Schiebel has announced that it has successfully completed the acceptance tests for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) of the new heavy fuel S2 engine for its CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS).
Designed in-house and building on 12 years of previous development experience and worldwide operations, the new engine is intended to be a next-generation replacement for the current propulsion unit that will further increase the unmanned aircraft’s operational capabilities as well as its maintainability. The enhancements will enable the RAN to continue to expand their test and evaluation programme, examining advanced Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAS capabilities ahead of the Sea 129 Phase 5 Programme. This programme will select the future UAS capability for the RAN’s new Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) as well as other ships.
A comprehensive series of test flight activities was developed in order to demonstrate the endurance and Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of the aircraft with multiple payloads, thus providing the evidence and assurance that the CAMCOPTER S-100 fulfils the requirements of the RAN. The UAV was equipped with a L3 Harris Wescam MX-10 real-time Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), a L3 Harris Bandit transceiver and a Mode-S Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder. This unique configuration allows operators to locate and confirm the identity of vessels at sea, and to transmit this information in real-time to users equipped with Rover remote video terminals.
The new lightweight heavy fuel engine is initially cleared for JP-5 (F-44) and Jet-A1 fuels, with other fuel types to be approved in future.
Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, commented: “Given the single fuel policy adopted by the world’s Navies, we have responded to the requirement and have now developed, tested and produced our own Schiebel-designed heavy fuel engine for the CAMCOPTER S-100 system. We are thrilled to have successfully completed the acceptance activities of the new capability for the Royal Australian Navy.”
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