Skeye, a Dutch provider of professional UAV services has announced that it has signed a two- year lease agreement with High Eye for the use of two HEF 30 VTOL UAVs equipped with a daylight and infrared camera.
The HEF 30 is a fuel-driven unmanned helicopter, designed by the Dutch UAV manufacturer High Eye. It is currently the most compact industrial grade VTOL UAV on the market. At a maximum take-off weight of 21 kg, it can carry more than 5 litres of petrol and payloads up to 5 kg. It offers flight times of more than 3.5 hours, even when carrying heavy payloads or during operations in harsh environments. The system is fully automatic, rated for demanding weather conditions and prepared for controlled airspace integration.
The HEF 30 is a perfect fit for Skeye in order to expand its services into to the surveillance and security market. The agreement is in line with Skeye’s strategy of augmenting its service level for aerial surveys and inspections across the globe. Managing director of Skeye, Pieter Franken, states: “We have come to know High Eye as a top quality manufacturer of UAVs and are pleased to see an extremely high skill level among its employees. This gives us the confidence to integrate the HEF 30 into our operations”.
Joost de Ruiter, CEO of High Eye, says: “We are highly pleased and proud to have Skeye as our customer for the new HEF 30. Skeye is world class player in the field of survey and inspection with UAVs. We are convinced that with the feedback from such an experienced operator we will be able to improve our products in the future. It is great to reap the fruits after 2 years of focus, hard work and substantial financial investments. We are confident that the HEF 30 will be regarded as a reliable and affordable long-range VTOL UAV by more operators”.
Two pilots of Skeye are currently undergoing a rigorous training program at High Eye. Skeye expects to take delivery of the two systems in Q2 of 2016.
About High Eye
High Eye is a Dutch manufacturer of unmanned helicopters. High Eye focusses on designing long endurance VTOL UAVs for the industrial market. High Eye strives to integrate their products into existing industrial aviation structures through high technical standards and far-going compliance with existing design, production and maintenance regulations. The latest version of the HEF 30 builds on the previous generations and provides even better specifications and customer adaptability. It has just been introduced in the market and will be displayed at many exhibitions worldwide in 2016.
About Skeye
Skeye is market leader in the Netherlands for providing professional aerial survey and inspection services with UAVs. The company has opened offices in the UK and Germany. Skeye differentiates itself by placing a large emphasis on regulatory and safety aspects and has become the provider of choice for large international companies. Projects have been executed in all major European countries as well as Angola, Nigeria, Croatia, Georgia, Papua New Guinea and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Press Release