The New Alpha 900 unmanned helicopters by Alpha Unmanned are already flying with the Greek Navy.

The sale to the Greek Navy of 5 new Alpha 900 unmanned helicopters for use onboard ships launches Alpha Unmanned’s state of the art new offering.  The Greek Navy plans to use the Alpha 900s for maritime security and surveillance.

“The new Alpha 900 can take off vertically from a moving vessel and land autonomously on a navy vessel, requiring little space for those two essential operations,” says a press release. “It can also fly relatively longer flight times compared to other similar-sized UAVS (up to 4hrs and carry payloads up to 4kgs) and it is built “Stanag Compliant” so that all critical systems are redundant. This makes it a very good technology for many navies, coast guards, and/or seaborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and/or reconnaissance operations.”

With immigration issues a growing concern around the world, navies and coast guards have begun to adopt unmanned systems for maritime security and surveillance missions at an unprecedented pace.

Zacharias Sarris, CEO of Altus LSA, a drone systems supplier to the Hellenic Navy, states, “we are very pleased to help introduce the Alpha 900 in Greece. There are many pressing needs and Alpha and its UAV helicopters are an excellent fit for many mission requirements.”

Eric Freeman, CEO of Alpha Unmanned Systems, states, “we are very proud to support the Hellenic Navy with its maritime security efforts in the Mediterranean and that the Alpha 900 helicopter UAV fulfills very demanding requirements.  The confidence the Greek Navy has demonstrated in the A900 has already created a good interest among other potential clients around the world, and we will be soon ready to announce similar commitments with other partners”.

Unmanned Helicopters: Filling a Gap in the Market

The Alpha 900 will fill a gap for smaller military-grade UAVs to take off and land on naval vessels that is not currently filled, substituting larger and much more costly UAVs for ISTAR-related missions. A complete Alpha 900 System includes:

• 2 fuel-powered Helicopter UAVs Alpha 900 with dual sensor optical payloads
• 1 Maritime-based Control Station to control the UAV’s and the payloads
• 1 Antenna for transmissions and data control

Read more about Alpha Unmanned for drone delivery, flight testing systems, and developments for flying multiple unmanned helicopters with a single operator.