UMS SKELDAR launches new V-150 VTOL platform at UMEX

23rd February 2020: UMS SKELDAR, a joint venture between Saab and UMS AERO GROUP, has chosen UMEX, the Middle East’s only event dedicated to drones, robotics and unmanned systems and which opened today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), as the venue for the global premiere of its partner, UMS SKELDAR’s new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the V-150. UAVs now play key roles in emergency, defence, surveillance and homeland security operations world-wide, supporting police, coastguards, border patrol agencies, civil defence and drug trafficking agencies among others. The V-150 has been developed as an easy-to-use, low maintenance vehicle which can assist with a wide range of critical tasks that ordinarily would involve manned crews at a higher cost.

The V-150 has been developed by UMS SKELDAR, a joint venture between global defence and security company Saab and UMS AERO GROUP, Europe’s leading provider of UAV platforms.

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Notes to editors:

• About UMS SKELDAR: UMS SKELDAR, a joint venture between defence and security company Saab and UMS AERO Group, is Europe’s leading provider of Rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms including the unmatched NATO-compliant rotary SKELDAR V-200 and the ITAR-free light-tactical R-350. Incorporating the Sentient Vision Systems ViDAR (Visual identification Detection and Ranging) payload into its vertical take-off & landing (VTOL) fleet, UMS SKELDAR is engaged in a highly active research and development programme, and provides solutions to a wide variety of defence, civil security and maritime sectors globally. The company is headquartered near Basel in Switzerland, with twin manufacturing facilities in Switzerland (Möhlin) and Sweden (Linköping) and offers a comprehensive unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions portfolio. The company provides a total solutions capability globally, including development, manufacture, testing, training, consultancy, maintenance, managed services and finance options (incorporating purchase/leasing and lease purchase). www.umsskeldar.aero.
• The V-150 is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platform
• This ITAR-free high-performance UAV is unique in its class and includes an ability to carry multiple payloads across two payload bays (up to 30 kg in the main bay and up to 12 kg in the nose). The new platform has a current endurance of up to 2.5 hours with a 12 kg payload, raising to 4 hours in the near future thanks to modifications already being worked on. It operates on a turbine engine propulsion system that uses heavy fuels, making it perfect for maritime missions. The V-150’s modular design enables a high degree of maintainability alongside a minimum turn-around time during operations, and it has a small logistical footprint ideal for storing in small hangars.
• For maritime operations such as border patrol, sea surveillance, coastguard and naval operations, the SKELDAR V-150 can be equipped with a powerful Electro Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor and a variety of small tactical synthetic aperture radars (SAR) for delivering real-time intelligence in all weather conditions, day and night. Strip map, spotlight and wide area operating modes enable operators to engage in high-level maritime surveillance and moving target detection.
• For land-based missions including search and rescue for blue light forces, firefighting missions, emergency response and drug interdiction trafficking, the V-150 can be installed with a combination of EO/IR and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) sensors to enable the provision of critical mission intelligence in the fields of emergency and security. The SIGINT payload locates targets and forwards their location into the integrated mission management system while the high-quality EO/IR systems provides the imagery. Additionally, the V-150 can be equipped with a range of wide area motion imagery sensors to provide a detailed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) picture of a large footprint in real-time supporting multiple agencies in their daily operations.
• Visitors to UMEX can see a full-scale model of the new V-150 on the Saab stand (04-C17).

For press information please contact:

Asaad Masri/ Marie Peguilhan
Kekst CNC
Tel: +971 4 367 6155
Email: assad.masri@kekstcnc.com / marie.peguilhan@kekstcnc.com