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Saab AB
Skeldar V-200
A rotary-wing VTOL UAV built for shipborne and land-based ISR, running on heavy fuel rather than avgas and carrying a 40 kg modular payload for more than six hours.
In service since 2016
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-17
140
km/h
100
km range
3,000
m ceiling
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Sweden/Switzerland export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Operator data not public
In service since 2016. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
The Skeldar V-200 is a medium-range unmanned rotary-wing aircraft designed for naval and land ISR. It takes off and lands vertically without a runway, which suits it to small ship decks, and it runs on heavy fuel rather than avgas, simplifying logistics aboard naval vessels where avgas is a fire-safety liability. It carries a 40 kg modular payload of EO/IR sensors, synthetic aperture radar, LiDAR or electronic-warfare and COMINT equipment, and can loiter for more than six hours. The 245 kg figure recorded as combat weight is the maximum take-off weight; empty weight is not separately published. The platform is built by UMS SKELDAR, a joint venture formed in 2015 between Saab and the Swiss UMS Aero Group, with work split between Mohlin in Switzerland and Linkoping in Sweden. Saab lists the V-200 as a Saab product on its own site, which is why it is catalogued under the Saab brand here, but UMS SKELDAR is the operating manufacturer and the Swiss element of the JV is why the country of origin is recorded as Sweden/Switzerland rather than Sweden alone. Operators include Belgium, Canada (where it carries the CU-176 Gargoyle designation), Germany, Indonesia and the Netherlands, with Spanish trials reported. The V-200 is an unarmed sensor platform: it has no weapon fit, so no firepower data is recorded.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 140 km/h Stronger than 16% of UAVs
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 100 km Stronger than 25% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 3,000 m Bottom 9% of UAVs
- Endurance
Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage.
- 6 h Stronger than 41% of UAVs
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 4.03 m
- Width
Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 1.2 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 1.3 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 245 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 0
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Hirth direct-injected parallel-twin two-stroke heavy-fuel engine
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 55 hp
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Single main rotor driven by a heavy-fuel (Jet A-1/JP-5/JP-8) piston engine
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- EO/IR gimbal, Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), LiDAR, Electronic warfare / COMINT payload, AIS transponder (optional)
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Line-of-sight datalink, 100+ km
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Specifications compiled from public Saab AB and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-17.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Saab AB Skeldar V-200? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 has a maximum speed of 140 km/h.
What is the range of the Saab AB Skeldar V-200? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 has a maximum range of 100 km.
How much does the Saab AB Skeldar V-200 weigh? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 has a combat weight of 245 kg.
How many crew does the Saab AB Skeldar V-200 require? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the Saab AB Skeldar V-200 use? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 is powered by the Hirth direct-injected parallel-twin two-stroke heavy-fuel engine.
What is the Saab AB Skeldar V-200 used for? +
The Saab AB Skeldar V-200 is a uav / drone typically used for isr, maritime surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, electronic warfare.
