Schiebel has demonstrated the ability of its S-100 Camcopter to integrate and employ key sensor payloads during a two-week demonstration activity for the Australian Army.
Conducted during the recent Autonomous Warrior exercise at Jervis Bay in NSW, the S-100 tested its ability to be integrated with an ELTA Systems ELK-7065 HF COMINT/DF 3D system, and an Overwatch Imaging TK-5 Firewatch sensor.
The ELK-7065 is a flexible high-frequency (HF) communications intelligence (COMINT) system that provides rapid spectrum exploration, analysis and detection of advanced HF communication signals in real time and with off-line analysis tools in challenging electromagnetic environments.
“The ELK-7065, integrated on the S-100 UAS, offers the essential capability of delivering time-critical intelligence in the most complex operational environments,” Schiebel Chief Technical Officer Chris Day said in a statement. “This is increasingly important for military, para-military and civilian applications.”
The Overwatch Imaging TK-5 Firewatch payload, is said to bridge the gap between small drone mapping cameras and satellite mapping systems, and provides wide-area multi-band land mapping with automatic small object detection.
The S-100 demonstration is helping Army to gather information to better define its LAND 129 Phase 3 requirement to replace the Shadow 200 TUAV in service early next decade.
Army’s new Director General of Aviation, BRIG John Fenwick said, “The lease of the S-100 and its advanced payloads is an important activity supporting Army’s understanding of UAS capabilities. We will continue to explore all options to keep the Australian Army at the forefront of new technologies.”