The Skeldar V-200, the new unmanned helicopter of the Belgian Navy, completed its first training flights at the Ursel Aerodrome in Belgium.
According to a press release issued by the website Naval News, the Skeldar V-200 is an unmanned helicopter with a wingspan of approximately 4.5 meters and a weight of around 250 kilograms.
Depending on its payload, the aircraft can remain airborne for up to four hours. “Thanks to its data link system, the Skeldar allows us to conduct mine countermeasure operations at greater distances,” explains Captain Kristof Van Belleghem, Chief of Staff of the Navy.
“We can also use it to detect drifting mines, thereby enhancing ship safety,” he added. With this, mine countermeasure vessels can stay out of mined areas, significantly improving crew safety.
In the training flights conducted at Ursel Aerodrome in recent weeks, the focus was on familiarizing with the flight systems, acquiring routines by operators, and maintaining the necessary flight hours.
“The Skeldar has three flight modes. Manual flight, with direct adjustment of trajectory, speed, and altitude; automatic mode on a pre-defined route; or flight according to a programmed pattern,” explained Kenneth, drone operator and head of tactical maritime drones.
The Skeldar V-200 is remotely controlled and monitored from a command cabin, the Remote Piloting System (RPS). While the training flights were carried out using command cabins provided by the manufacturer, Belgian Defense will soon have its own RPS systems, which will also be available in a containerized configuration, allowing operators to use the Skeldar both at sea and on land.
“The aircraft were acquired for use at sea, but training always begins on land. That’s why we are in Ursel. We performed simple flight simulations and made sure the operators completed the required flight hours, just like airline pilots,” added Kenneth.
In the coming years, Belgium plans to increase its fleet of Skeldar drones from two to ten. The integration of the systems is part of close cooperation between the Belgian Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy under the rMCM program (Replacement of Mine Countermeasure Systems).
The program was awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, a consortium formed by Naval Group and Exail. A total of twelve UAS will be built: six for the Belgian Navy and six for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The entire fleet will be operational by 2030.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Belgium. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
