Boeing of the United States is exploring ways to help a Danish company develop a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle.

The company is Sky-Watch and its project is to develop a new generation of vertical take-off and landing UAVs that will combine the advantages of existing rotorcraft UAVs with those of fixed-wing aircraft.

Development of the UAVs, which would offer longer range and endurance, is backed by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation and is being conducted in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark's National Space Institute and Department of Environmental Engineering.

The aircraft developed could be used for environmental monitoring, geo-data research and maritime surveillance in Arctic regions

Boeing said it signed an agreement with Sky-Watch for possible assistance on Monday.

"Today's agreement is evidence that Danish companies like Sky-Watch are leading innovation that can attract the attention of global companies; that organizations like UAS Denmark are helping make valuable industry connections; and that a company like Boeing is well served by taking a diverse look at Danish industry in creating collaborations and technologies for the future," said Susan Colegrove, Boeing's director of International Strategic Partnerships for Europe.

Added Michael Messerschmidt, Sky-Watch's manager of Business Development: "The Smart UAV project is an important step forward in establishing Denmark as a leader in unmanned technology development, and we are excited to have Boeing join Sky-Watch in this effort.

"Boeing's experience in developing and implementing global unmanned systems will be an invaluable addition to the work Sky-Watch has started with the Technical University of Denmark."

Boeing's expertise for the project would be in VTOL and fixed-wing technologies, including those from UAV-maker Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary.