uv junjul13 webmag
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
1/44
Brave new world?The future of the European UAS industry
Volume 18 Number 3
June/July 2013
VISIBLEIMPROVEMENT
ISR software plug-ins
BROADSPECTRUM
EO/IR payloads
www.UVonline.com
KNOWINGWHERE ITS AT
UGV navigation technology
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
2/44
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
3/44
8
C O NT ENT S
1
3 Editorial CommentDarren Lake reflects on European industry progress
(or the lack thereof) and the perennial problem of
public perception of unmanned systems.
News
4 Turkey launches armed UAV project
A review of some of the latest developments
from around the global unmanned systems
industry.
8 Catching up
European operators of UAS are still largely reliant
on imported aircraft. Beth Stevenson and Joyce
de Thouars look at the continents development
and procurement programmes, and examine
whether the region can compete with Israel
and the US.
17 Visible improvement
The Australian Defence Force is introducing
software add-ons to enhance the ISR coverage
provided by its frontline UAS fleet, reports
Nigel Pittaway.
20 Halcyon days
Thales and ASV have come together to design,
build and demonstrate a new multirole mine
countermeasures USV. Richard Scott examines the
origins of their concept, and assesses progress to date.
23 Show business
AUVSI will hold its annual event in Washington,
DC, on 12-15 August. James Masey considers the
trend towards civil/commercial UAS utilisation in
the US, as well as what this years exhibition will
offer attendees.
27 Shifting power
As UAS become more widely utilised, the engines
powering them must not only evolve to meet
emerging requirements, but be designed cost-
effectively, both in terms of initial price and
maintenance levels. Jonathan Tringham speaks to
industry about these implications, as well as how
the UAS powerplant landscape is changing.
32 Knowing where its at
Driverless car technology is on the cusp of
becoming a reality. Scott R Gourley traces the
history and likely future of the navigation
techniques that are making it possible.
35 Broad spectrum
UAVs are carrying more sophisticated payloads
than ever before, with EO/IR systems as the market
mainstay, providing operators with high-definition
imagery and the highest possible targeting
accuracy, reports Claire Apthorp.
40 Interview
Roger II Grande, director of airborne systems
programmes at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems
and Training, speaks to Darren Lake about recent
and future developments of the VTOL K-Max UAV.
EditorAndrew [email protected]+44 1753 727023
North America EditorScott R [email protected]
Staff ReportersBeth StevensonJonathan Tringham
Defence AnalystJoyce de Thouars
ContributorsClaire Apthorp, Gordon Arthur,Pieter Bastiaans, Angus Batey,Jean-Michel Guhl, Richard Scott,Lubomir Sedlak, Matthew Smith,
Tom Withington
Production Department Manager
David HurstSub-editorAdam Wakeling
Head of Advertising SalesMike [email protected]+44 1753 727007
Junior Sales ExecutiveRanjit [email protected]+44 1753 727 018
Editor-in-ChiefTony Skinner
Managing DirectorDarren Lake
ChairmanNick Prest
Subscriptions
Annual rates start at 65Tel: +44 1858 438879,Fax: +44 1858 [email protected]/shephard
Unmanned Vehicles is published six timesper year in February/March, April/May,June/July, August/September, October/November and December/January byThe Shephard Press Ltd,268 Bath Road, Slough, Berks, SL1 4DX.
Subscription records are maintained atCDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill Street,Sovereign Park, Market Harborough,Leicestershire, LE16 9EF, UK.
Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent.Articles contained in this publication maynot be reproduced in any form without thewritten permission of the publishers.
The Shephard Press Ltd, 2013.ISSN 1351-3478
DTP Vivid Associates, Sutton, Surrey, UK
Print Williams Press, Maidenhead,Berks, UK
The Shephard Press Ltd,268 Bath Road, Slough,Berkshire, SL1 4DX
Tel: +44 1753 727001Fax: +44 1753 727002
Front cover:The Neuron demonstrator could lead to a fully fledged European UCAV programme. (Photo: Alenia Aermacchi)
Subscriptions
Shephards aerospace and defence publishing portfolio incorporates six titles:
Defence Helicopter, Digital Battlespace, Land Warfare International,
Military Logistics International, RotorHuband Unmanned Vehicles.
Published bi-monthly, all have become respected and renowned for
covering global issues within their respective industry sector.
For more information, including editorial content in the current issues, visit
shephardmedia.com/magazines.
Subscribe today via: www.subscription.co.uk/shephard or +44 (0)1858 438879
li i
www.UVonline.com
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
4/44
COST-EFFECTIVEMULTI-MISSION CAPABLE
MQ-9 Reaper
State-of-the-art airborne sensor, designed to support diverse missions
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) provides wide field-of-view photographic quality images through
adverse weather
Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) detects moving vehicles and dismounts in real time
Capable of land or maritime operations
Currently deployed with the U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper
Q AERONAUTICALTYUIOP2013 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Leading The Situational Awareness Revolutionwww.ga-asi.com
Lynx Multi-mode Radar
Lynx Multi-mode Radar: A high-performance force multiplier deployed and mission-ready today
SAR Imagery Ground Moving Target Indicator Maritime Surveillance
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
5/44
ED IT O R IA L C O M M ENT
High hopesAs the biennial festival of aviation that is the
Paris Air Show rolls around again, it is worth
taking stock of the European UAV market and
how it has progressed over the past few years.
It is clear that major structural challenges to
unfettered development of the industry remain
in place, much as they did seven years ago when
I first became involved in the unmanned sector.
However, there are a few glimmers of hope.
Several projects aimed at delivering open
access for UAS to civil airspace are now gaining
significant traction, and a number of companies
have been able to demonstrate how larger UAVs
could operate safely alongside manned aircraft.
Airspace access is the critical hurdle that
must be overcome before large companies
see value in investing in the technology.
There is no doubt that major aircraft fleet
operators, such as FedEx and UPS, would gain
huge value from being able to operate UAS.
Replacing costly and mistake-prone human
pilots would save some of the operating
expense and also allow companies to work
their aircraft harder.
At the innovation end of the spectrum,
an active and open market would spur
companies on to further technological
developments. This pioneering approach is
currently lacking in Europe.
As Beth Stevenson points out in her market
report, in the more active defence sector
European countries remain heavily reliant on
US and Israeli technology when it comes to the
provision of UAS that is not acceptable in a field
that will revolutionise flight in the next 20 years.
There are some bright spots, but no way
near what is needed in order to provide a
critical mass of indigenous technology. The
fact that many countries in the region are
facing tough economic decisions also means
that there is less cash to support innovation.
With that being the case, the onus must
be on national governments and European
institutions to help where they can. The area
where the most can be done with the least
investment is probably in assisting those
companies that are serious about opening up
the sector to overcome bureaucratic inertia.
It is not that we would advocate aviation
safety being compromised by a rush to fill
the skies with UAVs, however, the snails pace
of change in the rules and regulations must
have the potential to be sped up.
There is an increasing amount of evidence
to suggest that unmanned systems have the
potential to actually increase safety in the skies by
decreasing the likelihood of operator error. Yes,
there may be other risks involved in increasing
the use of autonomous systems in aircraft, but
these will be outweighed by the benefits.
Public perception will probably be the last
major hurdle to overcome, and regulators will
only be able to do so much to ease worries.
However, what is striking is that there
seems to be far less concern about driverless
cars, which would use many of the same
technologies. Scott Gourley explores the
interest surrounding the technology for
automated cars in his feature, which points to
DARPA-backed challenges that have led to
the development of these vehicles.
In addition, road safety advocates and
legislators are increasingly of the opinion that
unmanned technologies have the potential to
cut road deaths as well as increase traffic flow,
while a US Senate hearing in May considered
driverless technology to be on par with other
safety and performance technologies.
The question here is why should cars be
any different to aircraft? For those of us in the
industry at least, Id say there isnt much in it.
Darren Lake, Acting Editor
n Data links
n Civil UUVs
n Take-off and recovery
n Ground robotics
IN THENEXTISSUE
Unmanned Vehicleseditorial team is
always happy to receive comments on
its articles and to hear readers views
on the issues raised in the magazine.
Contact details can be found on p1.
RESPONSE
3
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
6/44
4
NEWS
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
The USN plans to acquire a total of 68 Tritons.
