Tag: Police

Successful handover of Cavalon Sentinel to West Africa.

SUCCESSFUL HANDOVER OF THE FIRST BATCH OF CAVALON SENTINELS FOR AERIAL SURVEILLANCE IN BENIN

Written by Tatiana Vidnevskaia on 06/06/2024. Posted in NEWS.

West African authorities proudly present their AutoGyro Sentinel fleet

With the participation of two Cavalon Sentinels in the National Day Aerial Parade on August 1st, the West African country of Benin officially presented their AutoGyro Sentinel fleet for the first time.

VIDEO | AUTOGYRO GYROPLANES AT THE NATIONAL DAY AERIAL PARADE | BENIN

COMPLETE VIDEO OF THE NATIONAL DAY AERIAL PARADE | BENIN

Aerial surveillance in West Africa

Hildesheim, August 20, 2024 – In June AutoGyro GmbH, the world-leading gyroplane manufacturer from Germany, handed the first batch of specialised Rotax 916 iS powered Cavalon Sentinel gyroplanes to the government representatives of the West African Republic of Benin. These are the first of a major order for a large fleet of AutoGyro Sentinels which will soon be performing aerial surveillance tasks and ensuring safety from the air. These Cavalon Sentinels and Calidus Sentinels are equipped with the powerful Rotax 916 iS engines and fitted with a customised package of police systems, including state-of-the-art avionics and autopilot. Some of the gyroplanes also carry a specialised 4K and infrared camera with live downlink to mission control. Benin officially presented their AutoGyro Sentinel fleet for the first time within their National Day aerial parade on August 1st by including the Cavalon Sentinels as part of the airborne display. In August the first of the Calidus Sentinels was also released to service in Cotonou airport, Benin.

During the June handover process the joint acceptance team was very pleased with the execution and outcome of the acceptance trials at AutoGyro headquarters in Hildesheim, Germany. AutoGyro-CEO Gerald Speich states: “The flight characteristic of these new gyroplanes met and exceeded the expectations of our new customers. These Cavalon Sentinels are planned to be the first aircraft in daily law enforcement use, equipped with the latest Rotax 916 is engine.”

AutoGyro is supporting the operation for several months in Benin. This contains flight crew training and building up the associated infrastructure for the new gyroplane fleet. Maintenance courses for the aircraft service team took place at AutoGyro facilities in Hildesheim as part of a full turn-key package.
“By working closely together with these international authories, we have been able to realise an aircraft precisely equipped to meet their surveillance task requirements. With AutoGyro Sentinels, they have opted for a solution that is not only characterised by easy and cost-effective operation and maintenance, but also by maximised safety, cabin comfort and sustainability,” Gerald Speich continued.

The successful completion of this first handover marks AutoGyro’s growing establishment in the market for professional use of gyroplane. Proven made-in-Germany quality, the deep AutoGyro expertise, as well as individual customisation have led to several new projects and customers within the police and law enforcement sectors.

Key Features

The Cavalon Sentinel is a premium side-by-side seat model
Powered by the new state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient Rotax 916 iS engine
Operational range of four hours or approximately 600 kilometers
Maximum speed up to 225 km/h / 120 Kt / 140 mph.
Customer-defined equipment including a high-res day-, night- and infrared camera system with real-time data downlink to mission control. This system provides a best-in-class solution in day and night conditions.
UK Civil Aviation Authority approved autopilot
Customised avionics with a capability to operate in IFR conditions
The State-of-the-Art avionics can manage three independent radios simultaneously

A gyroplane is not a helicopter or a traditional winged aircraft, it provides a vehicle platform complimentary to both. They are inherently safe aircraft, with a very broad speed range. They can be flown very slow, even to zero kilometers per hour. That makes them an excellent observation platform, perfect for border or highway patrols or wildfire spotting. Gyroplanes have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to helicopters. In general they offer a cost-efficient and environment-friendly alternative for commercial aerial tasks.

