Bern, 15.06.2022 – This morning, at shortly after 07:00, the new reconnaissance drone for the Swiss Armed Forces in Emmen completed its first flight. With this successful test flight, the reconnaissance drone system 15 (ADS 15) reaches another important milestone.
After the successful taxiing trials in May 2022, the first of the two drones of the reconnaissance drone system 15 (ADS 15) which arrived in Switzerland at the end of April 2022 completed its successful first flight.
This morning the drone with registration D-14 controlled by a Swiss test pilot took off for its first flight at 07:00. After a flight of around 70 minutes the drone returned safely to Emmen. During its flight, the drone attained a maximum speed of 180 kilometres per hour and a maximum altitude of 2,000 metres above the sea.
Specialists from the Israeli manufacturer Elbit supported the Swiss project team in the preparation before and during the flight. All planned test points of the first flight were successfully completed.
Transfer to the Air Force by end of 2022
The successful first flight marks an important step in the procurement of the ADS 15 and further flying tests in Switzerland. In the coming months, additional tests will take place with the two drones (registration D-11 and D-14) from Swiss military airfields. Among other things, the sensors will be tested, the technical functionality of the drones checked and flown and missions of various durations in length carried out. The ADS 15 can remain in the air for up to 24 hours.
Once flight testing and authorisation by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) have been completed, the two drones will be transferred to the Air Force during the second half of the year. The remaining four drones will follow by the end of 2023.