(Photo: Northrop Grumman)
EARTH moves into border security UGV marketWith an eye on border surveillance and
security requirements across South America,
one company from the UAE brought its
Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) to the
LAAD event in Rio de Janeiro in April.
Shown to the public for the first time at
the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi back in
February, the AGV has been developed by
Emirates Advanced Research and Technology
Holding (EARTH).
The configuration on display at LAAD
featured an Arctic Cat quad bike fitted with
4x4 tracks, a .50cal machine gun and four
rocket-propelled grenades.
EARTHs senior mechanical designer
Johan De Wet said the vehicle had been
designed to autonomously carry out border
patrol missions, which he noted was a
requirement just as applicable across South
America as it is in the Middle East.
Once you start it and let it off, the AGV
takes GPS waypoints to patrol the area
needed. The operator can wait in his air-
conditioned control room and observe
what is happening on a TV screen, De Wet
told Unmanned Vehicles.
The vehicle is fitted with a driver
vision enhancer, comprising a suite of three
day cameras providing separate feeds that
are stitched together to generate a 180 view
on the operators console. The system also
includes a thermal imager, enabling it to see
through dust or smoke.
The 800cc petrol engine provides a nominal
range of around 200km, although the effective
control range would depend on customer
requirements and the communication system
fitted to the vehicle.
De Wet explained that when a contact
is detected, the AGV can switch from
autonomous to remote-control mode to let
the operator make a response as required.
The vehicle is equipped with a second sensor
suite for target acquisition.
While the armament fit at LAAD attracted
a lot of attention, De Wet noted that the
vehicle can be equipped with a smaller
5.56mm remote weapon station, giving it a
lower profile, if that was deemed more
appropriate to the mission.
EARTH was established two years ago
by former employees of the UAE Armys
R&D department.
By Tony Skinner, Rio de Janeiro
The USNs MQ-4C Triton next-generation
maritime UAS has achieved its first flight
milestone, completing an 80-minute test
mission on 22 May. It took off from prime
contractor Northrop Grummans facility in
Palmdale, California, reaching a maximum
altitude of 20,000ft
The big day was measured in the
significant programmatic and technical
accomplishments that are what, combined, the
navy and Northrop Grumman has brought to
bear, R Adm Mat Winter, USN PEO for
Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, told a
media roundtable on 23 May.
First flights are normally focussed on the
airframe, and likewise yesterday we watched
the MQ-4C airframe taxi down the runway,
take off and do its test, come back safely and
soundly. What we didnt visually see were the
other two segments of an unmanned system
the command and control and launch
and recovery.
Northrop Grumman was awarded a
development and demonstration contract to
build and test two MQ-4Cs in 2008, while the
navy plans to acquire 68 aircraft in total.
As we have it programmed now we
will be able to take custody of and begin to
employ Triton in the Fifth Fleet AOR [area of
responsibility] in the Arabian Gulf in FY2016,
and the intent is to then introduce an
operational orbit of Triton in each of our fleet
AORs, R Adm Sean Buck, commander of the
Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, explained.
The second orbit will stand up in the seventh
fleet area of responsibility, the third orbit will be
back over in the Mediterranean in the sixth fleet
area of responsibility, and then we will include
the introduction both on our east and west
coasts supporting our fleets at home in our
homeland defence mission.
A standard full orbit will comprise four
aircraft, giving constant surveillance over a
maximum of 3,700km.
The first flight was later than anticipated
because of technical issues, while budgetary
challenges have pushed the Milestone C date
out by a year, with a low-rate initial production
award now expected in 2015.
Well be looking at something between
seven and ten days for each subsequent event
[test], Mike Mackey, Northrop Grummans
Triton deputy programme director, said. We
have eight missions planned for our initial
envelope expansion activities, and as we go
through that well continue to look at some of
the other parameters of it, including altitude
changes and those types of activities.
The final stages of sensor integration and
subsequent flight tests will take place in late
2013/early 2014, Mackey explained.
By Beth Stevenson, London
Triton surges ahead
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
7/44
NEWS
5
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
Asian naval unmannedmarket potential emerges
On the webUAS Europe announces Spy
Owl 200 UAV contracts
3 June 2013
Saab receives AUV62 order
30 May 2013
Aeryon Labs unveils new
SkyRanger SUAS
24 May 2013
Insitu furthers
payload offerings
23 May 2013
X-47B conducts carrier touch-and-go landing operations
21 May 2013
Australia to issue LOR forMQ-4C Triton UAV
17 May 2013
SHARC makes waves in Asia
15 May 2013
X-47B completes first
carrier-based catapult launch
15 May 2013
Skeldar V-200 reaches test
programme milestones
15 May 2013
Insitu Pacific delivers ScanEagle
for JGSDF evaluation
14 May 2013
TAI pursues Ankaproduction contract
8 May 2013
Visit
www.UVonline.comfor the full stories and latest news
region will continue to grow at a sustained and
steady pace.
Nugent used India as an example of a nation that
has advanced its approach to unmanned technology,
investing in land-based UAVs that augment manned
maritime patrol aircraft.
Elsewhere, Australias Aerosonde has continued its
UAV development programmes, South Korea has
tested maritime UAVs from Europe as well as keeping
indigenous ventures in mind, and Singapore has
acquired foreign USVs such as Rafaels Protector in
parallel with domestic development of systems by
ST Electronics.
USVs in general are a hot topic in the region, and
such platforms could be integrated into new
manned vessel programmes, particularly in the mine
warfare role. This would involve something like the
US LCS [Littoral Combat Ship] mission package
concept for mine warfare in which USVs serve as the
host platform for mine warfare sensors and
countermeasures, Nugent added.
The LCS USS Freedomwas showcased at this years
IMDEX exhibition after its deployment to the region
in April, and Nugent said that this was significant
because it relies on unmanned vehicles in many
of its mission packages.
Schiebel displayed its Camcopter UAV, which is
operated by three undisclosed navies in the region,
for the first time at the show.
There is no ship without a radar and there
should be none without a UAV, Hans-Georg
Schiebel, MD of the company, explained to UV.
There is no recession for UAVs. Although there are
austerity measures under way in many countries
there isnt when it comes to UAVs.
The company works with shipbuilders to ensure
ease of integration onto vessels, and Camcopter is
also flown by commercial customers in the region,
with 140 systems operated in total worldwide.
As naval procurement proliferates in Asia, Schiebel
predicted that all vessels will need a beyond-line-of-
sight capability, which a UAV is well suited for.
By Beth Stevenson, Singapore
With UAVs at the forefront of many Asian militaries
thinking, the market over the next ten years for ship-
based tactical UAVs in the region is predicted to be
some $3 billion.
Bob Nugent, VP of advisory services at AMI
International, told Unmanned Vehicles that the Asia-
Pacific market for ship-based aerial platforms,
manned and unmanned, is $10 billion over this time
frame, with UAVs expecting to account for almost a
third of it.
VTOL systems such as Camcopter and Fire Scout,
as well as fixed-wing platforms like Aerosonde and
ScanEagle could be procured. The small footprint of
these aircraft fits local requirements for UAVs to be
operated off the increasing number of corvettes, patrol
vessels and frigates entering service in the region.
He said that militaries in Asia are keeping pace as
the technology matures, and unmanned platforms
are gradually becoming programmes of record
alongside their manned counterparts.
This new normalcy will help unmanned systems
be further accepted as valuable capabilities rather
than exotic curiosities, he explained.
However, he cautioned that many military systems
being introduced within the region are still at the
test stage, while some are operational but only in a
civilian capacity with interior ministries, emergency
services and research institutes.
I will say with confidence that every country in
the Asia-Pacific region is actively engaged in some
sort of unmanned system development or operation,
and the numbers of operational systems in the
Camcopter is already operated by three navies
in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo: Schiebel)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
8/44
6
NEWS
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
TAIs follow-on project to Anka will be the
SIHA armed UAV, which may use the same
avionics and control system. (Photo: TAI)
Gray Eagle to gain electronic attack capabilitiesThe US Armys MQ-1C Gray Eagle platform
will be fitted with an electronic attack payload
capable of jamming enemy communications
systems for the first time. Raytheon has
delivered two of the payloads in support
of the armys Networked EW, Remotely
Operated (NERO) system.
The payloads were handed over as part of a
2012 contract awarded by the Naval Surface
Warfare Centers Crane Division.
