European Maritime Safety Agency Selects Airbus Flexrotor Drone for Maritime Surveillance Missions

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Airbus has been awarded a €30 million framework contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to provide Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) services for multipurpose maritime surveillance with the Flexrotor Uncrewed Aerial System. These services enhance Coast Guard missions by offering extended coastal range and long-endurance capabilities.

“We are proud to partner with the European Maritime Safety Agency on this turnkey contract which allows the Flexrotor to fly operationally for the first time in Europe and to serve the critical mission of enhancing maritime surveillance,” said Victor Gerin-Roze, Head of Uncrewed Aerial Systems at Airbus Helicopters. “We have conducted multiple demonstration flights with the Flexrotor across Europe, showcasing its long endurance and the variety of systems it can carry, which is unique for a UAS of this size. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate in Europe why the Flexrotor is the leading high-performance, reliable solution for this mission profile,” he added.

The core service includes flight operations utilising the Flexrotor system, delivering Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) and radar imagery. This data will be seamlessly streamed to the EMSA RPAS Data Centre used by the relevant national authorities of the Member States to follow the flights live. The services will directly support Coast Guard operations including  search and rescue operations, fisheries control and environmental protection, as well as detection of illicit maritime activities.

The Flexrotor surveillance capabilities will support the national competent authorities of EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland, as well as relevant EU institutions. Under this contract the Flexrotor systems can be deployed in two operations in parallel with take-off sites within any participating country with the flexibility to add supplementary parallel operations if requested.

The initial framework contract is for two years, with the provision for two additional one-year option periods, extending the maximum potential delivery timeframe up to four years. Service is scheduled to begin in 2026. Operations will be performed by French service provider Extensee.

The Flexrotor is a modern Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft with a launch weight of 25 kg (55 lbs), it has been designed for ISTAR missions for more than 12-14 hours in a typical operational configuration, and 10 hours in EMSA configuration. It can integrate different types of payloads including an electro-optical system and advanced sensors to suit customers’ unique mission needs. With the ability to autonomously launch and recover from either land or sea requiring only a 3.7 by 3.7 m (12 by 12 ft.) area, the Flexrotor is ideal for expeditionary missions requiring minimal footprint.