On Thursday, 5 February 2026, the European company Airbus Helicopters (part of the Airbus SE group) announced that, together with Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) under the Ministry of Defence, it had completed flight tests of the HTeaming crewed–uncrewed teaming system. The trials involved a medium multirole H225M Caracal helicopter operated by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Flexrotor reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle.
Photos: Airbus Helicopters
This followed an agreement signed on 18 June last year, under which the two partners examined how crewed–uncrewed teaming could enhance situational awareness and improve mission outcomes through a dedicated flight demonstration campaign.
The trials, conducted in January 2026 at one of Singapore’s air bases using simulated scenarios, demonstrated that a crewed helicopter can effectively and safely access real-time data from an unmanned aerial system. This significantly extends the rotorcraft crew’s field of view and enhances overall mission safety. To showcase this capability, the H225M and the Flexrotor teamed up in a search-and-rescue mission, providing enhanced situational awareness.
As part of the collaboration, Airbus Helicopters managed the HTeaming system project and its integration with the H225M, including a dedicated data-link architecture. This integration enabled the helicopter crew to receive and process real-time data from the Flexrotor while retaining direct command and control of the unmanned aircraft. The resulting synergy facilitated faster decision-making and mission execution, while minimizing crew exposure to high-risk environments.
“The complexity of modern operations demands solutions that can adapt in real time. The successful flight demonstration underscores DSTA’s commitment to innovation and strong partnerships with industry to deliver cutting-edge solutions. It marks a positive step forward in teaming capabilities to enhance the RSAF’s mission effectiveness, while ensuring human decision-making remains at the centre of operations. This achievement gives us confidence to move further to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible for more dynamic operations,” said Ang Jer Meng, Director Air Systems, Defence Science and Technology Agency.
“The successful teaming is a game-changer for modern tactical operations. This flight campaign fully illustrates the ability to exploit dual-use technologies to support secure operations. By leveraging the strengths of both platforms, air commanders are enabled with unprecedented situational awareness in complex missions and high-risk environments,” said Olivier Michalon, Executive Vice President of Global Business at Airbus Helicopters.
Airbus HTeaming is an entirely new modular crewed–uncrewed teaming (CUC-T, Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming) solution – the equivalent of MUM-T (Manned/Unmanned Teaming) – designed to be compatible across Airbus’s entire helicopter portfolio. As a platform-agnostic system capable of integrating various unmanned aerial systems (UAS), it enables helicopter crews to assume full in-flight control of these assets in order to meet specific mission requirements.
Singapore operates 12 H225M Caracal helicopters, ordered on 7 November 2016, with deliveries carried out between 2021 and 2023. In April 2024, the fleet was declared to have reached Full Operational Capability (FOC). The H225M, together with 16 heavy CH-47F Chinook helicopters ordered in parallel, primarily supports search and rescue (SAR), aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC), and humanitarian operations. The Caracals were assigned to the 125th and 126th Squadrons of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at Sembawang Air Base in the northern part of the island city-state.
The Flexrotor was originally developed by the U.S.-based company Aerovel, which was acquired by Airbus, as announced on 7 May 2024. Notably, on 27 March 2025, Airbus signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Australian start-up Drone Forge to cooperate on the deployment of the Flexrotor system in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Flexrotor is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system with a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg (55 lb). It is designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and on land, with endurance exceeding 12–14 hours in a typical operational configuration. The platform can be equipped with various payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, tailored to specific customer requirements. Thanks to its ability to autonomously take off and land within an area measuring just 3.7 by 3.7 meters, the Flexrotor is well suited for expeditionary missions where available space is limited – particularly in maritime environments.
A successful HTeaming flight campaign! For the very first time #HTeaming has involved an Airbus #Flexrotor and the RSAF’s #H225M helicopter during a search and rescue (SAR) mission.
Want more? 👉 https://t.co/TtxioRbWhL pic.twitter.com/ADBBZo9iBi— Airbus Helicopters (@AirbusHeli) February 5, 2026
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