NERO builds on the success of the armys
Communications Electronic Attack with
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CEASAR)
programme. By migrating the same pod
system and capability to the Gray Eagle,
NERO is capable of two or three times longer
missions with reduced operating costs
compared with the current C-12-based
CEASAR system. It also reduces risk to
the warfighter by being mounted on an
unmanned platform.
Glen Bassett, director of advanced
communications and countermeasures at
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, said:
NERO provides critical jamming capabilities
to warfighters in counter-insurgency
environments. We leveraged our combat-
proven success from the manned CEASAR
programme to deliver this key tactical
electronic attack capability onto an
unmanned application.
CEASAR, first fielded in 2010, was mounted
onto a Beechcraft C-12 aircraft and uses the
same lightweight pod as NERO. Both systems
enable the army to control use of the
electromagnetic spectrum by providing
beyond-line-of-sight jamming to support
ground operations.
The US Army deployed its first full company
of 12 Gray Eagle aircraft to Afghanistan in
June 2012.
By Claire Apthorp, London
Turkey is moving ahead with plans to develop
an indigenous armed UAV to meet Turkish Air
Force (TAF) requirements.
The Strike UAV (SIHA) project was formally
given the go-ahead by Turkeys Defence
Industry Executive Committee in July 2012 and
the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries
(SSM) is currently preparing an RfP for the
programmes preliminary concept phase.
The work will be carried out by Turkish
Aerospace Industries (TAI), using its Anka MALE
UAV as the point of departure for development
of SIHA, which is expected to weigh around
5,000kg with an external payload capacity of
1,000-1,500kg.
Speaking to Unmanned Vehicles at the
IDEF exhibition in Istanbul, TAIs executive VP
for unmanned systems, Serdar Olez, said it was
hoped that a contract for the conceptual design
phase would be signed with the SSM by the
end of the year.
The committee has taken the decision to
start the SIHA programme and TAI will be the
prime contractor for this. The start will be the
preliminary and conceptual design phase and
as of today we are awaiting the release of the
RfP, he said.
While SIHA will be significantly larger than
the 1,500kg Anka, which is currently intended
for ISR purposes only, the company believes
the its sophisticated avionics and flight control
software would be a functional fit for the
armed platform.
Olez noted that once TAI was under contract
for the manufacture of a prototype, the first
flight would take place within four years.
The new UAV is expected to have an
endurance of more than 20 hours, a ceiling
of 40,000ft, and a cruise speed of around
200-250kt. Engine manufacturer TEI will
develop a new indigenous turboprop
powerplant for the project.
Under the TAFs concept of operations,
SIHA would have a dual ISR/armed strike role
and would be equipped with air-to-ground
missiles and laser-guided bombs.
Olez said that TAIs experience with Anka
left it confident about the development of the
airframe, and the main challenge would be
development of the mission systems and
weaponisation of the platform.
Meanwhile, under Turkeys UAV roadmap,
the programme currently projected to follow
SIHA will be the National Unmanned Combat
Aircraft (MISU). This is forecast to be delivered
to the TAF by 2030 with the first squadron
stood up by 2035.
The ambitious development plans for SIHA
and MISU are characteristic of Turkeys defence
industry and reflect a constant progression of
UAV development.
Following the Bayraktar and Malazgirt
mini-UAVs, the Caldiran and Karayel tactical
UAVs were developed and now the Anka
MALE UAV has finished development and is
soon to enter production.
By Tony Skinner, Istanbul
Turkey launchesarmed UAV project
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
9/44
+1 541 387 2120
www.cloudcaptech.com
Cloud Cap Technology
PICCOLO NANO
The biggest name in UAV autopilots goes nano.
Distributed components allow maximum installation flexibility and minimum
weight. Ideal for mini/micro hand-launched UAVs.
Piccolo board, radio, GPS
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
10/44
UNMANNEDVehicles|June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
8
EU R O P EA N O V ER V IEW
Catching upbeen $3.1 billion, according to the MoD. The
UKs 2010 Strategic Defence and Security
Review pledged to invest in UAVs in both
combat and reconnaissance roles, and the
ministry is expected to spend 1.2% of its total
annual budget on science and technology.
This equates to some $619 million per year,
as outlined in the 2012 paper National Security
Through Technology: Technology, Equipment
and Support for UK Defence and Security.
In January 2013, a defence equipment
plan of $247 billion over a ten-year period was
released, with $29 billion being allocated to
combat air power, inclusive of UAVs. This also
covered cooperation with France.
Of the total, $4.4 billion will be spent on
ISTAR programmes, covering deployable and
fixed communications networks and services,
CBRN detection and countermeasures
programmes, plus special operations
equipment, in addition to UOR procurements
such as the Reaper purchases, which are met
from the Treasurys special reserve.
These visions may be admirable, but
the UK has been plagued by problematic
development pathways for some time.
One example is the British Armys WK450
Watchkeeper programme, which was
originally expected to have its first operational
deployment in Afghanistan, but this now
seems unlikely before UK forces withdraw.
nnPOOR PUNCTUALITY
The UKs track record on unmanned systems
is patchy, Doug Barry, senior fellow for military
aerospace at the International Institute for
Strategic Studies, told Unmanned Vehicles.
Never mind Watchkeeper, if you go back to
its predecessor, the [GEC-Marconi] Phoenix
that was a miserable development programme
and it took so long to get it into service. When
everybody else was coming up with reasonable
recovery solutions for UAVs, this would land
upside down using a parachute.
The Phoenix did turn out to be a valuable
asset during operations in Iraq, although
it suffered high attrition rates during the
campaign. The delay to Watchkeeper is
nonetheless somewhat reminiscent of its
predecessors development programme.
Barry continued: Its late, and it makes you
think what is the problem? It seems there
have been a number of developmental issues
that are hardly surprising in some ways, but it
has gone on for a long time. Watchkeeper is
significantly delayed and Im sure that it hasnt
been hugely enjoyed by the UK MoD that
yet another procurement programme in the
unmanned systems environment is late when
they could really have done with the capability
The development of UAVs in Europe has
been, unsurprisingly, a priority across
both the military and civil sectors. For
the former, operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
have served to promote the effectiveness of
such capabilities, and while European defence
budgets have shrunk, demand for UAVs
remains high and appears to be unaffected
by declining economies.
On the other hand, the potential for civil
applications of these platforms has also been
identified, with efforts under way to integrate
aircraft into national airspace.
Europe seems to know where it wants to
be, however the path to achieve the goal of
operating more UAVs has been problematic,
and currently the continent is falling behind
Israel and the US in this regard.
nnSPENDING SPREE
The Teal Group reports that UAV spending
over the next decade will double, rising to
$11.3 billion in 2020. Of the international
market share, 66% is held by the US, with
Europe representing less than 10% Israel
alone takes 10% of the global share. However,
these statistics are hardly surprising considering
that most European nations operate mainly
US and Israeli systems.
One such country is the UK, for which
total expenditure on development and
procurement of UAVs in the past five years has
European operators of UAS are still largely reliant on importedaircraft. Beth Stevenson andJoyce de Thouars look at thecontinents development and procurement programmes, andexamine whether the region can compete with Israel and the US.
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
11/44
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
EU R O P EA N O V ER V IEW
9
in Afghanistan, hence why you end up with the
Hermes 450 situation.
The Watchkeeper programme is led by the
UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS) joint venture
between Elbit and Thales. It is based on the
formers Hermes 450, which the MoD is using
as an interim solution until Watchkeeper enters
service. Current expectations are that a total of
54 systems will be built for the UK under the
$1.6 billion programme.
In July 2012, the UK and France re-examined
their 2010 defence cooperation treaty,
which led to an increased focus on UAV
development and France trialling the
Watchkeeper. The latter will run until mid-2013
in an $11 million effort to see whether or not
Paris will choose the system.
nn ISRAELI INVESTMENTS
Meanwhile, a paper published in May by
Frost & Sullivan on the Israeli UAV industry
found that the countrys UAS export revenue
totalled $4.62 billion from 2005 to 2012, making
it the largest exporter of UAVs, with the UK
being its biggest customer.
At the MALE end of the scale, the Predator/
Reaper system in particular is an example of a
US system that is not only successful
domestically, but also with European militaries.
Aside from the UK, Italy and Turkey also operate
it, while Germany has requested the purchase
of three Reapers through FMS, which has been
approved, and France is believed to have
submitted a similar request.
