AUSTRIA’S Schiebel and Hanwha Systems kicked off their partnership as part of their efforts to tap the global unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) export market. This is after both companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in May to develop an airborne communications UAV.
The partnership is aimed at gaining a foothold in the global UAV communications market by combining Hanwha Systems’ high-performance communications and avionics systems with Schiebel’s proven UAV platforms, according to a press release. Hanwha Systems plans to mount its self-developed communications, radar, and avionics equipment onto the Schiebel platform, expanding opportunities for domestically made avionics equipment to enter overseas markets and exporting it abroad.
“We will not only take the lead in the next-generation UAV market by strengthening our partnership with Schiebel, but also explore opportunities to expand the adoption of our systems in domestic and overseas markets,” a company official said.
An airborne communications UAV is an advanced unmanned aircraft equipped with a 5G base station, airborne relay communications equipment and related avionics to provide seamless tactical communication links across a wide range of battlefield environments. The project expands beyond the existing Republic of Korea Navy-led (ROKN) focus into a research and development area for the ROK Army (ROKA). Hanwha Systems has been present as a system contractor with the ROK Navy (ROKN) and ROK Marine Corps (ROKMC) using Schiebel’s rotary-wing Camcopter S-300.
The two companies plan to jointly develop next-generation unmanned aircraft technology to carry out aerial communications missions in land manoeuvre warfare, based on the data and experience accumulated during unmanned naval aircraft operations. In particular, they will concentrate development capability on securing communications survivability in electronic warfare environments. Hanwha Systems plans to develop, for small unmanned aircraft, an ultra-compact, lightweight, high-efficiency 5G wireless communications (RF) base-station module and aerial relay communications equipment, along with high-reliability navigation technology to maintain the aircraft’s position and attitude even in radio interference (jamming) conditions, and communications survivability optimization solutions to keep the communications network operational even during communications jamming.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:HANWHA)
