Schiebel Camcopter Included Alongside Crewed Aviation Assets
A Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS will form part of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s search-and-rescue operations from the middle of the decade, following the signing of a 10-year deal with a consortium led by Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
The consortium, which includes 2Excel Aviation as fixed-wing operator and Nova Systems as “innovation partner”, will transition to the new deal the end of September 2024, with new arrangements fully in place by the end of 2026. The deal combines two previously separate contracts, for fixed-wing and rotary-wing SAR provision.
The team will operate a combined fleet of 25 aircraft from 12 helicopter bases and three fixed-wing airfields. The fleet will comprise the nine currently in-use Leonardo AW189 and three Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, with six new Leonardo AW139s being introduced; six King Air fixed-wing aircraft; and one Camcopter. The contract also appears to mandate the use of SAF (synthetic aviation fuels), though detail of blends and usage volume minima have not been disclosed.
The current laydown of 10 operating bases will be augmented during summer months, with airports at Fort William, Scotland, and Carlisle, northern England, hosting MCA helicopters for 12 hours per day between April and September. The King Airs will fly year-round from Prestwick, Glasgow, Scotland; Doncaster, Yorkshire, England; and Newquay, Cornwall, England.
The Camcopter – which appears in a photograph (right) with a Bristow logo visible – is described in a media release as “mobile” and “deployable“, implying it will be moved by road to the required launch site. Its home base, and precise details of who and how it will be operated, have not been disclosed. The system has been used in a maritime surveillance role by several nations and the European Maritime Safety Agency. It is unclear whether airspace restrictions may be required in order to fly the UAS in the UK.
“Through this new, innovative contract, Bristow and our partners will increase efficiencies and innovations as well as establish additional seasonal bases to further expand our service,” Bristow President and CEO, Chris Bradshaw, said. As part of the contract, his company will also provide a new SAR helicopter simulation training facility, adjacent to the extant Coastguard Training Facility at Solent Airport.
“This contract builds on the existing capabilities we have delivered to the MCA over the past few years with our fixed-wing aircraft packed with state-of-the-art integrated sensors; delivering services to a myriad of government agencies including border security, fisheries patrol, as well as life-saving search and rescue for HM Coastguard,” said 2Excel Director and Andy Offer.
“With our experience working at the leading edge of aerospace technology and mission system development, and with our unique mix of technical and operational domain expertise, we look forward to enhancing the UK’s SAR capability and delivering a world-class innovation programme to the Bristow team and the MCA,” said Nova Systems’ International Managing Director, Gareth Dyer.