In October 2012, the UK MoD said it was
to double its Reaper fleet to ten systems at
a cost of $210 million. The total financial
burden for delivering and supporting the
Reaper from 2007 when it entered service up
until the end of operations in Afghanistan in
2015 is cited as $788 million.
However, what happens to the fleet post-
Afghanistan is also an issue, as it was procured
under a UOR and is therefore not in the MoD
core inventory. Notably, the ministry confirmed
to the press that it is considering arming the
Reaper with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface
missile, a weapon currently used on the RAFs
Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft operating in
Afghanistan. Adding it to Reaper would
suggest that the MoD plans to bring the aircraft
into the core fleet.
The Royal Navy does not have any UAVs
in service, although it is seeking a UOR ISR
capability for its warships, as well for use on
board Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.
The competition was re-launched in
February 2013 after the requirement was not
met under previous efforts. The contract is
expected to run to March 2015 with a budget
of $54.3 million, and contractor-run systems
are open to bid, with Boeing and Cassidian
expected to participate.
The navy is also planning the acquisition
of a permanent (ie non-UOR) rotary-wing
system, for which Northrop Grumman has
teamed with Qinetiq. Schiebel has confirmed
it will offer the Camcopter S-100, and
AgustaWestland is expected to offer
the SW-4 Solo developed by its Polish
subsidiary PZL-widnik.
nnQUIET MALES
One of the other programmes within the
Anglo-French treaty is the MALE development,
which has gone very quiet, particularly from
the French side, added Barry. It may have
Reaper has been a success in UK service, and
is on the shopping lists of other European
nations. (Photo: UK MoD Crown Copyright)
Unlike Western European nations, Turkey
has already developed an indigenous MALE
platform in the form of the Anka. (Photo: TAI)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
12/44
10
EU R O P EA N O V ER V IEW
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
been caught up in a number of things, like theLivre blanc[white paper].
The French white paper, released in April,
outlines cuts and spending in new areas,
including more emphasis on intelligence-
gathering and investment in MALE UAVs,
although priorities in some other sectors
remain uncertain. The paper said that some
$179 billion was to be allocated to the 2014-19
defence budget.
While the French Army is expected to
procure 30 tactical UAVs, which could be the
Watchkeeper, the air force will get a fleet of 12
surveillance aircraft Reaper could also be
purchased and there are rumours that the
Heron TP is being considered.
On the UK side, the Scavenger programme
embodies the countrys MALE development
efforts, seeking a next-generation system
of this type, although progress appears to
have slowed.
BAE flew its Mantis demonstrator, which
would have provided the basis for and input
into a MALE programme for both nations, but
until it becomes clear what French intentions
are then the UK element remains in a state of
flux, as Barry explained.
France currently operates three UAV types,
the DRAC, Sperwer and Harfang. However,
operations in Afghanistan, and more recently
Frances intervention in Mali, have shown
that it needs a more powerful and up-to-date
unmanned platform.
The EADS Harfang contract is due to expire
at the end of 2013, although the government is
in discussions with the company to extend the
arrangement to 2017.
Germany, meanwhile, operates the
EMT Penzberg Luna X-2000, and Predators
are also being considered by the country.
In addition to military requirements, the
Federal Police is looking at acquiring medium-
sized UAVs.
The FY2013 defence budget for Germany
is set at $43.4 billion, representing an
increase of some $1.8 billion over 2012. In the
medium term, this budget is expected to
reduce to around $42.3 billion by 2015-16,
while the allocation for procurement and
maintenance will shrink by $294.4 million to
$13.5 billion.
German Defence Minister Thomas de
Maizire announced in April 2013 that the
country would team with France to develop
armed UAVs that will join the unarmed
platforms already deployed.
nnCOOPERATING COUNTRIES
In September 2012, the French and
German governments signed a cooperation
agreement on MALE aircraft, which involved
the development of a common operational
requirement and possible joint operation of an
interim solution, although talk of this effort has
since gone quiet.
A hurdle in Germanys UAV procurement
came in May 2013 when it announced that it
was to cancel the Euro Hawk programme,
which would have seen a modified Northrop
Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk operated on
SIGINT missions.
The cancellation was due to problems
with airspace integration and airworthiness
certification that would make the $1.3 billion
programme too costly and difficult to
proceed with, it was reported. Doubts over
future support also emerged, since the US
seems to be scaling down the Global Hawk
programme.
However, the USN is moving forward with its
MQ-4C Triton, which is also based on the Global
Hawk platform. In May, the aircraft made its
first flight, just after the rumour mill began to
speculate that Euro Hawk was to be cancelled.
At the senior naval level, there is
communication between our international
programme leadership in the navy and our
German counterparts to provide them insight
and understanding in the way that we do
flight tests and airworthiness certification, and
how we certified our Triton for flight,
R Adm Mat Winter, Program Executive Officer
for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons
in the USN, told a media conference.
He said there were ongoing discussions
about how the German MoD can carry out
certification of the platform. Global Hawk is
obviously the sister of our Triton airframe, so
the German government is asking how to do
flight certification. That is the extent of my
knowledge and I am not sure if they are
pursuing the cancellation.
It is believed that, instead of spending
another $770-900 million on the additional
airframes and equipment for the Euro Hawk
programme, and an equivalent amount to
attempt EASA certification, Germany will
opt for an alternative platform, which is
unlikely to be an indigenous programme due
to cost concerns.
nnSTAYING COMMITTED
A statement from Northrop Grumman, EADS
and Euro Hawk GmbH, released on 27 May,
explained that all three companies remain fully
committed to the Euro Hawk programme of
record, and the critical capabilities the system
will provide the German armed forces and
its allies, adding that the full system had
performed flawlessly throughout the entire
test programme.
Media reports that indicate there are
challenges with the aircrafts flight control
system, as well as excessive costs associated
with completing airworthiness certification,
are inaccurate, it continued. Euro Hawk will
continue to work with the customer to address
any concerns they may have with the system,
and the team will provide an affordable and
achievable plan to complete flight testing
of the initial asset and the eventual
production and fielding of the full system
of four additional aircraft.
European industry could use
its manned combat aircraft
experience to develop
UCAVs. (Image: Dassault)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
13/44
Hermes 900 Next GenerationMALE UAS - when you need control
NEW TOOLS FOR NEW RULES
Hermes 900, Elbit Systems next generation MALE UAS was designed
to STANAG 4671 to achieve a high level of safety and reliability.
Its carrying capacity, exible combinations of cutting edge sensors and
payloads along with long endurance and extended range, provide a highly
effective persistent ISR capability. Coordinated operation of multiple UAS
via multiple GCSs, presents a vital force multiplier for Terrain Dominance
missions. Hermes 900 operates in a dedicated system or integratesseamlessly into existing Hermes 450 arrays.
Hermes 900 UAS was procured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
and by multiple international customers.
N E X T I S N O W
Paris Air Show 2013Israel Pavilion
Visit us at
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
14/44
12
EU R O P EA N O V ER V IEW
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
Cassidian, developer of the SIGINTpayload for Euro Hawk, has said that it is
covering its back with regards to any potential
lost revenue, as the sensor suite can be used on
other UAVs or manned aircraft.
The mission system developed by Cassidian
is state of the art, said Bernhard Gerwert,
CEO of the company. The first flight tests have
verified the functional maturity and superb
performance of this system. The experience
made right now shows to a full extent how
important it is to have unlimited access to the
technologies and information of a system.
This also applies for future contracts. Costly
certification processes afterwards can be
avoided only if certification standards are
considered in the design and development
phase of a flight system.
Meanwhile, Turkey is appearing to outdo
its European cousins as it makes clear efforts
to develop its own indigenous capability.
The Bayraktar and Malazgirt mini-UAVs
and the Caldiran and Karayel tactical UAVs
have been developed, and now the Anka
MALE UAV, manufactured by TAI, is to enter
production soon.
The Anka programme was a politically
motivated one, with the air force wanting to
get rid of its Israeli Heron UAVs due to tensions
between the two nations.
In January, Anka completed validation
tests for the Turkish Air Force, a notable
feat for a country that previously chose to
purchase foreign designs. The air force was
refused the sale of armed Reaper UAVsby the US, which drove it to develop its own
indigenous capability. The service is currently
negotiating through Turkeys Undersecretariat
for Defence Industries (SSM) with TAI for ten
platforms.
nn INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
A number of nations are believed to have
expressed interest in Anka, including
some in North Africa and the Middle East. It
is understood that Egypt has entered into
discussions with the company regarding
the acquisition of ten aircraft, although TAI has
been unable to comment so far.
