As part of the agreement signed with the Naval Group company in Vienna on behalf of the French Navy on December 14, 2020, the operational use of two separate CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV) together with a total of four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were agreed upon.
The procurement in question took place after the CAMCOPTER S-100 was successfully integrated into the Mistral-class Dixmude ship of the French Navy, successfully completed in 2019. However, a rotary-wing UAV integration to an Amphibious Assault Ship was made for the first time in Europe.
Acceptance tests of the two systems were conducted in the last week of October with the participation of Naval Group and French Navy representatives.
In the next few months, the newly purchased CAMCOPTER S-100 UAV will be integrated into the French Navy’s Tonnerre and Mistral ships, and the helicopter’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities will be significantly enhanced.
The CAMCOPTER S-100 features platform and payload growth capabilities – with two payload bays, an auxiliary electronics bay, as well as two side payload hard points and the ability to carry underslung loads. The maximum payload weight is 50 kg (110 lbs).
The CAMCOPTER S-100 is able to carry multiple sensors, enabling customers to gather images with an EO/IR camera, detect and identify electronic signatures with ESM systems and use SAR radar simultaneously in real-time with only one system.
Features of CAMCOPTER S100 UAV:
- Control station space: 6060 mm x 2440 mm (239″ x 96″)
- Quick setup time: 3 h
- Operated by 2 persons
- System can be transported / operated from a 20′ container
- Unlimited flexibility
- Simple integration into vehicles
- Flexible integration into command and control systems
- Operation from urban and austere sites
- Detection, tracking and identification of maritime-based objects and events
- 360-degree coverage Accurate geo-location
- Two-man operation and small equipment and logistics footprint
- Proven on a variety of ships Simple ship integration, no requirement for specialized infrastructure
- NATO-standard harpoon option
- The S-100 UAS as part of your system
- Integration with customer networks
- Robust, secure and timely, anywhere and anytime for anyone on anything