PARIS—Airbus Helicopters’ uncrewed VSR700 rotorcraft has completed its latest flight test campaign, demonstrating its ability to take off and land in fully automatic mode on a French Navy frigate.
The flight test campaign took place Oct. 2-9 on board the Provence frigate off the Mediterranean coast. The VSR700 demonstrator flew for more than 8 hr. over seven flights, the longest of which was almost 2 hr.
“These tests enabled us to validate the drone’s ability to operate from a warship, to take off and land autonomously, and to carry out surveillance and intelligence missions,” said Nicolas Delmas, head of the VSR700 program at Airbus Helicopters. “We want to avoid human intervention as much as possible, because operational conditions at sea are not compatible with piloting as we know it today.”
The demonstration also confirmed the aircraft’s ability to operate in a harsh environment, Delmas said. That includes the electromagnetic environment of a combat ship and complications that arise from the atypical winds and air currents for this particular multimission frigate, he added.
The test marks the end of a derisking study awarded to Airbus Helicopters and the Naval Group by French defense materiel agency DGA in December 2017 as part of the French Navy’s Air Drone System (SDAM) program for the French Navy.
The program requirements call for a rotary-wing uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to operate as a remote sensor on the back of a warship and perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The platform should carry two payloads, as the VSR700 does. The UAS integrates an L3Harris Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system and a radar produced by France’s Diades Marine. It also has an AIS shipping identification receiver.
The VSR700 is based on the Guimbal Cabri G2 light helicopter, “an aircraft with unrivaled flight performance,” according to Delmas. The I4Drones mission system was developed by Naval Group, which was also responsible for integrating the system onto military vessels.
Final contract negotiations are underway with the DGA, with a decision expected to be made before year’s end. “We are ready,” Delmas said. Airbus Helicopters is proposing an initial operational capability in 2026 and is therefore counting heavily on being chosen soon as part of the SDAM program.
The military programming law calls for eight systems by the end of 2030 and “at least 15” by 2035.
Airbus Helicopters also plans to offer the VSR700 for export. The manufacturer signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean Air in 2022 to initiate potential joint development and has reportedly entered into other, unofficial partnerships. “The VSR700 is versatile and flexible enough for both military and civil applications, so it’s a very promising program,” Delmas said.
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