The platform will eventually have an
endurance of 24 hours, having achieved
an 18-hour flight during the final test series
in January. TAI is also developing a Block B
variant, integrating an Aselsan SAR/GMTI
payload that is expected to be ready by 2014.
The Karayel tactical UAV, meanwhile, has
been developed by Vestel Defence, and the
Turkish Land Forces is anticipating the arrival
of the first of six on order, with all of them
expected to be delivered by the end of 2013.
The Bora is a smaller UAV that will be offered as
a training tool for those that will operate the
Karayel. TAI is also developing the R-300 VTOL
as a technology demonstrator, which has
conducted ten flights so far.
Turkey has also announced the Strike UAV
(SIHA) programme, aiming to develop an
armed indigenous platform for the air force,
for which the SSM is preparing an RfP coveringthe preliminary concept phase. The
programme will be developed by TAI using the
Anka as a starting point (see p6).
After SIHA, Turkey plans to begin work on
the National Unmanned Combat Aircraft,
(MISU) which is expected to be delivered to the
air force in 2030.
Meanwhile, Italys Selex ES and Piaggio Aero
Industries have teamed to launch a new UAV.
The MALE P.1HH HammerHead was unveiled
at IDEX in Abu Dhabi in February, with test
flights expected by the end of 2013.
The company also develops the Falco UAV
a MALE system operated by Italy, Jordan, Libya,
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia arguably a platform
with a Middle Eastern focus while the Italian
Air Force also operates the Reaper.
nn ENGINEERING LEGACY
Aside from individual interests, one area in
which Europe may leap ahead of other regions
is in multilateral development of UCAVs, due to
its fighter jet engineering legacy.
It will be a fairly limited circle of nations that
operate this kind of technology for quite some
time to come, noted Barry. You just need to
look at the European environment where
youve got Taranis and the Neuron. Both of
these are not even full-blown technology
demonstrators theyre some of the way
towards exploring the technology required for
a full-blown demonstrator. In the European
context, its a question of what happens next?
The Neuron programme, estimated at
approximately $527 million, is half funded by
France (Dassault), while the other half is shared
between Greece (HAI), Italy (Alenia Aermacchi),
Spain (EADS CASA), Sweden (Saab) and
Switzerland (Ruag), for which the contract
was awarded in 2005.
The Neuron UCAV made its first flight in
December 2012 under a test programme
which is scheduled to continue until mid-2014.
Neuron partners hope this milestone will lead
to a follow-on programme, which would aim
to convert the aircraft to a more capable
configuration and allow an extensive
operational evaluation of its capabilities.
Euro Hawk is facing the axe, but its sensor
suite could live on in another platform.
(Photo: Northrop Grumman)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
15/44
Stabilized Day and Night EO/IR Gimbals
Patrol
your coastline
AtParisAirSho
w,LeBourget
pleasevisitusat
Hall4,Booth#A
40
www.schiebel.n
et
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
16/44
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
14
EU R O P EA N O V ER V IEW
BAE Systems has developed the Taranisdemonstrator, designed to have a low radar
cross-section, and is expected to fly some time
this year in Australia.
nnCOMMON GROUND
A tentative roadmap within the Anglo-French
context is that the two countries will consider
joint development, with some funding already
provided that looks, in general terms, at
possible common ground in the UCAV
environment, led by BAE Systems in the UK and
Dassault in France.
This would lead to a decision some time
around 2015 as to whether or not the UK
and France pursued a common technology
demonstrator. Barry said: Because its a very
sensitive area, as soon as you start talking
about LO [low observable], it gets very touchy,
understandably. So they are building up where
they are coming from.
I think theres a bigger industrial
picture in that if you look at the European
defence aerospace industrial base on the
airframe side, at the moment you have
three types in production. You have Typhoon,
Rafale and Gripen, and at some point,
probably in the next decade depending on
what happens with export, all of these types
[will] go out of production, so theres a
considerable amount of industrial output
which will at this point have no obvious
follow-on because there isnt another crewed
combat aircraft design in development in
Europe. So from an industrial base viewpoint,
what is there to replace that which would fill
up manufacturing capacity?
Barry said that, for the moment, a UCAV
allows industry to provide work for some
of the specialised aerospace engineers with
LO research backgrounds. What Neuron
and Taranis and any follow-on programme
will do would be to support in the broadest
possible sense the high-end defence
France has identified a need for a more capable replacement for Harfang. (Photo: SIRPA Air)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
17/44
EUR OP EAN OV ER V IEW
15
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
aerospace skills to develop next-generationcombat platforms, manned or unmanned,
he explained.
He noted that there is clear room for a
UCAV to operate alongside fighter jets
already in service in Europe, but the exact ratio
between manned and unmanned in the strike
environment still needs to be determined.
nnCOMMERCIAL GAINS
On the other side of the coin, Europe is looking
outside of the military domain towards civil
applications for the UAVs that it operates.
Over the last decade, UAV manufacturers
have moved beyond pure military sales and
have shown a significant amount of interest
in potential UAV applications in civil and
commercial markets, explains Frost and
Sullivans paper The Future of the Civil and
Military UAV Market.
It states that in line with general defence
trends, the military has been an early adopter
of the technology, which is encouraging the
idea of their use in a large number of non-
military applications, such as law enforcement,
border security, Earth observation and
communications.
Historically, industry has often been accused
of unrealistic optimism in expecting the rapid
emergence of a viable civil and commercial
UAV market, it continues. However, at the
same time, industry has played an effective
advocacy role in driving initiatives in the area,
particularly in Europe and to some extent
North America.
On a broader European scale, the integration
of UAVs into the continents airspace is
scheduled for 2016, with full operational
capability (FOC) to be achieved in 2020.
In September 2012, the European
Commission released the staff working
document Towards a European strategy
for the development of civil applications of
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. According
to the study, the emergence of a civil market is
hampered by the absence of an operational
concept and associated technical enablers as
well as a supporting regulatory framework.
Nevertheless, it is working towards FOC in 2020.
The European Aviation Safety Agency hascalled for an effort to allow UAVs to fly in
non-segregated airspace, as well as aiming
to align the standards in Europe with those
being developed in the US. It also has an
interim policy document for the certification
of UAVs in national airspace, aiming to facilitate
such integration.
nnUK AIRSPACE
In the UK, the Watchkeeper is being tested at
the West Wales UAV Centre at ParcAberporth,
which facilitates the evaluation of UAVs by
industry and institutes and is an example of
forward thinking in the UK domain. The
number of organisations that currently have
permission to use small UAS for surveillance,
data or commercial use in the UK should they
wish to is 227, the CAA confirmed toUV.
In 2006, the Autonomous Systems
Technology Related Airborne Evaluation and
Assessment consortium began developing
the technology and certification procedures
required to operate UAVs in national airspace,
part of which saw a Jetstream research aircraft
complete a 800km autonomous flight through
UK airspace in April in partnership with NationalAir Traffic Services.
Europe could therefore potentially take
a lead in this domain, because no other
country has fully opened up its airspace
to this type of aircraft, even if it is falling
behind in its own development of platforms.
If airspace integration and airworthiness was
overcome, Germany, for example, might
not have faced such issues in the Euro Hawk
programme, thus the civil element can help
facilitate military requirements.
Despite being largely reliant on aircraft
developed elsewhere, Europe could lead
the market in this integration process, and
its historical experience in developing
sophisticated fighter jets could ultimately
stimulate UCAV development.
Europe is clearly seeing the potential in
operating UAVs, and is trying to develop its
fleets for future operations in the civil and
military markets. Whether these are a foreign
purchase, multilateral long-term cooperation
plan or indigenous development, it is striving
for what it wants, even if it has not quite
achieved it yet. uv
Epson Europe Electronics GmbH
www.epson-electronics.de
Epson Inertial Measurement Unit
>ULTRA LOW POWER SMALL SIZE24x24x10 mm
>LIGHTWEIGHT7 GRAMM > HIGH STABILITY
6/h BIAS STABILITY
CompactD
esign
withoutCo
mpromise
Applications:
> Attitude stabilization
> Inertial navigation
> Camera stabilization
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
18/44
L O O K I N G F O R . . .
