UMS SKELDAR consolidates position as UAV technology innovator with acquisition of the assets of aviation pioneer Hirth, including its license agreement with Australia’s Orbital Corporation; announces commitment to Australian market and naval unmanned projects at ROTORTECH 2018.
09:00 AEST, May 22nd 2018 – SUNSHINE COAST, Queensland, Australia:
UMS SKELDAR, the world-class provider of rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solutions and avionics software, has confirmed its focus on Australia, assisted by a number of in-country initiatives to support its tender for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) contract, to be announced at ROTORTECH 2018 (24-26 May 2018), which is taking place at the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The acquisition of the assets of Hirth Engines GmbH (“Hirth Engines”), the German-based specialist and global engine manufacturer for air, water and land applications announced earlier this month (May 2018), introduces an opportunity for UMS SKELDAR – the joint venture company between Saab and UMS AERO – to work with Orbital Corporation Limited – Perth, Australia – an international developer of UAV engines and related technologies. Hirth have previously engaged Orbital on several development projects including, under license, Hirth’s air-assisted direct injection system, integrated specifically into the flagship SKELDAR V-200 – the pioneer engine in its class to operate on heavy fuels such as JP5/JP8.
The RAN contract – in parallel with NATO and other navies – stipulates heavy fuel for deployment from maritime platforms. The SKELDAR V-200 was the first rotary wing VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) UAV in its class to meet NATO’s one-fuel policy to eliminate gasoline for safety and logistics reasons.
As a market leader in innovative 2-stroke engine products and technologies, the Hirth business includes research, development and manufacturing from its site at Benningen, near Stuttgart, Germany with global sales co-ordinated from Vienna, Austria.
The Hirth Engines acquisition, and it’s license with Orbital Corporation, joins Australian partnerships for UMS SKELDAR including Adelaide-headquartered Saab Australia and Melbourne-based Sentient Vision Systems, developer of the only proven maritime search system ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging System).
Hirth has manufactured and sold more than one million engines since it was established and has been a pioneer of the 2-stroke engine for 60 years, with a track record of 30 years in the UAV sector. Additionally, Hirth has earned a reputation for innovation across a range of UAV engine classes and specifications, including development of advanced technology to create consumer off the shelf (COTS) propulsion systems to meet the demanding requirements of the UAV market.
According to David Willems, UMS SKELDAR’s Head of Business Development:
“We are excited to add Hirth’s production, research and innovation talent to our team. This acquisition provides us with the opportunity to gain world-class experience in the highly competitive aerospace sector focused on the UAV market and importantly develop our presence in Australia. With the strategic partnerships and ongoing positive developments with NATO navies, we are confident that our maritime rotary wing VTOL solution is superior to any competitors.”
The importance of the Pacific region to UMS SKELDAR was underlined by Axel Cavalli-Bjorkman, CEO of UMS SKELDAR.
“Recent moves including the Hirth acquisition are a logical extension of our strategy to further develop our leading position as a pioneer of the heavy fuel engine at the heart of our rotary wing UAV VTOL platforms.
The strategic focus on maritime domains and world navies in particular demonstrates our focus and determination to be first choice provider in military and civilian maritime markets.”
ROTORTECH is hosted by the Australian Helicopter Industry Association Limited between 24-26th May, and aims to bring together leading players from all sectors of the rotary-wing industry – operators, helicopter and equipment manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, pilots and engineers. For more information about the event, go to https://www.rotortech.com.au/.
For more information on UMS SKELDAR, including its world leading platforms, click on https://umsskeldar.aero/.
OTHER ARTICLES
-
20/02/2021 |UMS SKELDAR announces first naval deployment of full ATOL capability of V-200 UAV platform at IDEX
-
06/10/2020 |UMS SKELDAR performs first automatic flight of V-150 VTOL platform
-
08/07/2020 |ECA Group selects the UAV SKELDAR V-200 within the Belgium Naval & Robotics mine countermeasures drones system for the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navies
-
21/04/2020 |UMS SKELDAR selects 360iSR to provide innovative ISR training
-
05/03/2020 |UMS SKELDAR launches new SKELDAR V-150 VTOL platform as perfect partner for flagship SKELDAR V-200
-
06/02/2020 |UMS SKELDAR partners with leading Swedish Aviation Technical Training School as part of initiative to increase standards across the industry.
-
14/11/2019 |First SKELDAR V-200 platforms from Scanfil make way on to frontline ahead of mass production planned for 2020
-
12/11/2019 |UMS SKELDAR showcases the pioneering SKELDAR V-200 with ViDAR for the first time at ADIPEC
-
08/10/2019 |UMS SKELDAR demonstrates for the first time full scale model of SKELDAR V 200 with ViDAR pod
-
09/09/2019 |UMS SKELDAR develops innovative training initiatives as part of expansion strategy.
-
23/07/2019 |UMS SKELDAR partners with leading Swedish Aviation Technical Training School as part of initiative to increase standards across the industry
-
20/06/2019 |Global success of UMS SKELDAR expansion strategy prompts appointment focused on after sales programmes
-
07/05/2019 |QinetiQ Wins C$51m Contract with the Canadian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Aircraft System Service program
-
17/04/2019 |UMS SKELDAR V-200 now monitoring ship emissions in Danish waters.
