Australia selects S-100 Camcopter for maritime UAS requirements

 

The S-100 Camcopter. Photo c/o RAN.

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has confirmed that it selected the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter to meet the initial phase of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) requirements for a Maritime Unmanned Aerial System (MUAS).

British defense media outlet Janes reported that they received confirmation from the DoD’s spokesperson on 03 May 2022 regarding the selection.

Raytheon Australia and Schiebel Pacific offered the S-100 Camcopter for Block 1 of the A$1.3 billion (US$920 million), three-block MUAS Program under the Project SEA 129 Phase 5.

The S-100 Camcopter was one of the five shortlisted contenders, with the others being Northrop Grumman-Leonardo with the latter's AWHero, Insitu Pacific with their ScanEagle/Intergrator family,  Textron with the Aerosonde V4/HQ system, and BAE Systems with an undisclosed offer.

The selection of Raytheon Australia-Schiebel Pacific allows for the project to proceed to a single-source procurement evaluation of around 6 months, before an initial operating capability (IOC) process.

While there has been no confirmation on the total quantity to be acquired, unconfirmed media reports has pointed out to a potential initial procurement of 40 units.

The Schiebel S-100 Camcopter is a small-medium vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to carry multiple payloads simultaneously for up to 6 hours. 

It can operate day and night, over land and sea, under adverse weather conditions, and has a range of 200 kilometers.

The Project SEA 129 Phase 5’s Block 1 is the first part that involves the acquisition of the MUAS, with Blocks 2 and 3 covering the rolling upgrades to incorporate new technology and keep up with its expected life service of around 30 years.




[1] Janes
[2] Australian Aviation