M A R K E T I N T E L L I G E N C E ?
I N - D E P T H N E W S A N A LY S I S ?
D E T A I L E D P R O D U C T D ATA ?
C O M I N G S O O N . . .V I S I T T I N Y U R L . C O M / S H E P H A R D P L U S
F O R M O R E I N F O
S H E P H A R D P L U S H A S I T C O V E R E D
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
19/44
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
SU R V EIL L A N C E T EC HN O L O G Y
17
Visible improvementGD Mediaware has developed a processing,exploitation and dissemination (PED) capabilityfor the Australian Armys Shadow 200 tactical
UAS (TUAS), which digitises analogue video
feed from the air vehicle, fuses it with other
data received off-board, such as position,
altitude and airspeed, and then archives it for
future reference. Known as Shadow 200 PED,
it uses the companys D-VEX software housed
in a ruggedised box and plugged into the
aircrafts GCS.
Sentient has already achieved export
success with Kestrel and there is potential
for Shadow PED to be sold to other UAS
operators, including the US Army.
nnDEMONSTRATOR PROGRAMME
Kestrel was developed under the ADFs
Capability and Technology Demonstrator
Program (CTD), which is funded by the Defence
Capability Group, but overseen by DSTO. The
purpose of CTD is to fund the development
of promising Australian technology to a
point where relevance and market potential
can be demonstrated.
Not all capabilities identified by CTD reach
maturity, but those which do, like Kestrel, often
lead to enhanced capability for the ADF and
export success for local industry.
Kestrel Land MTI was developed in 2008 and
first deployed to Afghanistan the following year,
integrated with the ScanEagle UAS operated by
the Australian Army, but owned and supported
by Insitu Pacific. Today it is aboard the AAI RQ-7B
Shadow 200, which replaced ScanEagle
in-theatre, and the larger IAI Heron, operated
by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is also
installed aboard the RAAFs AP-3C Orions which
until recently performed overwater and overland
ISR missions in the Middle East. Altogether, it has
amassed well over 15,000 hours of operational
service with the ADF.
A development of the original product,
Kestrel Maritime is optimised for ocean and
littoral regions and is capable of detecting
targets as small as a life jacket in a wide range
of environmental conditions.
In 2011, Sentient signed a long-term
licensing agreement with AAIs parent Textron
Systems and last year reached similar accords
with AeroVironment and Insitu.
In 2012 Sentient demonstrated an
automated MTI and 360 ground change
detection (GCD) capability fitted
to an Australian Army Bushmaster Protected
Mobility Vehicle, aimed at providing greater
situational awareness for land forces.
The company is working with USN project
offices, with activities including a foreign
comparative test programme with PMA-263
(Small Tactical Unmanned Systems), and
has ongoing contracts with US Customs
and Border Protection and US Special
Operations Command.
The software also been integrated into the
products of two undisclosed US companies
active in the ISR space, while Canada has
integrated Kestrel into its CP-140 Aurora
Australian and coalition unmanned ISR
operations in Afghanistan are being aided
by two separate but complementary
software developments that greatly enhance
the viewing and recording of video feed.
The software has been developed by two
Australian companies, Sentient Vision Systems
of Melbourne and Canberra-based General
Dynamics (GD) Mediaware. Both products
have been developed to meet an individual
Australian Defence Force (ADF) operational
requirement and both have received assistance
in some form from the Defence Science and
Technology Organisation (DSTO).
Sentient has developed the Kestrel Land
MTI software, which detects motion in EO
and IR airborne full motion video and cues
the operator to the area of interest. It has also
adapted it for use in the maritime environment,
and recently released an upgraded version
of Land MTI with the capability of keeping
persistent track of a moving target and
providing a history of its movements.
The Australian DefenceForce is introducingsoftware add-ons toenhance the ISRcoverage provided byits frontline UAS fleet,reports Nigel Pittaway.
Shadow 200 PED takes the form of a
ruggedised box that plugs into the aircrafts
GCS. (Photo: GD Mediaware)
Software developments have added new capabilities to Australias Shadow 2000 fleet. (Photo: ADF)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
20/44
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
18
SU R V EIL L A N C E T EC HN O L O G Y
patrol aircraft and the Colombian Air Force usesit to assist surveillance over the dense South
American jungle.
The latest version, Kestrel MTI 3.0, released
in March 2012, has the capability to add
breadcrumb tracks allowing operators to
see where a target of interest has moved from.
We are constantly developing Kestrel,
both on our own initiative and in response to
customer requirements, said Simon Olsen,
director of business development strategy
and partnerships at Sentient. We have worked
extensively with customers who have Kestrel
MTI deployed in support of their ISR operations
and significantly extended the performance of
the software. This major upgrade is the direct
result of feedback from payload operators
and image analysts in-theatre.
nn FEED CONVERTOR
When delivered under the purview of Joint
Project 129, the ADFs TUAS programme,
Shadow 200 came with a data archiving and
retrieval (DAR) capability, but it was an interim
and non-integrated system and did not fully
meet international standards, including NATOs
STANAG 4609 motion imagery standards profile.
Early operational test and evaluation of
the Shadow system in Australia resulted in an
urgent operational requirement to convert
the analogue video feed to digital format and
embed telemetry and other metadata into
the file before archiving it.
The requirement was to have a system
designed, built and tested before the next
rotation of Australian troops into Afghanistan in
late 2012 and, after writing a formal requirement,
DSTO helped to assemble a government/industryteam which comprised the Defence Materiel
Organisation (DMO) via the JP129 Project Office
and Unmanned Aerial Systems Management
Unit (UASMU) and GD Mediaware.
GD Mediaware is an Australian technology
company supplying compressed digital
video processing products, and its D-VEX
video exploitation software was determined
to offer the best solution for what had become
the Shadow 200 PED system.
An earlier version of D-VEX had previously
been tested by the DSTO in 2006, during a
UAS trial off the coast of Western Australia.
Funding for development of the PED was
made available last February, and in a remarkable
example of government/industry co-operation,
the system was designed and built by the end of
Stabilised Electro-Optical Sensor Systems & Thermal Imagers
DST CONTROL+46 13 211080
www.dst.se
Light-weight and low power
infrared cameras for a wide area
of applications in one of the
smallest form factors available.
Multiple choice of interfaces and
a wide range of optics solutions.
Light-weight and high performance
gyro stabilised gimbals for mission
critical applications.
Based on high bandwidth torque
motors, designed and optimised by
DST CONTROL for active vibration
attenuation.
Built-in geo-location/pointing and
video tracker features.
Available in sizes from 135-250 mmand weights from 1-12 kg.
2 or 4 axis gimbal capabilities
Maximum exportability
See us at DSEi 2013 and AUVSI 2013
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
21/44
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
SU R V EIL L A N C E T EC HN O L O G Y
19
June. It was operationally tested at Woomera in
central Australia in July-August 2012 and, after
cleaning and checking, was deployed on
schedule at the end of the year.
Shadow 200 PED requires no modification
to the air vehicle, is easily transportable and, by
virtue of the D-VEX software, complies with
international standards.
The digital imagery is stored on a hard
drive that can currently hold up to six months
of operational data and be fed into the wider
C2 network, allowing it to be exploited in
multiple locations.
Under the PED system, an operator can
click on a feature of interest in the video
footage and the D-VEX software algorithms will
search and display all archived footage of the
same location, allowing the rapid assessment
of changes. A further feature is a digital map
which, when a location is selected, can bring
up all stored imagery of that particular point.
We have simplified the difficult and complex
task of exploiting airborne ISR video by using
best-of-breed workflow technology, said Kevin
Moore, GD Mediawares chief technology
officer. The evolution of D-VEX is directly based
on lessons learned from customers in allied
forces over a decade of in-theatre experience.
Moore said that the company was invited to
use the UASMU facilities at Enoggera Barracks in
Brisbane, which is also home to the armys 20th
Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment
(STAR), operators of the Shadow UAS. This,
together with GD Mediawares participation in
operational testing at Woomera, enabled close
cooperation between the stakeholders.
The project ran smoothly with excellent
support from both DMO and DSTO, Moore
remembered. And we also obtained access to
US government-controlled specifications for
the GCS metadata format in a timely manner, as
this had been identified as a critical requirement
very early in the development process.
nnWORKING TOGETHER
With the arrival of the Shadow 200 PED system in
Afghanistan at the end of last year, both software
components were in regular use with the
deployed troops from the 20th STAR and it soon
became obvious that when integrated with one
another they could realise significant synergies.
