Germany’s planned drone purchase is currently causing massive confusion where realistic military demands, unrealistic and sometimes naive expectations, lobbyists’ promises and constant pressure and squandered tax millions are all colliding.
Alongside these time-consuming arguments between public utility providers and skeptical parties, a middle-market company based close to Berlin with its own self-developed, rigorously tested and already sold air-systems is emerging to challenge major companies for their privilege in the market place.
Founded in 2013 by aviation enthusiast Dr. Reiner Stemme, Reiner Stemme Utility Air Systems GmbH is able to introduce its MALE OPV “Q01” after only a few months of development work, showing extraordinary performance parameters right from the start. The “Medium Altitude” in the title refers to the single-engine reconnaissance platform impressively capable of reaching a maximum flight altitude of 30,000 ft.; while “Long Endurance” here means up to 50 hours of flight. But apart from impressive facts and figures, it is the real and substantial innovations that excite aviation experts as well as Military, Police and Border patrol personnel.
So „Q01“, besides using it as an unmanned reconnaissance system, offers the opportunity to be used as a manned aircraft with various applications. The manned version complies with the EASA CS-23 regulations and can therefore be redeployed and moved through controlled airspace without problems – a capability, which none of the systems are yet able to provide, and which are currently part of the German bidding process. Flexibility is an integral aspect of the whole “Q01” system concept: Integration of radar, optronics and other reconnaissance electronics was implemented in hard- and software architecture from the start, as well as one or two crew operated mission scenarios. To provide the OPV’s military usability, the developing engineers have even optimized the carbon-fiber hull of “Q01” with regard to a very low infrared signature and equipped it with an extremely silent and fuel-saving engine, which can run on aviation fuel or diesel.
A co-developer and first purchaser of the aircraft is the State of Qatar, who defined the prototype specification of “Q01” as a border control version. Among special guests from German authorities and invited journalists, a Qatari delegation had even come to the presentation of the first production stage model at airfield Schoenhagen to inform German representatives about the purchase with an equivalent of approx. 89 million Euros going hand in hand with the development project. Brigadier General Khalid al Kuwari, procurement officer of the Qatari Air Force, pointed out the especially high flexibility in regards to equipment and the resulting wide mission range of the “Q01”, reaching from effective naval reconnaissance over border patrol missions to pipeline, oil and gas platform supervision.
Since completion of the production stage model of “Q01”, several other countries and authorities have shown eager interest to purchase this state of the art system. The system will be presented to a broad public for the first time at ILA Berlin Air Show on June 1-4, 2016.
Source: Press Release