Whole spectrum training

UMS Skeldar has established a new training facility in Sweden, which will soon be used to train German and Canadian customers that have recently contracted to operate its V-200 unmanned aerial vehicle.

Based at an airfield near Hultsfred, one hour south of Linköping, the site will be used to carry out the whole spectrum of required training, from ab initio through to sensor operations and maintenance.

Established in recent weeks, it has a 3km x 2km airspace available for Skeldar training, which will operate at the airfield alongside general aviation aircraft and adhere to the same flight rules as those, including using air traffic control and issuing the required NOTAMs.

The company has expanded in recent months due to success it has garnered with its two new customers, namely the German navy, which is acquiring Skeldar to equip its new K130 corvettes, as well as Canada's navy and special forces, which have acquired the UAV from a QinetiQ-UMS team on a services basis. Germany is equipping two corvettes, each one with one Skeldar air vehicle and one ground control station, while the Canadian navy has opted for two air vehicles on a contractor-owned, contractor-operated basis, and Canadian special forces four aircraft under a contractor-owned, military-operated structure. Both have begun their respective initial training, with Canadian personnel having started theirs at the Hultsfred site and Germany soon set to do the same.

Changes in regulations from EASA governing the way in which UAV training is carried out will make them more akin to manned requirements that are expected to roll out in the coming months, so UMS Skeldar says it has been adapting its training and complementary manuals accordingly.

UMS Skeldar is expected to deliver to QinetiQ (S3-400 and S4-100) − which is delivering the services in Canada − by the end of the year, and operations should begin shortly after.