
An MCSD modified target drone conducted two weeks of flight trials as part of SATNUS' work to develop unmanned technologies for the NGWS element of the FCAS/SCAF programme. (SATNUS)
Spain's SATNUS consortium has completed its first flight trials campaign, geared at developing unmanned ‘loyal wingman' technologies for the Future Combat Air System/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (FCAS/SCAF) programme with France and Germany (as well as Belgium as an observer).
The Spanish Alliance of Technologies for NGWS Unmanned Systems (SATNUS) consortium made up of GMV, Sener Aerospace and Defence, and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía announced the milestone at the end of January. It said that initial flight trials of ‘loyal wingman' remote carrier (RC) technologies being developed within the scope of the Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) component of FCAS/SCAF have concluded at the facilities of the El Arenosillo Experimentation Center (CEDEA) in Huelva, on the southern Spanish Atlantic coast.
“This campaign has been framed within the activities assigned to SATNUS in Pillar 3 of the Spain-France-Germany collaboration programme NGWS/FCAS, responsible for the maturation of technologies for remote-controlled air systems and teamed flight with manned and unmanned aircraft,” SATNUS said.
As noted in the announcement, the two-week trial campaign saw an MCSD modified target drone conduct multiple flights during which SATNUS validated the modifications and different payloads. “With the achievement of these initial tests, SATNUS continues to progress according to the road map foreseen for Phase 1B of the NGWS programme, with the ambitious final goal of demonstrating MUM-T [manned unmanned teaming] functionalities with multiple MCSD demonstration platforms in flight,” the consortium said.
For more information, please see Partner governments reaffirm commitment to NGWS element of FCAS/SCAF .
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