Wingcopter has unveiled an all-electric reconnaissance drone that it says can remain airborne for up to six hours, expanding its defense business with an aircraft designed to launch vertically without a runway or catapult.
The German company introduced the Wingcopter 262 with specs including a maximum takeoff weight of 10 kg (22 pounds) and a wingspan of 2.62 meters, which gives the model its name.
Wingcopter lists a tactical range of 150 kilometers (93 miles). The company did not specify the payload used to establish the maximum endurance.
The aircraft uses a tilt-rotor configuration to take off and land vertically before transitioning to fixed-wing flight. That allows operators to deploy it without launch equipment while using wing-supported flight for longer reconnaissance missions.
According to Wingcopter, a single operator can prepare the aircraft for a mission within minutes. Batteries can be swapped between flights to reduce time on the ground.
Its modular design supports electro-optical and infrared cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities, along with data and video links. Wingcopter says the aircraft incorporates positioning technology proven under operational conditions in Ukraine and can navigate when global navigation satellite system signals are unavailable.
Those navigation capabilities could be useful in areas where satellite signals are jammed or otherwise disrupted. The company’s announcement does not detail how the aircraft maintains its position in those conditions.
Wingcopter also designed the 262 for integration with existing battle management systems, allowing it to fit into a military operator’s wider information and command network.
The launch follows the establishment of Wingcopter Security & Defence earlier this year. The division adds defense and security applications to the company’s existing work in logistics and aerial surveying.
Wingcopter says the new aircraft draws on more than a decade of experience developing, producing and operating unmanned aircraft.
The company is also working with Ukrainian manufacturer TAF Industries under the “Build with Ukraine” initiative. That cooperation includes mass production of Ukrainian reconnaissance drones and efforts to make the Wingcopter 262 available to Ukraine.
The announcement does not identify a customer order, delivery schedule or price for the 262.