CybAero, a developer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has announced that it has successfully completed an extensive test program with its ship-based unmanned helicopter system APID One. The clients of the program were FMV (the Swedish Defence Procurement Agency) in collaboration with the Swedish Navy. The program took place for over a year and ended with numerous flights from HMS Karlstad, a Swedish stealth corvette of Visby-Class.
During the test program the system’s ability to perform autonomous starts and landings from a fast moving ship was one of the capabilities being tested. The APID One System also carried out further missions such as the identification of objects in the water. The tests have been conducted according to plan and are assessed as very successful by all parties involved.
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”It is with great confidence that we now have executed these advanced tests. Our system has met the expectations and requirements that FMV and the Swedish Navy had set up for the tests. The system has landed autonomously on the corvette at a speed of 25 knots, and in wind conditions up to 15 m/s. This is the first time that a helicopter of this type and size has performed fully autonomous landings on a corvette,” said Mikael Hult, CEO CybAero.
”We are convinced that CybAero’s APID One system, placed on a ship of this type, could increase the ships operational capabilities significantly. Thanks to the flexibility of the system we can equip the helicopter with different sensors on different occasions to solve the tasks and challenges that the ship are facing,” Hult continued.
CybAero’s APID One system has now been proven to be an important part of many missions similar to the ones performed on the HMS Karlstad. In addition to military applications, the system can be used for civilian missions, such as finding refugees lost at sea, inspection of oil rigs and coastal mapping.
“Seeing the APID One performing fully automated DeckLandings at 25knots under real operational conditions based on our DeckFinder System is a key success in our Partnership with CybAero”, says Evert Dudok, Executive Vice President Airbus Defence & Space Communication, Intelligence & Security. CybAero and Airbus have been working in partnership since 2011, with the Visby Trials now proving the maturity of the overall CybAero Landing System.
“Ship Operations in littoral waters include complex tasks, with elements such as smugglers, submarines and refugees. We have listened to the end-users requirements and created an easy-to-use system with two unique features; the automatic ship landing system and the heavy fuel propulsion. With the success of the Swedish Navy trials we have moved into position to claim this segment of the market,” concluded Hult.
