Leonardo has displayed the mockup of its upcoming Proteus heavy RUAV demonstrator with a large internal space at the DSEI UK 2025 defence exhibition.
The upcoming RUAV is being developed in cooperation with the UK MoD for the Royal Navy as a multi-purpose platform. With the acquisition of Camcopter S-100 from Schiebel with modifications for Royal Navy service in mind, Proteus can be taken as the next step with more performance.
The fuselage of Proteus is somewhat large relative to its total size to accommodate different payloads, including cargo and sonobuoys. This is because the RUAV is mainly meant for ASW missions and logistic support.
It is inferred that Proteus will be compatible with frigate-sized ships for operation to take the load off manned helicopters.
Compared to manned helicopters, RUAVs (Generally MTOWs of more than 600 kg) exhibit significantly longer endurance and occupy a smaller space. Thus, they are envisioned as remote sensors for ISR and ASW missions to lower the workload and risk on the costly manned helicopters.
