Excerpted from a Janes feature article
by Gareth Jennings, 9 DEC 2024
Skydweller Aero is looking to expand the use of its Skydweller unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) throughout the Europe, Missile East, and Africa (EMEA) region, building on the interest already shown in the ‘geosynchronous aeroplane’ (geoplane) by the United States. Speaking to Janes in November, Skydweller Aero CEO Robert Miller said that with US military sponsored flights due to recommence in the coming months, the EMEA region offers particular opportunities for the Oklahoma-based company’s medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV.
“Certainly there is significant interest with the French and the Spanish. The Spanish in particular with regard to the issues in the Canary Islands with illegal drugs, human trafficking, etc. It’s exactly the same mission as the US wants us to do in the Caribbean, and the French are involved in that mission too because of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, [etc], and the Dutch with Aruba [etc] too. There is a general EU [European Union] border security issue in Europe too, and I do think this will be a capability that [European Border and Coast Guard Agency] Frontex would like to have in their toolbox,” Miller said, adding that the UK is also an opportunity via the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Project Aether (for wide area communications and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance [ISR], using stratospheric uncrewed air systems).
Further, Miller noted strong Middle East interest in the capability, saying, “There is a lot of interest in the Middle East. Typically, the Middle East is a follower compared to the US and Europe, and they need [for it to be first deployed by them] before the Middle East moves on something, but there is significant interest there too.”
Skydweller specs
Originally developed as the Solar Impulse 2, the Skydweller features 72 m wings that are covered with 2,900 ft2 of photovoltaic (PV) cells. These cells capture renewable solar energy that can be converted to 2 kW of power to support its payloads that combined can weigh nearly 400 kg. It has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 2,500 kg and flies up to 100 kt at about 46,000 ft. “Its wingspan is the size of a [Boeing] 747 [airliner], and it weighs about the same as a pickup truck,” Miller said.
“We describe ourselves as a ‘geoplane’ rather than a HAPS [high-altitude pseudo satellite],” he said, noting how the Skydweller operates at a lower altitude than HAPS to make it less compromised in its ability to carry heavier payloads. “We operate in the medium-altitude range where most of today’s surveillance aircraft operate, [but] we deal with the limitations of weather
and wind effectively through our mission planning and the robustness of our aircraft. You pay a high penalty on performance flying in the stratosphere – it’s why we are the size we are and able to carry the meaningful payload that we can. This gives us a lot more operational flexibility than [HAPS operators] – we were flying over the Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season. We have over 1,350 hours on the aircraft with a perfect safety record.”
EMEA opportunities
In terms of EMEA opportunities, Miller explained that both France and Spain are especially interested in the Skydweller’s ability to support all activities related to the global surveillance of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) through ultra persistence and real-time co-ordination capabilities. Specific applications include monitoring the maritime approaches to southern Europe to help detect, deter, and prevent a number of illicit activities – in particular drug smuggling, illegal fishing, and unlawful immigration. “Both countries are also interested in Skydweller’s capabilities to support peacekeeping missions in Africa and elsewhere,” he said.
The Skydweller will deploy to the Canary Islands during 2025 to support French and Spanish efforts to monitor and police the maritime approaches to Europe and the African coast by providing persistent wide area surveillance, Miller said, noting, “With its long-endurance capabilities, Skydweller can operate over key routes used for unauthorised activities. Its continuous monitoring capabilities will improve situational awareness, allowing for rapid identification and response to suspicious vessels. Skydweller’s real-time data sharing would also aid in cross-national coordination, enhancing overall maritime security and border integrity.”
For Project Aether, Skydweller Aero is subcontracted to Leonardo for the UK MoD’s effort to field a communications and ISR capability with a global reach in near-real time.
“HAPS solutions pay a heavy penalty for stratospheric operations. Platforms intended for those altitudes have consistently delivered disappointing results with regard to the ability to take off, reach [stratospheric altitudes], operate at [them], descend from [them], or safely land. Skydweller has a perfect safety record to date,” Miller said. “Additionally, we have flown more during September than some HAPS aircraft have flown, combined, during the past two years, and we did this in the Gulf of Mexico under very challenging atmospheric conditions.
