Drone manufacturer Schiebel: Camcopter S-300 completes first test campaign in France

At the CESA drone test site in Sainte-Hélène near Bordeaux, the Austria-based drone manufacturer Schiebel has successfully completed its first French flight test campaign with the Camcopter S-300. According to a recent company press release, this marks “an important milestone in the further development of the programme”.

During the campaign, the release continues, the S-300 was able to “further expand its operational envelope and reach a total of 100 completed flight hours”.

The tests in France build on experience previously gained with the new S-300; they are intended to expand the operational flight envelope step by step. The trials took place in a military environment. The focus was on key flight characteristics and the performance of the overall system.

Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, explains the choice of location: “France has been a reliable partner for Schiebel for many years and is therefore a natural location for the next phase of Camcopter S-300 flight activities”. He adds: “Our long-standing cooperation with the French Navy and our local presence through Schiebel Aéronaval SAS underline our deep roots in France. At the same time, the S-300 is being developed specifically for the requirements of international military and government users – building on Schiebel’s worldwide experience in unmanned aircraft systems.”

What the drone manufacturer examined

The release credits the S-300 with “stable and controlled flight behaviour” during the flights. The evaluation parameters examined were those customary at this stage of development of an unmanned aircraft system – such as handling qualities, flight control response and overall aircraft performance.

With the Camcopter S-300, Schiebel builds directly on the smaller S-100. This unmanned helicopter has proven itself in the maritime domain and has already logged several hundred thousand flight hours around the globe. Building on this operational foundation, the S-300 is designed to deliver higher payloads, greater range, longer endurance and more mission flexibility for demanding military and government operations.