Skeldar Heavy Fuel UAV

September 19, 2011 defense-unmanned.com

(Source: Saab AB; issued September 15, 2011)

Rising above the Saab stand at the DSEi exhibition in London this week is the new heavy fuel powered Skeldar V-200 vertical take-off and landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle from Saab AB.

“A heavy fuel powered UAV gives Saab a major competitive advantage. It is something that several of our potential customers are looking for, both for maritime and land based operations”, says Mikael Franzén, UAS Programme Manager at Saab AB. “They already have the infrastructure for heavy fuel in place, and it is also a safety issue on navy vessels.”

The new engine is provided by Hirth Motors and has been customised for Skeldar V-200. Skeldar has a 220 kilo take-off weight and can carry several payload options up to 40 kilos of weight. It has an endurance of 5-7 hours and Skeldar has been demonstrated and tested in several countries, and on land as well as from ship deck.

The new heavy fuel Skeldar V-200 was first presented at the AUVSI convention in Washington DC last month. The US being one of several interested markets for Skeldar, according to Mikael Franzén.