Rather than just using Kestrel from a real-time
perspective, the operators are now using it in
the post-processing stage after [data] has been
archived by the PED system and they are now
using it as a forensic analysis tool, said Olsen.
So rather than just providing a cue,
customers wanted to extrapolate further
information such as geo-location from the
detection. They also wanted to be able to
disseminate that information which is of
interest to other parties, such as the ability
to discern friendly forces from enemy forces
within the field of view.
Because Sentient had previously donea significant amount of development to
ensure Kestrel was able to work with other
applications, Olsen says the work with GD
Mediaware was not too difficult to complete.
Prior to working with Mediaware we had
done work with other organisations and that
helped us to craft our technology. We worked
independently for between four and six
months prior to the collaboration, making
sure we were compliant with international
standards for full motion video, he explained.
That has enabled us to plug into other
compliant technologies fairly easily and
because Mediaware has the same sort of
capabilities established as well, the actual
engineering to integrate the two products
was not overly complex. Both of us had done
the hard yards already.
Individually, Kestrel and Shadow PED
contribute towards the shortening of the
sensor-to-shooter kill chain, but together
they provide even greater efficiencies and
the feedback from Afghanistan has shown
enthusiasm for the way in which video feed
can now be exploited.uv
Scan here or more inormation aboutour inertial navigation system
Looking or a cost-efective, highlyaccurate inertial navigation system?
3DM-GX3-45 is a small, lightweight, low power GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System
with on-board extended Kalman flter or precision tracking solutions.
Call 800.449.3878 or visit us online at www.microstrain.com
i i
Kestrel Land MTI can keep track of an individual moving target. (Image: Sentient Vision Systems)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
22/44
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
20
MCM USVs
Halcyon daysHowever, there is an acknowledgement
that net-centric off-board MCM remains a work
in progress, with efforts continuing to mature
many of the techniques and technologies
intended to underpin the migration away
from legacy platform-centric operations.
The role and function of the USV in the MCM
architecture of the future is a case in point.
Recognising this, Thales decided in 2011
to invest in the acquisition of a USV testbed to
allow it to demonstrate and de-risk the vehicle
and its potential payloads to satisfy both itself
and potential customers.
We developed a series of key user
requirements specific to the MCM mission,
continued Robinson. These included payload
flexibility for all MCM systems [UUVs, towed
sonar, disposal systems and influence
minesweeping gear]; a stable platform
with excellent slow speed and towing
characteristics; a capability to deploy from
military platforms, craft of opportunity or
shore/harbour; and a size/weight to enable
air transportation [using either C-17 or A400M
aircraft] and launch and recovery from the aft
deck of the Royal Navys existing Hunt-class
MCM vessels.
Having framed our requirements, we
then conducted a market survey of existing
off-the-shelf USVs, and conducted detailed
analysis of different hullform options. At the
end of this exercise, we identified the C-Sweep
design proposed by ASV as the basis for a
reconfigurable multirole USV designed for
future off-board MCM operations.
This selection came at an important
juncture for ASV, explained the companys
managing director Dan Hook. Autonomous
Surface Vehicles was originally registered in
1998, and for the main part of its life operated
as a small UMV concept development and
experimentation house, he said. That included
the build of a semi-submersible unmanned
vehicle for C&C Technologies in the US for
hydrographic survey operations in support
of an Office of Naval Research project.
nnACQUISITION CATALYST
Things changed in June 2010 when ASV was
acquired by Global Fusion, a privately owned
international marine services group based
in Lafayette, Louisiana, and parent of C&C
Technologies. This was the catalyst for change,
continued Hook. Since becoming part of
T
here is now an overwhelming tide of
evidence to suggest that maritime mine
countermeasures (MCM) is on the cusp
of a revolution. Rather than sending expensive
low-signature MCM vessels into the perils of the
mine danger area, the next generation of MCM
practitioners will conduct their business from
an altogether less risky place well outside of
the minefield, relying on AUVs, sensors and
effectors to detect, classify and, if necessary,
neutralise mine threats at stand-off ranges. The
goal is to take the man out of the minefield,
and enable MCM to be effected from
non-specialist mother ships, craft of
opportunity or shore sites.
nnUSV DELIVERY
What is also clear, according to Stuart
Robinson, director sales and marketing for the
underwater business of Thales Underwater
Systems, is that the USV has a pivotal enabling
role to play in this new style of MCM. That
may be as a taxi by which to transport AUVs
into the mined area, or as a host to different
payloads, such as side-scan sonars, influence
minesweeps and mine neutralisers, he told
Unmanned Vehicles.
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
23/44
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
MCM USVs
21
Thales and ASV have cometogether to design, build anddemonstrate a new multirolemine countermeasures USV.Richard Scott examines theorigins of their concept, andassesses progress to date.
Global Fusion, weve grown fast and seen our
customer base expand. Weve also moved
our premises to a facility at Portchester [in the
upper reaches of Portsmouth harbour in the
south of England].
ASV had already conceptualised the generic
semi-planing C-Sweep platform as a multirole
MCM USV. However, Thales wanted ademonstrator that was customised to meet
its specific requirements, marrying broad
application as a testbed platform with the
ability to transition naturally into a marketable
product. The outcome of this joint design and
development activity is Halcyon, an optionally
manned 11.5m craft constructed from glass-
reinforced plastic (GRP).
Powered by twin 480hp Yanmar 6LY-ETP
diesel engines (driving two 60cm diameter
propellers for a maximum speed of about
30kt and a tow force in excess of that required
for all envisaged payloads), the general
arrangement of Halcyon is characterised by a
flexible well deck area behind the wheelhouse
and a working deck aft. The latter is designed
to be able to accept a range of what Thales
characterises as light reconfigurable
mission packages.
Seakeeping performance is recognised as a
significant challenge for USVs, particularly if user
requirements demand operation in conditions
up to Sea State 4 or 5 (rough seas of up to 4m
wave height). At the same time, a balance
has to be struck with regard to size if the USV
platform is going to be sufficiently compact
and lightweight to allow embarkation on a
minor war vessel, or transported as air freight.
Some MCM USV concepts have consideredthe use of rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIBs) as
platforms. However, Hook observed that RIBs
tend to suffer from a high trim angle and thus
poor directional stability, and believes that the
semi-planing displacement hullform adopted
by Halcyon provides an excellent balance in
terms of size and seakeeping performance.
He emphasised its ability to operate in
rough seas (up to Sea State 4-5), pointing out
that the underwater form characterised by
centreline skegs, twin shafts and tunnelled
propellers offers excellent directional and
lateral stability.
nnOPTIMISED SIGNATURE
The main hull of Halcyon is moulded in thick
solid-skin GRP. The upper deck and deckhouse
are formed from a lightweight sandwich of the
same material. GRP was selected to optimise
signature characteristics, explained Robinson.
We were not just talking here of knocking up a
boat to pull a sweep. Magnetic hygiene was a
big requirement of ours from the outset, and
that meant that ASV had to model and evaluate
the metallic content of every single item
be it a hatch, door or valve on board. It also
required a detailed magnetic hygiene survey
of the construction facility in Portchester.
The choice of over650 clients in 60 countries
www.micropilot.comWorld leader in Miniature UAV Autopilots
MP21283X
The New Standard in Reliability
Introductory price: $18,000 USD e: [email protected]: 1 204 344.5558
WorldsMostAdvancedUAVAutopilot
ThreeCompleteAutopilots
AdvancedVotingLogic
CarrierPhaseGPS
HelicopterandFixedWing
AvailableNow!
Halcyon is an optionally manned 11.5m craft
constructed from glass-reinforced plastic.
(Photo: ASV)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
24/44
22
MCM USVs
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
About two thirds of the upper deck area is
available for payload. The recessed well deck
has been configured with a standard grid of
fixing points to allow installation of equipment
rafts with interfaces/connections available for
water, fuel, electrical power and data/control,
added Hook. Generators producing up
to 150kW can be dropped in behind the
wheelhouse. A watertight cover pod can
be installed to protect the well deck area
from environmental effects.
The aft deck is characterised by a low
freeboard over the stern. This allows easy
articulation of payloads over the stern. We
also have significant additional payload
space beneath the working deck.
