Camcopter S-100 UAV Completes Italian Navy Flight

Schiebel has announced that the Camcopter S-100 has become the first UAV to operate from an Italian Navy vessel. The UAV completed a flight from the ITS Bersagliere, a Soldati Class frigate, further consolidating the system’s position within the maritime rotary UAV sector.

The S-100 conducted the 4.5 hour flight from the Italian Navy Base of La Spezia. During the flight it successfully carried out a number of observation missions for observers from the Italian Navy, carrying a Wescam MX-10 camera payload, and transmitting high definition images in real-time.

According to Schiebel, the S-100 performed flawlessly in sea states three to four and with wind speeds of up to 25 kts. Feedback from the Italian Navy was reported to be ‘extremely positive’, and the company said it looks forward to assisting the navy with maritime operation opportunities in the future.


The S-100 has now successfully proved its maritime surveillance capability on 14 different classes of vessels in three oceans. To date, the Camcopter S-100 has operated on both military and civilian vessels at relative wind speeds of up to 40 kts and consequently its maritime capability has been successfully proved to various navies worldwide.