The French Navy lost one of its new aerial reconnaissance helicopter drones at sea in early November during a training mission, our AFP colleagues learned from a military source on Wednesday, confirming information from specialized media. sea and navy.
One of two Camcopter S-100 type drones aboard the amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA) Tonnerre, deployed as part of the Corymbe mission in the Gulf of Guinea, crashed into the sea in early November as the buildup of the National Navy evolved . the African coast, this source confirmed, adding that an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of this accident.
The clue of a technical failure
This drone appears to have suffered technical damage that precipitated its crash during a training flight, the military source said.
Designed by the Austrian industrialist Schiebel, the Camcopter S-100, specialized in aerial photography, can fly in automatic mode and reach a maximum speed of 220 km/h at an altitude of 5,500 meters. Its autonomy is about six hours, for a takeoff weight of 200 kilos. The list price of a system made up of two vectors (drones) is approximately 3.5 million euros.
Source: BFM TV
