The UMS Skeldar V-200 is a medium-range helicopter and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. The Skeldar can be used for surveillance, intelligence gathering, light cargo transportation, and electronic warfare.

Development

The Skeldar is a derivative of CybAero’s APID 55 UAV system, and its development started in 2005. In June 2006 the Skeldar V-150 was unveiled at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, France. The Skeldar V-200 is the designation for the developed version of the system.

Design

The Skeldar V-200 can take-off and land on an area of 15×15 meters. Take-off and landings can be made autonomously. Skeldar V-200 is modular in the sense that payloads can be changed depending on the mission characteristics, for example it can be equipped with laser pointers, range finders, electro-optical & infrared (EO/IR) 3D mapping, a light cargo hook and SIGINT (Signals Intelligence). The Skeldar V-200 can be operated in both land and naval operations, by 2–4 people. A UAS Control Station can be integrated into a ground-vehicle such as an APC or truck. For naval operations the control station can be integrated into a ship's normal operator consoles and combat management systems. In 2009 Saab partnered with Swiss UAV to jointly develop and market three VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) designs: the Skeldar V-200 and Swiss UAV's Neo S-300 and Koax X 240. The three systems can be controlled from a Saab common ground control station. In the end of 2015 Saab partnered with UMS and created the company UMS Skeldar. In September 2018, UMS Skeldar V-200B was selected by the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

for use on board K130 Braunschweig class

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

s. The

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

and Belgian Navy Component will use the V-200 on their future MCMV's (mine countermeasure vessels), of which the first will be operational in 2024.

Operators

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Belgian Navy The Belgian Navy, officially the Naval Component (, ; , ; , ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the Navy, naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy was created as the ''Marine Royale'' () on 15 January 1831. This force ...

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Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

known as CU-176 Gargoyle in Canadian Service ; *

Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...

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Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

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Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

(on trials)

Specifications (V-200)

''Source:'' Saab Skeldar V-200 Technical specifications Length:
Width:
Height:
Main Rotor Diameter:
Max takeoff weight:
Max takeoff altitude:
Payload: Maximum speed:
Mission radius:
Endurance: +6 hours
Power rating:
Service ceiling:
Takeoff preparation time: <15 min

References

External links

V-200 web page on company site
* . * . * * {{Canadian Forces aircraft Skeldar Military helicopters 2000s Swedish helicopters Unmanned helicopters Unmanned military aircraft of Sweden Single-engined piston helicopters V-200 Single-rotor helicopters 2000s Swedish military utility aircraft Aircraft with skid landing gear