Turbine-Powered Long-Range Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)-Ready Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS)

The National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) Centre for Drone Innovation, part of the Drone and Flight Autonomy Laboratory, has a requirement for the supply of one (1) turbine powered, long-range, heavy-payload, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)-ready vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), the SwissDrones SDO 50 V3, including one (1) ground control station and a multi-link communications system. The system will provide a runway-independent aerial research platform for the integration and deployment of specialized scientific remote-sensing payloads in remote, infrastructure-limited and operationally demanding environments. The requirement includes original equipment manufacturer (OEM) integration of NRC's scientific sensors — one (1) HySpex Mjolnir VS620 hyperspectral imaging system and one (1) RIEGL VQ-840-GE LiDAR system — as well as manufacturer-provided pilot and maintenance training, an initial maintenance support package, spare assemblies, ground support equipment and technical support, with a minimum twelve (12) month warranty. Delivery of the complete system is required to NRC, Ottawa, Ontario, no later than March 31, 2027. The estimated contract period will be 6 month(s), with a proposed start date of 2026/09/11.