Founded in 1951, the Vienna-based Schiebel Group of companies focuses on the development, testing and production of state-of-the-art mine detection equipment and the acclaimed CAMCOPTER® Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System. Schiebel has built an international reputation for producing quality defence and humanitarian products, quality controlled to meet ISO 9001 standards, and backed by exceptional after-sales service and support.
From its inception, Schiebel has specialized in the development of high quality electro-mechanical control technology. In the 1970's, the company applied this expertise to the problem of mine detection, and built its first mine detector, which proved successful. In the mid-1980's, this detector served as the launch platform for the AN-19/2 Mine Detecting Set. The first AN-19/2 proved highly successful, and was selected by several NATO countries, eg Sweden, Germany, UK, and many humanitarian demining organizations.
Schiebelšs pre-eminent position was achieved in 1992 when the AN-19/2 was selected as standard mine detector for the United States Army (designated the AN/PSS-12), and was subsequently adopted as the standard for numerous other military and humanitarian organizations. In the process of producing over 18,000 mine detectors for the U.S. Army, alone, Schiebel successfully applied its high quality control standard to the considerably increased production volume. Its worldwide field support activities necessitated that the company increase its already extensive expertise in Integrated Logistics Support (ILS).
The company's standard after-sales service has proven not only beneficial to the customer, but has also enabled the company to gain considerable experience in all aspects of mine and UXO detection.
Based on this experience, Schiebel has been able to expand its product range, improve the detector to meet evolving customer requirements and maintain its high quality standards. |
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This enabled the company to maintain its leading position in the field of mine-detection throughout the 1990's, as it introduced a wider range of mine detection products, such as the MIMID Miniature Mine Detector and VAMIDS Vehicular Array Mine Detection System, and commenced development of a unique Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The UAV development programme has produced the successful family of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) CAMCOPTER® UAV Systems. The systems, fully autonomous helicopter platforms, are specifically developed to carry a variety of payloads, filling an important gap in current UAV capabilities. The original CAMCOPTER® 5.1 has been in service with a variety of users since 1999, including the U.S. Army, and has been fielded and proven for shipboard operations with the Egyptian Navy. Most recently, the system has been certified by the Austrian aviation authorities, bringing Schiebel's already stringent quality standards in line with those of the manned aviation community.
Based on an exhaustive market study and experience with the CAMCOPTER® 5.1, Schiebel has developed the next-generation CAMCOPTER® S-100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System. This revolutionary system retains the proven flight controls that contributed to the success of its predecessor, while increasing range, speed, endurance and payload capacity.
In addition to the CAMCOPTER® program, Schiebel has continued its mine detection development programme, and introduced the field-proven ATMID™ All Terrain Mine Detector in 2000. ATMID™ was developed in response to the customer requirement to operate in any/all terrains.
Schiebel's next generation of mine detectors and UAVs are already in development to ensure that the company's leading role in meeting customer requirements is maintained well into the future.
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