MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime tests flights concluded off the coast of California on September 11th. They can probably be seen as the next step toward a worldwide export success. Indeed, if the first variant of the MQ-9 Predator-B mainly served as an ISR platform for above ground missions, the new MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian is likely to find much more customers in its maritime variant.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) concluded a set of maritime test flights over the sea-lanes off the coast of Southern California on September 11th, using the MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). This was the first MQ-9B configured for surveillance operations over open-water, and served to demonstrate MQ-9B capabilities in the maritime environment.
The German Navy (Deutsche Marine) has just started at-sea tests of the SKELDAR V200 vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aboard first-in-class K130 corvette “Braunschweig”.
Forpost drones can not only detect the adversary at sea, but also transmit coordinates to combat aviation in real time. The new system has been recently tested during Black Sea fleet maneuvers.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will partner with Asia Air Survey (AAS) to hold a series of validation flights for the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) featuring GA-ASI’s SeaGuardian® beginning in mid-September.
The Royal Navy has shown its clear intent for the greater use of autonomous and un-crewed technology in future operations.
The prototype of Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700 vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has performed its first free flight. The VSR700 performed a ten minute flight at a drone test centre near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
Elbit Systems is expanding the operational capabilities of the Seagull Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) beyond Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Mines Countermeasure (MCM). Trials conducted in recent weeks were dedicated to the integration of a mini-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), onboard the Seagull USV, further enhancing its intelligence gathering capabilities.
A new type of vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was allegedly spotted last week aboard one of the two Type 075 LHD currently fitting out in China. Henri Kenhmann from East Pendulum has the story.
Successfully withstanding all trial objectives, the system demonstrated compatibility to naval missions and applications, including remarkable performance in GPS denied environment
