“Skyward Spectator: Enhancing Maritime Operations Through Unmanned Aerial Insight”

Maritime threats in both coastal and open waters have significantly transformed over the past decade. Naval forces now confront a heightened utilization of Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIACs), unmanned aerial and surface vehicles, alongside commercial ships modified as weaponry. Employing traditional methods, these threats can often remain undetected until it is too late.

The partnership between Thales and Schiebel addresses emerging demands that will equip deployed naval operational vessels with the capacity to deliver a continuous, assured, and integrated ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) capability to locate, fix, track, and identify surface threats, such as FIACs and both single and multiple Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs).

Dependable mission execution in the most challenging environments

Gaining crucial minutes and seconds to react to rapidly evolving maritime threats or even saving lives at sea is precisely what the combined capabilities of the Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) deliver, featuring an integrated sensor array that includes Thales’s advanced I-Master™ radar, the IAI POP® ULTRA EO/IR sensor pod, and IFF.
The S-100’s sensors, complemented by an Automatic Identification System and integrated with the CarteNav AIMS Mission System, grant the operator the ability to swiftly detect and recognize unknown targets.

I-Master can operate in both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Maritime Moving Target Indication (MMTI) modes. Once a contact is detected, the onboard EO/IR sensor is activated for identification purposes. High-definition imagery and radar data are transmitted to the human operator and shared in real-time through the host ship’s Combat Management System with multiple users.

Enhanced assurance in a world of increasing uncertainty

The promotion of the established and reliable CAMCOPTER® S-100, boasting over 100,000 operating hours and an unparalleled sensor suite, emerges at a moment when the demand for definitive maritime surveillance against asymmetric threats is more pressing than ever to guarantee safe operations in high-tempo, high-risk regions across the globe.

A live aerial demonstration and sensor suite evaluation of this maritime capability is scheduled to occur in the upcoming months within UK airspace under CAA approvals, alongside a demonstration of complete data integration into an existing representative naval Combat Management System architecture.

This collaboration between Thales and Schiebel provides Navies with a low-risk, cost-effective capability enhancement that will supplement embarked manned aviation assets. The enhancement will contribute to a comprehensive maritime picture, informing littoral targeting and blue water strike operations while adding multilayered protection to individual vessels.