UNTERSCHLEISSHEIM, Germany, 20 Oct. 2011. Cassidian, an EADS company in Unterschleissheim, Germany, is acquiring SurveyCopter in Pierrelatte, France, to boost Cassidian's expertise in light unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). SurveyCopter specializes in small UAVs, and produces the DVF2000, DRAC/TRACKER, Copter 1B, Copter 4, and the Blimp UAVS. Cassidian and SurveyCopter have been UAV development partners since 2003, particularly on the DRAC/TRACKER UAV for the French armed forces, company officials say.

Cassidian plans to launch a business segment that concentrates on tactical UAVs and light UAVs, including vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV programs for military and civil applications. The future Cassidian tactical and small UAV business unit also will concentrate on export markets in India and the Middle East, company officials say.

Cassidian's intent is to position SurveyCopter at the heart of its activities for mini and tactical UAVs in France, company officials say. SurveyCopter also emphasizes development of robotic and autopilot VTOL applications for hostile-environment applications through its subsidiary WeControl in Courtelary, Switzerland.

For more information contact Cassidian online at www.cassidian.com, SurveyCopter at www.surveycopter.fr, or WeControl at www.wecontrol.ch.