Drone manufacturer Schiebel: Camcopter S-300 to fly for EU anti-submarine warfare project SWORD

The new Camcopter S-300 from Austrian drone manufacturer Schiebel has been selected as the aerial platform for the European defence project SWORD (Stand-off anti-submarine Warfare Operations by Remote Deployment). The project, funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF), is led by TKMS Atlas Elektronik. Within three years, a modern system for countering underwater threats is to be developed.

SWORD aims at a continuous “sensor-to-shooter” chain: naval units are to be able to detect, track, classify and ultimately engage hostile submarines and other underwater targets from a safe distance. To this end, manned and unmanned systems of various kinds are linked into a networked overall system.

What the drone manufacturer contributes

Schiebel's contribution is the Camcopter S-300, a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone designed specifically for longer endurance and larger payloads. With its high payload capacity and range, the platform is particularly suited to maritime missions in which sensors or other mission systems are deployed far from the host platform. The S-300 is designed for operations at sea as well as on land. It is intended to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and target acquisition tasks, but also more complex missions with larger payloads.

We are proud that the Camcopter S-300 has been selected for this important European defence initiative— Hans Georg Schiebel, owner of Schiebel

For Hans Georg Schiebel, the project is an example of successful European cooperation in a field of high security-policy relevance. The selection of the platform, he says, shows its potential for future anti-submarine warfare concepts.

In addition to Schiebel, the consortium includes numerous other European technology and defence companies. The project serves the European Defence Fund's objective of strengthening joint research and innovation in Europe and developing new military capabilities jointly among the member states.