Centaurium UAS signed a cooperation agreement with Thales, intended to conduct a test campaign to allow drone use Thales UAS100 in remote operations on Swiss soil. The contract also includes the delivery of two units of the antenna system and its control stations before the start of testing in spring 2024 and the start of commercial operation in 2025.
Centaurium will operate drones and offer services tailored to the specific needs of public and private entities in Switzerland, with lower operating costs and 90% lower energy consumption than current manned aircraft. The company is positioned as a service provider for surveillance, tracking and warning missions, so it will rely on Thales system technology, which will benefit from a highly robust design, versatility, scalability and a ground control station that meets the certification criteria European Union Area Safety Agency (EASA).
Certified top technology
The UAS100 meets the requirements of a wide range of mission scenarios and general aviation regulations. The aircraft is designed to perform the tasks of risk monitoring in large infrastructure, border surveillance, event security, fire detection and locating missing persons.
The design of the drone is designed by a manufacturer of light aircraft Issoire Aviation, which has created a concept that offers a level of performance, integrity and reliability unmatched in Europe within the category of lightweight systems. It is powered by two electric motors and one smaller internal combustion engine, which guarantees high resistance to breakdowns. In addition, it is equipped with an anti-jamming navigation system, a redundant mission-critical computer and an intelligent communication system that enables safe autonomous flights.
Thales sells two different variants: UAS100-1, which is now available and has a wingspan of 3.34 meters, a length of 1.78 meters and a payload of 1 kilogram; and UAS 100-10, which is twice as large and offers a load capacity of 10 kilograms, intended for the placement of sensors with higher performance.
Commencement of commercial operations
The ground control and planning station will be delivered to Centauria on November 1st UAS100-1 in March 2024. The company plans to start commercial operations in 2025 once it receives permission from Swiss Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FOCA).
Vice President of Aerospace Avionics at Thales, Jean-Oaul Ebanga, stated that “Centaurium is not only the first customer, but the ideal partner to optimize drone operations to achieve system certification and offer commercial services with lower costs and environmental impact.”
According to the CEO of Centaurium Ernest Oggier“Thales is the ideal partner to operate long-range on-demand drone services for customers in the near future. The cooperation agreement marks the beginning of a new era for UAS operations in Switzerland.”