The French Navy has ordered two more CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for its amphibious helicopter carriers Tonnerre and Mistral.
Naval Group accepted the two additional CAMCOPTERS on behalf of the French Navy, bringing the total number of UAS to be deployed on the Mistral-class to four. “The S-100 on Mistral-class will be the first operational tactical UAS for the French Navy and this is a major step towards the Mercator plan, ” said Lt. Cdr. Serge D., UAS program officer for the French Navy.
The acquisition comes after the successful integration of the CAMCOPTER® S-100 on the French Navy Mistral-class vessel Dixmude, which was finalised in 2019. The integration, according to Schiebel, was the first time in Europe that a rotary wing UAS had been connected to the combat system of an amphibious helicopter carrier.
Acceptance tests for the two additional systems took place in the last week of October with representatives of Naval Group and the French Navy in attendance.
Over the next few months the newly acquired CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS will be integrated on the French Navy’s vessels Tonnerre and Mistral, significantly enhancing the helicopter carrier’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
The CAMCOPTER® S-100 VTOL UAS operates day and night and can carry multiple payloads up to a combined weight of 50 kg.