Airbus streamlines its tactical uncrewed aerial system offering

Airbus has streamlined its small and medium tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) from Survey Copter, Aliaca and Capa-X, into a single comprehensive portfolio that will be managed by its Airbus Helicopters division. The aim is to deliver a focused market approach for defence and security customers across both the Helicopters and Defence and Space divisions.

“By incorporating Aliaca and Capa-X into our UAS portfolio, we are building a cohesive family of products and solidifying Airbus' position as a market leader in the tactical drone segment,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “With this move, we are setting up a centre of excellence that consolidates a comprehensive and complementary portfolio of uncrewed aerial systems and facilitates synergies across the teams that are working to further develop and support them. It will also accelerate the cooperation between drones and helicopters thanks to our HTeaming solution,” he added.

Uncrewed aerial systems provide essential, real-time capabilities for diverse missions. They offer high-resolution sensing for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) and long-endurance ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), benefiting naval and expeditionary forces while also supporting target acquisition on the battlefield. UAS can also support parapublic missions where surveillance is required such as firefighting and law enforcement.

Based in Pierrelatte in the South of France, Survey Copter has been designing, producing and maintaining light tactical drone systems since 1996. The company specialises in light drone systems for both civil and military applications, and has sold over 300 UAS to national and international customers since its creation.

Airbus Helicopters now offers a diverse portfolio of tactical drones designed to meet the evolving needs of modern defence. The Aliaca is a 25 kg UAS that can carry up to 3 kg of equipment for 6 hours, making it a robust imagery tool that enhances reconnaissance and decision-making. The Flexrotor is a 25 kg UAS that can carry up to 8 kg of equipment for 10 to 12 hours making it ideal for long-endurance missions. For ultimate flexibility, the Capa-X is a 120 kg UAS that can carry up to 20 kg of equipment making it a highly adaptable system that can be modified for various missions and terrains. The VSR700 is a 750 kg multi-mission drone with a discreet design, specifically developed for demanding maritime, cargo, and combat roles. This range of uncrewed systems provides customers with cutting-edge capabilities for surveillance, intelligence, and operational flexibility.

Complementing this consolidated portfolio of small and medium drones, Airbus continues to develop and offer a wide variety of multi-mission UAS technologies and services as part of its Defence and Space division, building on its expertise in air power solutions. Ranging from Eurodrone, the new generation large long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft system designed to bolster European defence and strategic sovereignty; the high-end tactical UAS SIRTAP, for day and night ISR missions over land and sea; the solar-electric stratospheric Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) to aerial target drones.

Airbus has also developed crewed-uncrewed teaming solutions allowing aircraft and helicopter crews to take full control of UAS in flight. Crewed-uncrewed teaming offers additional mission capabilities by extending sensor range far beyond the aircraft's line of sight, preserving them for the essential missions that only they can perform.