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Xer Technologies: from train surveillance to mine clearance
The Swiss company is unveiling a powerful vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle capable of carrying heavy payloads while performing a wide range of missions, from electronic warfare and maritime search and rescue to logistics.
X12
© Xer Technologies
With its latest platform, the Swedish-founded company, now based in Switzerland, is doubling up. Its X12 VTOL (named for its 12 motors) is twice the size of its predecessor, the X8 PRO. It can carry a payload of up to 30kg and offers a maximum endurance of seven hours with a 10kg payload. According to Xer Technologies, this performance puts the aircraft on a par with larger competing platforms, but at a lower cost. Currently in testing, the X12 is scheduled to be ready for commercial launch by June 2027.
“Its payload capacity can accommodate a variety of sensors: cameras for surveillance missions, LIDAR systems such as those developed by YellowScan, radars such as those produced by Echodyne, and magnetic anomaly detectors for mine clearance developed by UMag Solutions,” explains Laurent Dutour, chief pilot at Xer Technologies. “Our goal is to provide a tailored solution that can be adapted to different customer requirements without having to change platforms. Our new X12 can perform logistical transport missions, including the delivery of equipment and munitions.”
Equipped with specialised sensors developed by UMag Solutions, the platform can also be used to detect objects beneath the surface, particularly for mine countermeasures and maritime surveillance. Depending on the target’s size, structure and characteristics, detection is possible at depths of approximately 150m.
Intelligence, electronic warfare, mapping and communications
The X12 can also undertake intelligence gathering, surveillance, electronic warfare and mapping missions, as well as the real-time transmission of critical information. The company’s VTOL platforms are also used in civilian applications, including power-line and solar-farm inspections, industrial site security and gas leak detection. “The idea is to offer a cost-effective alternative to customers who currently use helicopters or more expensive drones,” says Dutour.
Another operational advantage is that the X12 requires no dedicated infrastructure for take-off or landing. Unlike a fixed-wing aircraft, which requires a runway, catapult or specialised recovery system, the X12 can be rapidly deployed from confined spaces or in challenging environments, including from the deck of a military vessel. This capability significantly reduces the logistical footprint required for deployment and facilitates integration into expeditionary and maritime operations.
Its foldable arms also reduce space requirements during transport and storage, particularly aboard ships. Its hybrid architecture “offers greater operational flexibility: if the combustion engine becomes unavailable, the aircraft can fly on electric power, allowing it to safely complete the final phase of the mission or land.”
With no payload, the X12 can reach an altitude of 3,000m, achieve an optimal speed of approximately 15m per second, and operate in wind speeds up to around 65km/h.
With this VTOL drone, Xer Technologies aims to expand its customer base in the defence sector. The Swiss company currently serves customers in several European Union countries, the U.S. and Africa.
- Aude Leroy
