staged in 2028.

The Camcopter S-300 drone has a maximum speed of 120 knots, and can cruise at 55 knots. Endurance and payload are weight-dependent, but if needed the S-300 is capable of staying airborne for more than 24 hours at a time.

More typically missions last six hours with a 250kg payload, though the S-300’s maximum take-off weight can go as high as 700kg. Its rotors are foldable for ease of storage and maintenance in confined spaces, including ship hangars.

The UAS can be deployed with a camera and Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR); it can also deploy sonobuoys as part of ASW missions.

Group Chairman Hans Georg Schiebel commented: “We have been working successfully with Thales on various ASW solutions for the S-100 since our first participation at the NATO exercise REPMUS in 2022.

“Due to its longer endurance and higher payload capacity, the S-300 opens up a multitude of new possibilities for ASW and SBW. The SEACURE project aligns perfectly with our S-300 development roadmap and we’re proud to be part of such a significant project.”

• You can read more details on the Schiebel website and on the Thales website