Survey Copter enters crowded lightweight tactical drone market
Capa-X has a twin-boom, rear-engined configuration with multiple rotors providing a VTOL capability. (Photo: author)
The company is hoping the Capa-X VTOL fixed-wing drone's modularity and French supply chain will help it stand out against competitors.
A model of the new Capa-X UAV was unveiled on 28 March at the SOFINS show in Bordeaux.
Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus, clearly believes in its chances of breaking into a market already well served by others with the design, a 75kg aircraft aiming for 8 to 10 hours of autonomous operation.
Key elements are modularity and sovereignty with Capa-X using mainly French ITAR-free components and assembly at Survey Copter's plant in Pierrelatte in the south of France.
Survey Copter CEO Christophe Canguilhem detailed the main features of Capa-X, which will be able to take off and land from a runway (with a fixed tricycle
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