Royal Australian Navy extends S-100 contract

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has awarded Schiebel a three-year extension contract for the sustainment of its S-100 Camcopter unmanned aerial system (UAS), according to a July 26 release.

After winning the RAN contract back in 2016, Schiebel stated that it had subsequently built on its initial acquisition deal. The latest announcement includes field support services, engineering and logistics elements, as well as the creation of an Australian S-100 training capability delivered by Schiebel Pacific.

RAN S-100
The S-100 Camcopter is capable of undertaking a range  of missions from land or sea-based platforms, typically search-and-rescue or surveillance. Commonwealth of Australia

“For Schiebel Pacific the contract extension secures existing Australian jobs and will create further positions for Australian UAS experts,” said Hans Georg Schiebel, chairman of the Schiebel Group.

The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) S-100 is capable of conducting day and night operations with a beyond line-of-sight capability out to 100nm/200km, and has a service ceiling of 5,500m/18,000ft.

In a typical configuration, the S-100 carries a 34kg/75lb payload up to ten hours and is powered with AVGas or JP-5 (F-44) and Jet-A1. High-definition payload imagery is transmitted to the control station in real time.