Remote piloting is supported by radar,
AIS and a 360 camera fit. Fixed cameras face
forward, port and starboard a pan/tilt/zoom
camera is fitted on the aft mast to provide
coverage over the payload space. The vessel is
fully MCA-compliant and optional manning is
enabled through a two-man wheelhouse at the
forward end of the boat.
One clever feature of Halcyon is an auto-
anchor function. Robinson explained: The
fully electric auto-anchor is a good way to
ensure precision station-keeping. Also, if there is
a situation in which we cant recover the vessel
owing to sea state, then we can send it off to
anchor itself until bad weather blows through.
Initial manned trials of Halcyon were carried
out in late December 2012, with unmanned
trials beginning at the end of January 2013.
Undertaken in the Solent, and to the south of
the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, these
have demonstrated unmanned operations at
line-of-sight ranges. Final sea acceptance trials
were completed on 24 April, said Robinson.
Everything went well, and we have now
formally accepted the craft from ASV.
Signature ranging, undertaken in Portland
harbour, has shown Halcyon to be well within
magnetic tolerances. Similarly, tow force
trials (using drogues) have demonstrated
performance well in excess of 20kN at 15kt,
according to Robinson, who added: Thatcomfortably meets our requirements for sweep
gear, side-scan sonar or any other towed body.
First payload trials are due to begin in
August. Thales remains tight-lipped as to
the MCM system to be tested, with Robinson
revealing only that it comes from a third-
party supplier.
nnPROACTIVE APPROACH
Initial market opportunities are already
being addressed, with the hottest iron in the
fire being the UKs Mine Countermeasures,
Hydrography and Patrol Capability (MHPC)
Sweep Demonstrator programme, intended
to lay the ground for a USV-based influence
mine-sweeping capability for the Royal Navys
Hunt-class MCM vessels. Outline requirements
call for a system remotely operable at a range of
up to 22km from the control position, and fitted
with highly versatile electric, magnetic and
acoustic influence sweep systems, providing
target-setting, mine-setting and mine-jamming
modes. As for the USV itself, it is required to
be suitably shock protected or hardened,
and capable of occasional operation in a
manned role.
Thales UK, bidding a solution based
on Halcyon, is one of three companies
shortlisted, alongside Atlas Elektronik UK and
Ultra Electronics, to compete for the MHPC
Sweep Demonstrator programme. Tenders
were submitted during April, with a contract
award currently anticipated in the second
half of 2013. uv
The fully electric auto-anchor
is a good way to ensure
precision station-keeping.
Tow force trials using drogues have demonstrated performance of over 20kN at 15kt. (Photo: ASV)
One opportunity for Halcyon is providing
a USV sweeping capability for the RNs
Hunt-classMCM vessels. (Photo: UK MoD)
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
25/44
A UVS I 2 013 PR EVIEW
23
Volume 18 Nu mber 3|June/July 2013|UNMANNED Vehicleswww.UVonline.com
Show businessfundamental issues affordability, availabilityand acceptance that continue to restrictcommercial UAS operations in the US. In
conjunction with these issues, the International
Civil Aviation Organization and the FAA have
identified more specific issues, as noted by
the US Government Accountability Office
in its document entitled Non-proliferation
(GAO-12-536) published in July 2012. These
include: signal frequencies and bandwidth for
UAS; standards for sense and avoid technology;
and airworthiness certification standards.
Yet again, these are not new issues, but ones
that have existed for a decade or more, and thus
need resolving if civil and commercial markets
are to fully realise their growth potential.
Therefore, whether attendees are from
industry, government, civil/commercial end
users or academia, the knowledge that the
value of the global UAS market is estimated at
around $6.6 billion today must be a significant
factor in their decision to attend AUVSI 2013,
particularly as this upward trend is forecast
to continue if the challenges of access to the
NAS are met.
nnCLOSING THE GAP
As part of this forward-looking perspective
and as Gretchen West, AUVSIs executive
VP, alluded to in 2012 the financial gap
between the defence market and the civil/
commercial market is closing and therefore
more non-military applications for UAS are
being realised.
Indeed, it remains a relevant point raised
by West that companies traditionally reliant on
manned platforms/technologies will have the
option to become unmanned along with
companies, agencies and organisations who
In 2002, it was estimated that there were
2,400 UAS military and civil in operation
worldwide, of which 66% were categorised
as commercial, 31% military, 2% civil and less
than 1% academic. At the time, analysts argued
that the challenges for unmanned aviation
included improving reliability and establishing
a regulatory infrastructure and stable
customer base, in that order, for future sector
development to occur.
More than a decade later, having clearly
had a head start from a non-military UAS
perspective, industry is still grappling with the
same aspects identified above granted some
have moved ahead, but probably the most
challenging, that of regulatory infrastructure,
still eludes the unmanned community when
it comes to emulating manned aviations
file-and-fly capability.
nnDELIVERING ANSWERS
The answers to this continued challenge
are many and varied, as they always have
been, and therein lies the premise for vital and
critical discussions which AUVSI 2013 allows for.
However, will this event be the one that actually
delivers answers, or will industry and civil/
commercial end users continue to rely on AUVSI
as an organisation to fight on their behalf in
accessing the National Airspace System (NAS)?
Once again, the collective opportunity exists
to add weight and momentum to the various
AUVSI will hold its annualevent in Washington, DC, on12-15 August.James Maseyconsiders the trend towardscivil/commercial UASutilisation in the US, as wellas what this years exhibitionwill offer attendees.
Photos: Robert Bruni/Ambience Photography
As the chairman of the
board, I would like to
personally invite you
to the worlds premier
unmanned systems
event AUVSIs 2013
Unmanned Systems.
From our humble
beginnings 41 years
ago, we have continued to expand, grow
and offer more services and support to
our most important part of the industry, YOU.
This year, we have kicked it up another
notch, showcasing a whole new side to the
organisations growth. Our international
participation has expanded already, so we
are looking forward to this.
Please spread the word and we look
forward to seeing you in DC in August.
Peter Bale, chairman of the board, AUVSI
All are welcome
-
7/27/2019 UV JunJul13 Webmag
26/44
24
AUV SI 2 013 PR EVIEW
UNMANNED Vehicles |June/July 2013|Volume 18 N umber 3 www.UVonline.com
thought they would not be able to afford orneed UAS capability, now having this
technology at their fingertips.
To highlight the importance of NAS access,
AUVSI published The Economic Impact of
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the
United States in March, and once again the lack
of a regulatory structure is of primary concern.
The report states: Because of current
airspace restrictions, non-defence use of UAS
has been extremely limited [However], the
combination of greater flexibility, lower capital
and lower operating costs could allow UAS
to be a transformative technology in fields as
diverse as urban infrastructure management,
farming and oil and gas exploration.
While there are multiple uses for UAS in the
NAS, this research concludes that precision
agriculture and public safety are the most
promising commercial and civil markets.
These two markets are thought to comprise
approximately 90% of the known potential
markets for UAS.
The economic impact of the integration
of UAS into the NAS will total more than
$13.6 billion in the first three years and
grow sustainably for the foreseeable future,
cumulating in more than $82.1 billion of value
between 2015 and 2025.
Integration will also create more than
34,000 manufacturing jobs and more than
70,000 new jobs in the first three years,and by 2025 total employment is estimated
to reach over 100,000. The manufacturing roles
will be high paying ($40,000) and require
technical baccalaureate degrees. Furthermore,
related tax revenue to the US will total more
than $482 million in the first 11 years following
integration (2015-2025).
nnSHOW SPOTLIGHT
AUVSI 2013 will begin on 12 August at the
Walter E Washington Convention Center,
with keynotes, panels and discussions set to
take up, among others, the above-mentioned
opportunities and challenges facing the
unmanned systems world. The programme
begins at 1pm and concludes with an
evening reception.
The 12 August session includes a workshop
on preparing the public safety community for
UAS operations. The panel will feature officials
talking about the ins and outs of using UAS,
as well as issues of getting airspace access,
gaining public acceptance and finding funding
opportunities.
The show will also focus on cutting-edge
research on maritime and ground robotic
and unmanned systems, as well as the latest
applications for those systems that are starting
to emerge. Morning general session speakers
will address the audience on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, followed by acombination of technical, panel and hot topic
sessions each afternoon.
Its a very exciting time to be part of the
unmann