UMS Skeldar
Maker of Skeldar rotary-wing military drones; a Swiss-based joint venture of UMS AERO and Saab.
The Netherlands direct-awarded UMS Skeldar an anti-submarine warfare drone on 14 October 2026, entering the contract value as €0.01 and citing technical grounds that leave a single supplier.
Last refreshed: 26 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did the Dutch enter a one-cent value for a submarine-hunting drone?
Timeline for UMS Skeldar
Won a Dutch anti-submarine drone award without competition
Drones: Industry & Defence: Denmark buys frigate guns against dronesBackground
On 14 October 2026 the Netherlands direct-awarded UMS Skeldar an anti-submarine warfare drone, entering the value as €0.01 in the EU tender journal. The notice says technical grounds leave a single supplier; the contract went to UMS Skeldar Sweden AB, the group's Swedish arm.
Saab and Switzerland's UMS AERO Group announced the joint venture, UMS Skeldar AG, in December 2015. Saab took 47% and transferred all its Skeldar unmanned-helicopter assets, leaving UMS AERO the majority partner. UMS Skeldar runs its head office from Möhlin, Switzerland, and keeps an office in Linköping, Sweden. The current range is the V-200 and V-150 rotary-wing drones.
The Dutch award continued a pattern of single-source buying by the Netherlands: in September 2026 it bought six Elisra interceptor drones without competition, with the value entered as zero.
What did the Netherlands buy from UMS Skeldar?
Who owns UMS Skeldar?
Where is UMS Skeldar based?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.