Photo: AIRBUS The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has signed a €30 million contract with Airbus to provide remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) services for multi-mission maritime surveillance, using the Flexrotor unmanned aerial vehicle.
The services implemented using the sophisticated drone are intended to strengthen Coast Guard missions, with an extended coastal range and the ability to remain airborne for extended periods of time.
Photo: ShutterstockThe core service includes operating flights using the Flexrotor system and transmitting information from electro-optical and infrared sensors as well as radar data. The information will be transmitted in real time to the EMSA data center, and will be used by national authorities in member states for live flight monitoring.
The services will directly support Coast Guard activities, including search and rescue, fisheries and environmental protection, and the detection of illegal maritime activities. Flexrotor's surveillance capabilities will be made available to the competent authorities in the EU countries, Norway, and Iceland, as well as to relevant EU bodies.
Within the framework of the agreement, it will be possible to operate two theaters simultaneously, with takeoff sites in each participating country, and the flexibility to expand to additional parallel activities as needed.
The Flexrotor is a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned aerial vehicle with a take-off weight of 25 kilograms. It is designed for intelligence, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and observation missions, with a typical flight duration of up to 14 hours and approximately 10 hours in EMSA configuration.
The drone can take off and land autonomously from land or sea, with a small footprint of approximately 3.7 square meters, which makes it a suitable solution for mobile missions with a minimal logistical footprint