UMS SKELDAR and Martek Marine selected by European Maritime Safety Agency to deliver largest ever civilian maritime UAV programme
UMS SKELDAR, Europe’s only provider of both rotary and fixed-wing UAVs wins multi-million Euro contract with Martek for multi-role operations with the European Maritime Safety Agency – the largest ever civilian maritime UAV programme.
Le Bourget, Paris International Air show: 21st June 2017: 0900 CEST / 0800 GMT —
UMS SKELDAR’s flagship Rotary UAV V-200, powered by Saab technology, has been selected by Martek to fulfil the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) largest ever civilian maritime drone contact, valued at €67M. The V-200 contract component, to be delivered by Martek Marine, is valued at €5 million.
Martek Marine’s chief executive Paul Luen and Paul Forster as Head of UAS Operations made the announcement together with UMS SKELDAR’s chief executive Axel Cavalli-Björkman and head of business development David Willems on the second day of the Paris Airshow (19-25 June 2017). The news follows hot on the heels of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed with Sentient Vision Systems for the ViDAR (Visual Identification Detection and Ranging) software for unmanned systems.
Under the EMSA contract awarded to Martek, drones will be used to assist with border control activities, search and rescue operations and monitoring of pollution, as well as the detection of illegal fishing and drug and people trafficking. This contract complements the existing programme awarded for ship engine emission monitoring using drones. Martek will deploy SKELDAR V-200 for both contracts.
Luen explained that SKELDAR V-200 was selected after rigorous tests and sea demonstrations. “There really was no other rotary VTOL in the weight category that came close to UMS SKELDAR’s UAV. The fact that it is the only purpose-made maritime platform, boasting a heavy fuel capability, makes UMS SKELDAR the ideal partner and we look forward to showcasing the features across what will be a demanding contract for EMSA.”
David Willems, UMS SKELDAR Head of Business Development, added: “We are excited by the prospect of developing our relationship with Martek Marine, which is acknowledged as a global pioneer of providing innovative maritime services, and mirrors our own ambition to become the platform of choice for civilian and military customers who require a versatile VTOL that is able to operate in the harsh and demanding maritime environment. To-date such maritime operations have been serviced by manned aircraft, with attendant larger logistical footprints, fuel consumption all at a significantly higher cost.”
