Shannon set to be leading drone centre

By Pat Flynn

A Shannon-based company that designs large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) wants to establish Co Clare as a European test centre for its drones.

A-techSYN unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched its UAV business in the Shannon Free Zone near Shannon Airport in 2017. The company forms part of the Shannon Avionics Cluster.

Tomorrow in Clare, the company will launch what’s believed to be the largest drone ever flown in Ireland at a planned demonstration. A-techSYN has also applied to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) for the test site to be designated as a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) for the duration of the demonstration flight.

The event will be held at Spanish Point Flying Club and a number of potential customers have been invited to witness what the company has described as an “important moment which will become a milestone in the UAV History of Ireland.”

A-techSYN will demonstrate its CGT45 SLT, one of the first UAV’s to use electric engines for take-off and landing and a combustion engine during fixed wing flight. This will be the first demonstration flight in Europe for the CGT45-SLT.

A company spokesman confirmed: “We are planning to setup Clare/Spanish Point as one of the UAV and Drone Test Centres in Europe. The UAS business is a most promising sector with job opportunities for people not just with higher degree of education but also for high school graduates.”

“Since a picture says more than 1000 words - and video consists of 25 pictures per second - we are planning a demonstration flight in Spanish Point Co Clare. I believe this is going to be one of the first UAS flights of this size in Ireland. We are inviting universities and potential important customers from across Europe who we met during our promotion activities,” the company added.

The CGT45 SLT comprises a complete system with ground control software, hardware, tracking antenna and even a flight simulator that can be used to train new operators easily and safely.

Tomorrow’s demonstration will consist of a vertical take-off, loiter, waypoint navigation and vertical landing mission.