Saab Touts Updated Skeldar in United States

By Brett Davis



Saab is conducting a series of demonstrations with its updated Skeldar unmanned rotorcraft in the United States, showing the system taking advantage of varied terrain to showcase the system’s capabilities to potential customers.



Skeldar began development almost a decade ago, had its first flight in 2007 and conducted its first customer demonstration in 2010. The company recently updated the helicopter, adding a new rotor system, heavy fuel engine and flight control system.



As part of the qualification of the system to fly in the National Airspace System, the company brought Skeldar to the United States, which also offers a variety of terrain for testing that’s not available where the aircraft has been tested previously.



“We really make use of the sites in the U.S. where we have geography and climate that we don’t have in Sweden and Switzerland,” says John Balenger, the vice president for communications for Saab North America.



The company plans to market the Skeldar heavily in the Americas, which includes setting up a logistics hub for the region in Sterling, Va.



The U.S. Navy is a potential customer for Skeldar, drawn by its small size — so it can operate from smaller ships — and its heavy fuel engine. 



“Naturally, it’s a great fit for the Navy,” Balenger says. “You don’t need a lot of area. If you think about the size of the package, this is very much a possibility for even smaller-size hulls. … This gives you a lot of flexibility in a lot smaller package.”



The Department of Homeland Security is another potential user, and commercial use could be down the road, in the oil and gas markets, power industry and others, according to company officials.



The company has flown Skeldar off of ships in Sweden but hasn’t yet done that in the United States, although it plans to, Balenger says.