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE JANDARMA REFERENCE

CAVALON SENTINEL

CALIDUS SENTINEL

Further major orders for AutoGyro

Written by Huug Jansen on 21/02/2024. Posted in NEWS.

Gyroplane fleets ensure security from the air

At the start of this year AutoGyro GmbH won two major contracts for professional gyroplanes. A total of 18 „Sentinels“, most camera-equipped, were ordered by international police forces and law enforcement agencies to perform aerial surveillance tasks. Following the successful initial deployment in 2023, the Turkish Jandarma Havacilik has decided to expand its fleet by six more specialised Rotax 916 iS powered Cavalon Sentinels. In addition, another key authority has ordered seven Cavalon 916 iS Sentinels as well as five Calidus 916 iS Sentinels accompanied by a package for flight crew training and the associated infrastructure.

Effective performing of aerial monitoring tasks – Why Turkish Jandarma relies on AutoGyro gyroplanes

As a camera-carrying platform for day and night aerial surveillance, the AutoGyro Cavalon Sentinel has successfully proven to be highly cost-effective, practical and sustainable for tasks such as traffic monitoring, aerial search and border patrol.

The Director of Gendarmerie Aviation at Jandarma Havacilik Turkey, Major General Ali DOĞAN, explains what was decisive for the initial choice of gyroplanes: „We needed a cost-effective aerial vehicle capable of performing helicopter tasks and transmitting images from the air (…) because flight and maintenance costs of our helicopters are quite high.” After extensive testing and successful deployment in 2023, the gyroplanes proved to be the right solution for their tasks. New mission cases have been added and the gyro fleet is now being expanded.The new six Cavalon Sentinels will be delivered in summer 2024.

Milestone for the professional use of gyroplanes

Gerald Speich, CEO of AutoGyro, explains the significance of both the major order to the new customer and the follow-up order to the Turkish Jandarma: „These multi-million euro orders are not only an important milestone for AutoGyro as a company, but also strengthen our footprint within the global professional market. Gyroplanes have become an attractive addition or alternative vehicle in many areas of aerial surveillance. Airborne security is being rethought in many countries – not only in terms of cost-effectiveness, but also from an environmental perspective, arenas that our aircraft excel in.“

Aleksandra Witkowska, Co-CEO, commented „These professional market successes that have led to these new orders are the result of exceptional teamwork and also of AutoGyro’s standing as the only manufacturer in the gyroplane sector to comply with all major national safety and airworthiness regulations. These new orders have enabled us to look forward to the future with huge confidence”.

The AutoGyro Sentinel model as platform for aerial surveillance

The professionally used Sentinel models are characterized not only by easy and cost-effective operation and maintenance, but also by maximised safety, cabin comfort and sustainability. With operating costs of less than 200 EUR per hour and a low consumption of only 25 litres super unleaded fuel per hour (57,5 kg CO2/h emissions), a gyroplane can carry out many tasks of other aerial vehicles whilst achieving the same or better levels of task accomplishment at vastly reduced costs. Thanks to a flight duration of up to four hours at a maximum speed up to 225 km/h, the gyroplanes can reach the operational areas fast, and can remain there on task for a considerable time at very slow speeds, enabling excellent observation results. The Sentinel can carry a range of task specific equipment, including special customer-defined equipment such as an integrated 4K and/or Infrared camera with a live downlink to ground personnel. Equipped with a UK Civil Aviation authority approved autopilot and customized avionics the AutoGyro Sentinel has the capability to operate even in IFR conditions. This equipment also reduces pilot fatigue workload in normal flight conditions.

AutoGyro made-in-Germany gyroplanes have many applications such as monitoring of pipelines, energy distribution networks, borders or traffic infrastructure, coasts, wildlife, disaster relief, and aerial mapping.

The leading gyroplane manufacturer AutoGyro will supply 18 professional use Sentinels for various surveillance missions – such as traffic monitoring for the Turkish Jandarma.

Jandarma Reference

AutoGyro Cavalon Sentinel