Dutch drone crashes at sea
(BRUSSELS2) One of the drones on board EUNAVFOR's flagship atalanta, the Zr. Hs Johan de Witt, a ScanEagle equipped with a digital camera, crashed at sea during a patrol near the Seychelles, according to our information. The device was found and recovered we say from the side of the Dutch navy. The cause of the incident is currently unknown but is being investigated. In the meantime, all flights with the Scan Eagle have been stopped.
Drones at sea are no longer rare
Drones are increasingly used by ships in the Indian Ocean. They offer an interesting - and complementary - alternative to helicopters, to fly over ships, suspicious or not, to spot pirate catches or suspicious dhows. Main advantages: discretion, relatively limited cost such as space in the ship, and complementarity with other means on board (helicopter or RHIB, inspection boat).
Ships equipped
In addition to Zr. Hs Johan de Witt, the Spanish ship Meteor is thus equipped with it, having embarked since September 10 a Skeldar V-200, a drone developed by the Swedish Saab and which takes off vertically, in helicopter mode. This drone had previously been tested off the Canary Islands on another Spanish vessel, the Flash of lightning.