“Skydweller could significantly enhance the UK’s Project Aether by providing extreme endurance, persistent surveillance using heavy powerful payloads and communications capabilities across vast, remote areas. This capability could bolster intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and threat detection over maritime regions, particularly critical for monitoring vast oceanic and polar regions relevant to UK and allied interests. The aircraft would also support the UK’s goal of achieving realtime data and situational awareness in low-infrastructure or challenging environments.”
As Miller noted, within the wider EMEA region, the Arctic polar region offers particular challenges and opportunities as Russia and China look to further exploit changing environmental conditions, and where monitoring remains challenging due to remote and harsh conditions. “Skydweller could provide the US and NATO during the summer months with persistent, extreme-endurance autonomous intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance. It could enhance situational awareness for defence forces, tracking vessels, help detect unauthorised activities, monitor environmental changes, assist in search-and-rescue operations, and improve communications in the high-latitude environment by acting as a connectivity relay.”
US customer
The efforts now under way to expand into the EMEA region are built on the inroads already made by Skydweller Aero in the US market. Miller told Janes that flight operations for the US Navy (USN) will resume before the end of 2024, during which ISR payloads will be further demonstrated. In addition to the USN demonstrations, the Skydweller has been performing
maritime domain awareness in the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility.
With the USN and SOUTHCOM under contract, Skydweller Aero sees further potential in US Central Command (CENTCOM), supporting air and missile defence systems by providing continuous aerial surveillance and real-time intelligence on airspace activity and advanced long distance early warning of aircraft or missile threats against Israel, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf allies, and naval assets operating in the area.
“In the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and surrounding areas, Skydweller could enhance early warning capabilities by persistently monitoring maritime and aerial traffic, detecting unusual vessel movements, and supporting air and missile defence. With its long-endurance surveillance, Skydweller could track suspected Houthi launch points or areas where drones, missiles, or small
boats might deploy, giving allied forces better situational awareness and response capabilities to intercept or neutralise threats before they reach critical infrastructure or shipping lanes,” Miller
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) too offers potential for Skydweller’s future growth, with regional instability across parts of the continent, particularly the Sahel region, having significantly impacted US and French counter-terror operations. “Skydweller could offer critical support to Western military operations in the Sahel by providing persistent ISR capabilities. Given the vast and challenging landscape of the Sahel, where traditional ISR platforms may be limited by range, endurance, and costs, [the] Skydweller ultralong-endurance UAS [unmanned aircraft system] is well-suited to meet the region’s specific needs for continuous monitoring. Its ability to operate from out-of-area bases [and] provide persistent wide-area surveillance over vast distances while remaining a relatively low-cost solution makes it a strategic asset for enduring missions in the region in support of Western efforts to stabilise the Sahel and combat terrorist and criminal networks,” Miller said.
Further opportunities
Beyond EMEA and the US, Miller said it is “premature” to identify other future specific customers, but he noted that there is “significant interest” from NATO and the Five Eyes partners that comprise Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Miller declined to be drawn on potential Skydweller numbers, but said, “We see a very large market worldwide for this capability. Certainly hundreds [of air vehicles].”
In terms of the ownership model for prospective future customers, Miller said that both contractor owned contractor-operated (COCO) and government-owned government-operated (GOGO) models will be offered, with the customer deciding on which will work best for their particular requirements. The experience of HAPS is that the COCO model is probably the most efficient for the different use cases that are expected and this would likely be true for the Skydweller also.
Future production
Miller explained that there is currently one Skydweller aircraft located at Stennis International Airport in Mississippi, on the US Gulf Coast. “We have begun construction of the next two that will be assembled in Stennis,” he said, adding, “We are looking at different variants, but the demand for the current model is very strong. The geoplane market for solar-powered extreme endurance aircraft that can carry payloads with real utility is very mature and growing.”
Ukraine lessons
One reason for the rise in demand for extreme-endurance aircraft such as Skydweller is the ongoing war in Ukraine. Miller said this conflict in particular has thrown up a number of lessons that are applicable to the aerial wide area surveillance mission in general, and to the Skydweller aircraft in particular. “The Ukraine war has underscored several strategic and tactical lessons that could be valuable to ourselves and our customers,” he said, noting in particular the fields of electronic warfare, extreme persistent surveillance, resilient communication, large payload capability to support multiple missions, cost-effective solutions, and operating in high-threat environments.