-
28/02/2019 |UMS SKELDAR chooses Australia for the world debut of its first full-scale mock-up of V-200 with Wescam™ MX8 sensor
-
19/02/2019 |MULTI-MILLION EURO CONTRACT WINS BOOST JOBS AND HERALDS FURTHER GLOBAL EXPANSION OF UMS SKELDAR
-
29/11/2018 |SKELDAR V-200 VTOL UAV selected for multi-million Euro contract with European Maritime Safety Agency
-
21/11/2018 |UMS SKELDAR partners with ESG on successful demonstration of manned – unmanned teaming (MUM-T) of helicopters
-
15/11/2018 |SKELDAR V-200 to discuss NATO rollout strategy at NIDV Defence Symposium in Rotterdam
-
13/11/2018 |UMS SKELDAR demonstrates flagship V-200 at one of the world’s most influential oil and gas industry events, ADIPEC
-
22/10/2018 |UMS SKELDAR joins forces with Scanfil to create dedicated volume production line for flagship unmanned helicopter
-
15/10/2018 |UMS SKELDAR briefings at Helitech International 2018
-
05/09/2018 |UMS SKELDAR confirms unmatched sensor capability in rotary UAV sector
-
16/08/2018 |GERMAN NAVY SELECTS SKELDAR V-200 TO PROVIDE UAV RECONNAISSANCE CAPABILITY
-
04/08/2018 |UMS SKELDAR and Airflite announce exclusive MRO partnership to service Australasia market for rotary UAV
-
16/07/2018 |UMS SKELDAR commitment to Australia base confirms Pacific Rim as priority market for rotary UAV’s
-
16/07/2018 |UMS SKELDAR focus on naval power UAV roll out with next generation V-200 announced at Farnborough
-
30/05/2018 |UMS SKELDAR and QinetiQ Target Systems announce partnership at CANSEC
-
21/05/2018 |UMS SKELDAR UNMANNED HELICOPTER FOCUS AND STRATEGIC PROGRAMME SPOTLIGHTS AUSTRALIAN PARTNERS
-
01/05/2018 |UMS SKELDAR ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF THE ASSETS OF GERMAN GLOBAL ENGINE MANUFACTURER HIRTH
-
24/04/2018 |UMS SKELDAR showcases NATO-compliant unmanned helicopters with partner ESG at ILA Berlin
-
07/02/2018 |UMS SKELDAR EXEC VISITS SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2018 TO SHOWCASE ROTARY UAV DUO
-
22/01/2018 |UMS SKELDAR V-200 UAS selected for unmanned surveillance role in OCEAN2020 programme by European Defence Agency
-
30/11/2017 |Netherlands Navy Focus: Skeldar V-200 Maritime Integration Showcased At NIDV Defence Symposium In Rotterdam
-
23/11/2017 |UMS SKELDAR and ESG complete week-long R-350 flight demonstrations for Bundeswehr
-
11/11/2017 |UMS SKELDAR launches new R-350 VTOL platform as part of ‘dynamic duo’ line up with flagship SKELDAR V-200 at Dubai Airshow
-
25/10/2017 |Peace-keeping role in Korea envisaged for SKELDAR V-200
-
04/10/2017 |UMS SKELDAR confirms regional focus with commitment to a base in Australia by 2018
-
03/10/2017 |SKELDAR V-200 confirms its status as pioneer of heavy fuel capabilities
-
13/09/2017 |UMS SKELDAR leads UAS industry with award of first AS/EN 9100 Standard
-
12/09/2017 |UMS SKELDAR and JetLease launch first global UAV leasing platform
-
20/06/2017 |UMS SKELDAR and Sentient sign MOU to provide ViDAR with NATO-compliant rotary SKELDAR V-200
-
12/06/2017 |UMS SKELDAR showcases the role for rotary UAVs at international Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference.
-
20/02/2017 |UMS SKELDAR spotlights SKELDAR V-200 at IDEX as part of ISR and SAR requirements in the Middle East
-
12/12/2016 |UMS SKELDAR extends partnership with ESG by adding high-tech sensors to its UAV portfolio
-
28/09/2016 |UMS SKELDAR joins forces with partner ESG at German Navy Workshop
-
26/09/2016 |UMS SKELDAR eyes pole position as UAV partner of choice for world navies
-
10/08/2016 |Training programmes in Asia-Pacific
-
09/06/2016 |UMS SKELDAR signs enhanced partnership agreement with ESG to include SKELDAR V-200.
-
30/05/2016 |UMS SKELDAR joins forces with ESG at ILA Berlin International Airshow
-
04/05/2016 |UMS SKELDAR LANDS EUROPE’S FIRST NATIONAL UAV LICENSE
-
29/04/2016 |UMS SKELDAR announces Latin America as priority focus…
-
27/04/2016 |Xponential 2016 New Orleans
-
18/04/2016 |UMS SKELDAR provides Indonesian Army security control measures
-
23/03/2016 |UMS SKELDAR official launch of new Swedish facility.
-
18/03/2016 |QinetiQ chooses UMS SKELDAR for Welsh Government project
-
03/03/2016 |UMS SKELDAR to demonstrate its flagship F-330 Fixed Wing in United Arab Emirates
-
16/02/2016 |Multimillion dollar managed services contracts.
-
15/02/2016 |South East Asia as priority market
-
15/02/2016 |UMS Skeldar integrates UMS Aero and Saab
-
08/02/2016 |SINGAPORE AIR SHOW 2016
-
21/12/2015 |Saab And UMS Aero Group AG Establish Strategic Partnership…
