Airbus has been awarded a €30 million framework contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to provide Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) services for multipurpose maritime surveillance using the Flexrotor Uncrewed Aerial System. These services will enhance Coast Guard missions by offering extended coastal range and long-endurance capabilities.
“We are proud to partner with EMSA on this turnkey contract, allowing Flexrotor to fly operationally for the first time in Europe and serve the critical mission of enhancing maritime surveillance,” said Victor Gerin-Roze, Head of Uncrewed Aerial Systems at Airbus Helicopters. “Flexrotor offers long endurance and a variety of payloads unique for a UAS of this size.”
The core service includes flight operations delivering Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) and radar imagery, streamed live to the EMSA RPAS Data Centre for use by national authorities. Services will support Coast Guard operations including search and rescue, fisheries control, environmental protection, and detection of illicit maritime activities.
Flexrotor surveillance will support EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and EU institutions. Under the contract, two parallel operations can be deployed from any participating country, with flexibility to add more.
The initial framework contract is for two years, with two optional one-year extensions, totaling up to four years. Service begins in 2026, operated by French service provider Extensee.
Flexrotor is a 25 kg VTOL uncrewed aircraft designed for ISTAR missions with 12–14 hours endurance (10 hours in EMSA configuration). It integrates EO/IR and advanced sensors, autonomously launches and recovers from land or sea requiring only a 3.7m x 3.7m footprint.