“Electronic warfare – spectrum dominance is a key to operation flexibility. Initially, Russia’s electronic warfare systems caused chaos on Ukrainian communication networks and pinpointed the locations of Ukrainian units. This provided Russia with the ability to strike where and when they wanted. Ukraine has been able to close the gap by developing and adapting new systems. Skydweller has payload capability both in weight, power, and aperture size to provide unique platform support in the electronic warfare area with its very large instantaneous power and large apertures,” Miller said, noting that those power and weight capabilities are needed for electronic warfare missions.
“Extreme persistent surveillance – the conflict has demonstrated the critical need for continuous, real-time intelligence. Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on drones to provide valuable information about the movement of Russian forces and other strategic activities. Skydweller’s extreme endurance would make it an ideal platform for this role, particularly in remote areas with little infrastructure, such as the Sahel, where persistent surveillance could provide significant strategic advantage to counter-terror operations there. The distances involved in the Pacific will require platforms that will have significantly more capability than the current ones and Skydweller will bring that capability to the market.
“Resilient communication – within the military context both ground-based and proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite communication infrastructures are at risk; a fleet of Skydweller unmanned aircraft can provide instantaneous network infrastructure. Commercially, a Skydweller UAS fleet can provide non-terrestrial systems that complement both pLEO and terrestrial networks, providing secure, resilient communications.
“Large payload capability to support multiple missions – one key lesson from Ukraine has been the value of flexibility in mission-specific payloads. UASs have been adapted on short notice to fulfil a variety of roles, from reconnaissance to electronic warfare. Skydweller’s ability to integrate and carry multiple large payload types simultaneously would enable it to perform multiple missions – surveillance, electronic warfare, and resilient communications – at the same time, during the same flight, without needing to land and reconfigure payloads. Don’t bring a pea shooter to a gun fight.
“Cost-effective solutions – the use of relatively cost-effective UASs has allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct sustained offensive air operations without the expense of traditional air assets. Similarly, Skydweller aircraft could provide cost-effective capabilities in support of military operations without the logistics burden, cost, and risk associated with basing or operating conventional manned systems. Skydweller can significantly reduce or eliminate the need for forward operating bases. Additionally, the operations and maintenance costs of a Skydweller UAS represent a paradigm shift from maintenance hours per flight hour to flight hours per maintenance hour.
“Operating in high-threat environments – the Ukraine war has highlighted the importance of the trade between survivability and cost in regard to the use of uncrewed and autonomous platforms in contested environments. Skydwellers could operate effectively in areas that conventional aircraft would have difficulty and be at significant risk. Skydweller will do this without risking human lives aboard crewed assets, providing real utility in environments where manned aircraft would be at greater threat from adversary air defences.”
Operational flexibility
According to Miller, the US Department of Defense (DoD) in particular is looking to break what he termed ‘vendor lock’, where it is difficult for new and emerging companies to break the monopoly on procurement now enjoyed by the traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
“Current UAS platforms are vendor-locked to the OEMs. Breaking that vendor lock legacy in an existing platform is extremely difficult. Why is this important? New technology and solution approaches are continually being developed, and those new approaches need to be rapidly integrated and the capability brought into the DoD inventory. New platforms can provide a means to meet a growing need for an airborne layer to provide even more solutions to observation, monitoring, telecom, and other solutions possible. Skydweller represents a new platform capability that can take advantage of legacy payloads as well as new technology,” he said, adding, “The Pentagon’s desire to break vendor lock across legacy and next-generation weapon systems and platforms is proving to be a crucial element in achieving innovative and cost-efficient replacement and upgrades… This freedom from vendor lock opens doors for critical advances in the near-space layer, allowing us to meet growing demands with a broader set of solutions.”
Given their broadly similar mission sets, platform configurations, and capabilities, the Skydweller ‘geoplane’ is often lumped together with HAPSs such as the AALTO Zephyr and BAE Systems PHASA-35.
This, however, is not a comparison that Miller appreciates or agrees with, telling Janes, “I have to push back a little bit as I don’t really consider them to be a competitor anymore than a remote controlled car is a competitor to a Tesla Cybertruck. We are carrying 300 lb to 800 lb [136 kg to 363 kg] of payload, and running a ‘real’ maritime SAR [synthetic aperture radar], a ‘real’ and substantial EO/IR [electro-optic/infrared] system, and an ELINT [electronic intelligence] system all at the same time, which is what you need for a true multi-intelligence system.
“It is not a science experiment but an operational capability. That is the difference.”