UMS Skeldar is celebrating a successful year and gearing up for further sales next year of its V-200 and R-350 vertical take-off and landing unmanned systems.
Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Dubai air show, head of business development David Willems says it has been an “amazing year” for the Saab-UMS Aero Group joint venture.
“We have been very fortunate to have sold all the ones we had to sell this year, and we are looking at next year and working on some very big opportunities in the Middle East and elsewhere,” he says.
As well as meeting its sales target, the company has made a number of announcements that will see its V-200 platform equipped with visual detection and ranging (ViDAR) from Australian company Sentient, as well as a teaming deal with Jet Lease that will open the way for customers to lease UAVs.
“We have a number of ongoing requests now for leasing, and this is going to be very important,” says Willems.
At Dubai, the company is reintroducing to the market its light tactical R-350 UAV, which can carry up to 30kg of various payloads with a two-hour endurance.
Willems says it is offering a fully reworked version of the aircraft “with a newer engine, new software and it’s a far more stable platform now that it’s a finished product”.
Payloads it can carry include electro-optical/IR sensors, cameras and even a transport box to deliver goods with.
For all the coverage from the Dubai air show visit our dedicated event page
Source: Flight Daily News
