For the third consecutive year, Spanish drone manufacturer Alpha Unmanned Systems (AUS) is set to participate in the international REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems) exercise in Portugal, September 16 – 27.
Organized annually by the Portuguese Navy, NATO, and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, REPMUS is one of the largest unmanned systems testing exercises in the world. The exercise includes the participation of international military forces, universities, and technology companies.
This year, AUS has once again been invited to join the Navy’s BAM Tornado crew, where its flight team will carry out a number of key missions. These include mine detection, maritime environment awareness, and threat identification.
AUS will integrate its platform in the combat systems of the BAM Tornado through Navantia’s NAIAD system. This integration allows real-time transmission of data between the unmanned helicopter and the ship, improving efficiency and decision making in maritime operations.
Additionally, AUS introduces a significant innovation to the market with its “Low & Slow” flight concept, which combines hover and low-speed flight modes. This approach enables the company’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform vertical takeoffs and landings (VTOL), providing superior flexibility in complex and critical environments. The unmanned rotary wing design facilitates precise and sustained surveillance.
Alpha Unmanned Systems UAVs are able to perform fully automatic takeoffs and landings on moving vessels. These drones are powered by heavy fuel in order to operate in such vessels, giving them an autonomy of up to 4 hours and a payload capacity of up to 4 kg.
In addition, they can operate effectively in environments with denied GNSS signal (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), giving them a significant advantage in jamming or signal blockage scenarios. With a range of 100 km, these UAVs are ideal for conducting recognition and surveillance missions in strategic areas.
Eric Freeman, co-founder and CEO of AUS, commented, “We are very proud to participate for the third consecutive year in these important exercises. Our participation underscores our commitment to innovation and the development of new protocols for the use of unmanned systems in military environments and consolidates our position as a global rotary wing UAV manufacturer.”
