SCHIEBEL’S CAMCOPTER ENABLES TRUE INTEGRATION
For civilian pilots, MUM-T often sounds like a concept confined strictly to military test tracks. Schiebel is systematically dismantling that perception by proving that helicopters and drones can seamlessly share airspace for SAR operations in challenging maritime and coastal environments.
“Schiebel has been working on helicopter-drone teaming for many years, both through dedicated MUM-T demonstrations and through real-world search and rescue operations,” said Neil Hunter, Schiebel’s head of global sales. “The CAMCOPTER S-100 has demonstrated MUM-T capabilities up to Level of Interoperability (LOI) Five, including integration with an Airbus H145 helicopter.
As the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. Schiebel has executed a number of successful MUM-T missions over the years and is increasing its capability to support them. “A leading example is Bristow’s operation on behalf of HM Coastguard in the United Kingdom,” Hunter told RotorPro. “Since 2020, the CAMCOPTER S-100 has supported search and rescue operations as a safety-overwatch asset across coastal, maritime and mountainous environments, including North Wales and the English Channel. The CAMCOPTER S-100 also supports EMSA maritime safety operations across Europe, including missions where search and rescue forms part of the operational tasking. Separately, the system supports
the Spanish Maritime Search and Rescue Agency (SASEMAR) through the iSAR program, contributing to SAR, maritime surveillance, and emergency response missions.”
From Schiebel’s perspective, the division of labor in MUM-T SAR missions is clear: drones search, helicopters rescue. Hunter said, “What we consistently see is that unmanned systems can extend surveillance coverage, remain on station for long periods and provide continuous situational awareness while helicopters remain available for rescue and recovery tasks.” The data sharing is immediate, he said, “The CAMCOPTER provides real-time sensor data, including EO/IR and thermal imagery, to the Ground Control Station, from where it can be shared with command centers” and partnered aircraft.
Looking ahead, Hunter sees an increasing number of SAR missions adopting a MUM-T platform approach. “The future is clearly moving towards closer cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft,” he said. “A good example is Project NYX in the U.K., where the CAMCOPTER S-300 has been selected for Stage One to explore future autonomous teaming concepts alongside Apache helicopters. At the same time, Schiebel continues to advance interoperability, autonomy, communications and sensor integration. The goal is simple: provide operators with better information over larger areas for longer periods of time while allowing manned aircraft to focus on the mission itself.”
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