Europe’s leading provider of Rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms, UMS SKELDAR, has successfully achieved the remote automatic flight of its V-150 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platform. A world’s first, this is a major milestone for both the company and the platform.

The successful automatic flight of the V-150 has been performed across multiple continents, with the platform itself based in Switzerland and observed by team members onsite. This breakthrough achievement enables UMS SKELDAR to provide remote product demonstrations to prospective customers across the globe and give attendees the opportunity to fully test the system without leaving their base. In the current climate of continued travel restrictions, this is of maximum value.

David Willems, VP Business Development and Strategy for UMS SKELDAR, said: “This development will open new doors for UMS SKELDAR as it enables us to provide cost-effective demonstrations to customer prospects who, otherwise, would not be able to experience a live flight of the system”.

To enable this technology to become a reality, the existing software within the V-150 has been enhanced to make it fully automatic and to allow a person not present at the Remote Pilot Station (RPS) to safely and remotely control the UA/RPA from thousands of kilometers away.

UMS SKELDAR’s flight demonstrations can incorporate a wide variety of mission simulation scenarios. The demonstrations will also provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations remotely to the customer, with applications in search and rescue, border patrol, energy, and military sectors.

Willems further explains: “Unlike other demonstration capabilities, we are not just presenting the customer with the chance to take-off and go in circles. Instead, the V-150 will perform a simulated mission with various events taking place in the background. This is exciting because we are advancing traditional flight demonstrations and incorporating many new elements that will maximize the customer experience, even from thousands of kilometers away.”

UMS SKELDAR, a joint venture between Saab and UMS AERO Group, is Europe’s leading provider of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) including the unmatched NATO-compliant rotary SKELDAR V-200 and the ITAR-free high performance V-150 UAS.

Incorporating the Sentient Vision Systems ViDAR (Visual identification Detection and Ranging) payload into its vertical take-off & landing (VTOL) fleet, UMS SKELDAR is engaged in a highly active research and development program, and provides solutions to a wide variety of defense, civil security and maritime sectors globally.

The company is headquartered near Basel in Switzerland, with twin manufacturing facilities in Switzerland (Möhlin) and Sweden (Linköping) and offers a comprehensive unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions portfolio.

The company provides a total solutions capability globally, including development, manufacture, testing, training, consultancy, maintenance, managed services and finance options (incorporating purchase/leasing and lease purchase).