CAMCOPTER UAS Provides Maritime Surveillance in Baltic Sea

Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS (unmanned aerial system) is being used by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) for enhanced maritime surveillance in the Baltic Sea. The operations are part of a service delivered by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which has also been extended to Finland.

The CAMCOPTER S-100 is currently supporting the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, and will begin work with the Finnish Border Guard in the near future. The UAS is being used to gain enhanced situational awareness of what is happening at sea, which is particularly useful in this region where busy shipping lanes and high cargo traffic make maritime safety and security a challenge. Operational cooperation is possible among all the member states participating in the program, which in addition to Estonia and Finland, also include Latvia and Sweden.

The information collected by the drone is shared simultaneously with these neighbouring countries, thereby helping them to create a common maritime picture and respond in close coordination with each other. The S-100 executes these tasks with the help of a TRAKKA TC-300 Electro-Optical / Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera gimbal, an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch, a Becker Avionics BD406 Emergency Beacon Locator and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver.

Marge Kohtla, head of the maritime safety unit at the PPA, commented: “The S-100 offers an excellent opportunity for monitoring the maritime area, serving as an addition to the existing maritime surveillance system, vessels of the PPA, smaller water craft, and aircraft.”

Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, said: “We are proud to be working with EMSA to support its member states in conducting the vital task of maritime surveillance. The S-100 is a proven and reliable asset, which is being operated on all oceans.”

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