U.S. aerospace giant Boeing reported on its Twitter account that the company demonstrated the capability of S-100 Camcopter unmanned air vehicles to delivered supplies to U.S. Army troops.
“The S-100 Camcopter recently delivered supplies to U.S. Army troops, the first time an autonomous air vehicle with vertical takeoff and landing resupplied Army troops,” the Boeing message states.
The Boeing S-100 Camcopter variant, produced in partnership with Austria’s Schiebel Industries, is a highly expeditionary Group 3 vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial system.
A Boeing team flew the S-100 on 31 missions, delivering 726kg (1,600lb) of “simulated blood and ammunition” via a cargo winch during the military exercise.
The unmanned helicopter flew the missions autonomously, says Boeing.
The S-100 navigates automatically via pre-programmed GPS waypoints or can be operated directly with a pilot control unit.
Missions are planned and controlled via a simple point-and-click graphical user interface. High-definition payload imagery is transmitted to the control station in real time. Using “fly-by-wire” technology controlled by redundant flight computers, the UAV can complete its mission automatically in the most complex of electromagnetic environments. Its carbon fiber and titanium fuselage provides capacity for a wide range of payload / endurance combinations.
A first for vertical lift #UAV – the S-100 #CAMCOPTER recently delivered supplies to @USArmy troops, the first time an autonomous air vehicle with vertical takeoff and landing resupplied Army troops. pic.twitter.com/39sZ95qgA3
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) April 6, 2020