Airbus‘ buy of Bingen, Wash.-based Aerovel will add the Aerovel Flexrotor drone to the European defense giant’s U.S. product line in what Rob Geckle, the chairman and CEO of Airbus Space and Defense, called his focus on “how we can answer those demand signals and mission gaps that are coming from DoD and its component branches.”
The Aerovel acquisition may boost Airbus’ defense presence in the U.S., as DoD autonomous drone demand heats up (Defense Daily, May 7).
The Flexrotor vertical takeoff and landing helicopter drone “has been tantalizing as a technology for the armed services for quite some time,” Geckle told reporters in a virtual question and answer session on May 8. “In fact, it’s no surprise to me that the naval forces in Task Force 59 enlisted Flexrotor to participate in those. That really has opened the aperture and appetite for the technology…In terms of near term pipeline, I see a lot of opportunities, particularly, but not exclusively, in maritime–Navy, Coast Guard, Army–and Replicator is really tantalizing.”
Indeed, two programs that may see traction for Flexrotor are DoD’s Replicator and Naval Sea Systems Command’s nascent effort to replace the Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-8C Fire Scout.
“There’s lots of different branches and buckets that are using Replicator funds, and we’ll be looking at those along with our other unmanned aerial systems, like the Zephyr stratospheric platform,” Geckle said.
Military reconnaissance and communications relay are to be two of the uses for the solar-powered Zephyr, which debuted in 2010 in the United Kingdom.
Mathilde Royer, Airbus Helicopters’ head of strategy and sustainability, said on May 7 that “together with the VSR 700,” Airbus “will continue to develop manned-unmanned teaming to offer our customers the enhanced and expanded mission capabilities that they require to monitor and safeguard their communities and critical infrastructure, while preserving essential assets such as helicopters.”
Airbus said that the VSR700 autonomous helicopter is “to fulfill the demanding requirements of global navies and those of armies in the 21st century’s contested and highly agile battlefields and seas.”
Development of the VSR700 began more than six years ago (Defense Daily, June 21, 2017). Based on the Guimbal Cabri G2 helicopter, the VSR700 has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,543 pounds, a speed of 100 knots and can carry 661 pounds of fuel and cargo, Airbus said.