The SDO 50 helicopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from SwissDrones has completed an autonomous 95 km flight in Brazil, carried out by SwissDrones’ partner Omni Táxi Aéreo in a real operational scenario.
The aircraft flew autonomously from Cabo Frio Airport to Maricá Airport, completing the mission in 1 hour and 25 minutes. The mission used SATCOM as the primary control link, which SwissDrones said marks a world first for an unmanned helicopter of this size.
The SDO 50 helicopter UAV has a flight endurance of over three hours and the ability to operate day or night in adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow, and wind speeds of up to 21 knots. Based around a proprietary Flettner intermeshing double rotor design, the aircraft offers enhanced payload capacity and flight stability.
This flight demonstrates the potential of long-range unmanned helicopter operations for onshore and offshore logistics, infrastructure inspection, and mission-critical operations where reach, reliability, and autonomy are essential.
The company credited the Omni Táxi Aéreo team with completing the milestone mission and stated that it will continue to support future developments.
