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Volume 18 Number 3 June/July 2013
Brave new world?

The future of the European UAS industry
VISIBLE IMPROVEMENT
ISR software plug-ins
KNOWING WHERE ITS AT

UGV navigation technology
BROAD SPECTRUM
EO/IR payloads
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1 CONTENTS
Editor Andrew White. andrew.w@shephardmedia.com +44 1753 727023 North America Editor Scott R Gourley. scott.g@shephardmedia.com Staff Reporters Beth Stevenson Jonathan Tringham Defence Analyst Joyce de Thouars Contributors Claire Apthorp, Gordon Arthur, Pieter Bastiaans, Angus Batey, Jean-Michel Guhl, Richard Scott, Lubomir Sedlak, Matthew Smith, Tom Withington Production Department Manager David Hurst Sub-editor Adam Wakeling Head of Advertising Sales Mike Wild. mike.w@shephardmedia.com +44 1753 727007 Junior Sales Executive Ranjit Jeer. ranjit.j@shephardmedia.com +44 1753 727 018 Editor-in-Chief Tony Skinner Managing Director Darren Lake Chairman Nick Prest Subscriptions Annual rates start at 65 Tel: +44 1858 438879, Fax: +44 1858 461739 shephardgroup@subscription.co.uk www.subscription.co.uk/shephard
Unmanned Vehicles is published six times per year in February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October/ November and December/January by The Shephard Press Ltd, 268 Bath Road, Slough, Berks, SL1 4DX. Subscription records are maintained at CDS 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 may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers.
3 Editorial Comment
Darren 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
27 Shifting power
As UAS become more widely utilised, the engines powering them must not only evolve to meet emerging requirements, but be designed costeffectively, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Shephard Press Ltd, 2013. ISSN 1351-3478 DTP Vivid Associates, Sutton, Surrey, UK Print Williams Press, Maidenhead, Berks, UK
Front cover: The Neuron demonstrator could lead to a fully fledged European UCAV programme. (Photo: Alenia Aermacchi)
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3 EDITORIAL COMMENT
High hopes
As 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 Take-off and recovery n Ground robotics
RESPONSE
Unmanned Vehicles editorial 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.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
n Data links n Civil UUVs
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4 NEWS
Triton surges ahead

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 USN plans to acquire a total of 68 Tritons. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
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
EARTH moves into border security UGV market

With 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 airconditioned 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
UNMANNED Vehicles | June/July 2013 | Volume 18 Number 3
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5 NEWS
Asian naval unmanned market potential emerges

With UAVs at the forefront of many Asian militaries thinking, the market over the next ten years for shipbased 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 AsiaPacific 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. 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 Freedom was 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-ofsight capability, which a UAV is well suited for. By Beth Stevenson, Singapore
On the web
UAS 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 touchand-go landing operations 21 May 2013 Australia to issue LOR for MQ-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 Anka production contract 8 May 2013
Camcopter is already operated by three navies in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo: Schiebel)
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
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6 NEWS
Turkey launches armed UAV project

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.
TAIs follow-on project to Anka will be the SIHA armed UAV, which may use the same avionics and control system. (Photo: TAI)
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
Gray Eagle to gain electronic attack capabilities

The 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 combatproven 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
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8 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
Catching up
T
he 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. been $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.
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.
nn SPENDING 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
nn POOR 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
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9 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
Unlike Western European nations, Turkey has already developed an indigenous MALE platform in the form of the Anka. (Photo: TAI)
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 postAfghanistan 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.
nn QUIET 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) www.UVonline.com
10 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
European industry could use its manned combat aircraft experience to develop UCAVs. (Image: Dassault)
been caught up in a number of things, like the Livre blanc [white paper]. The French white paper, released in April, outlines cuts and spending in new areas, including more emphasis on intelligencegathering 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 mediumsized 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.
nn COOPERATING 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.
nn STAYING 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.
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Cassidian, developer of the SIGINT payload 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 UAVs by 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,
Euro Hawk is facing the axe, but its sensor suite could live on in another platform. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
for which the SSM is preparing an RfP covering the 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.
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BAE Systems has developed the Taranis demonstrator, designed to have a low radar cross-section, and is expected to fly some time this year in Australia.
France has identified a need for a more capable replacement for Harfang. (Photo: SIRPA Air)
nn COMMON 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
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aerospace skills to develop next-generation combat 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.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has called 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.
nn COMMERCIAL 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 nonmilitary 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.
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nn UK 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 to UV. 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 National Air 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
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17 SURVEILL ANCE TECHNOLOGY
ustralian 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.
Visible improvement
A
GD Mediaware has developed a processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) capability for 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.
The Australian Defence Force is introducing software add-ons to enhance the ISR coverage provided by its frontline UAS fleet, reports Nigel Pittaway.
Software developments have added new capabilities to Australias Shadow 2000 fleet. (Photo: ADF)
Shadow 200 PED takes the form of a ruggedised box that plugs into the aircrafts GCS. (Photo: GD Mediaware) www.UVonline.com
nn DEMONSTRATOR 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
patrol aircraft and the Colombian Air Force uses it 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/industry team 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
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Kestrel Land MTI can keep track of an individual moving target. (Image: Sentient Vision Systems)
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.
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nn WORKING 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 done a 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
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20 MCM USVs
Halcyon days
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.
nn USV 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.
However, 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.
nn ACQUISITION 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
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21
Halcyon is an optionally manned 11.5m craft constructed from glass-reinforced plastic. (Photo: ASV)
MCM USVs
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.
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 a demonstrator 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 glassreinforced 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 considered the 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.
nn OPTIMISED 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.
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22 MCM USVs
The fully electric auto-anchor is a good way to ensure precision station-keeping.
according to Robinson, who added: That comfortably 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 thirdparty supplier.
One opportunity for Halcyon is providing a USV sweeping capability for the RNs Hunt-class MCM vessels. (Photo: UK MoD)
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 autoanchor 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,
nn PROACTIVE 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
Tow force trials using drogues have demonstrated performance of over 20kN at 15kt. (Photo: ASV) www.UVonline.com
23 AUVSI 2013 PREVIEW
n 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.
Show business
Photos: Robert Bruni/Ambience Photography
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.
nn DELIVERING 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
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fundamental issues affordability, availability and acceptance that continue to restrict commercial 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.
All are welcome

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
nn CLOSING 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
thought they would not be able to afford or need 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).
nn SHOW 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 a combination of technical, panel and hot topic sessions each afternoon. Its a very exciting time to be part of the unmanned systems and robotics world, said AUVSI president and CEO Michael Toscano. We see new possibilities like never before, and AUVSIs Unmanned Systems 2013 is the best way to get up to speed on where this technology is going. The shows 350,000ft2 of exhibit hall space will include a revamped demonstration area, with an expanded and combined ground and air zone. This will give exhibitors the opportunity to feature their platforms in a scenario showcasing platforms being used in real world applications.
nn DEMO SCENARIOS The demonstration areas will feature scripted demos focusing on a bank robbery and apprehension of the suspects. The air and ground demo areas have been combined to better demonstrate interoperability of small unmanned systems and to show real-world applicability. The scripted demos will take place on 13 and 14 August at 13:45, and individual company demos will be held during exhibit hall hours on 13-15 August. The exhibit hall floor will also feature technology and country pavilions air, ground, maritime, sensors, training and simulation, start-ups, France and the UK. Maritime trends that will be explored include acoustic communications for underwater systems and developments in commercial and defence use of UUVs. Ground systems topics include self-driving cars and their implications for society, medical robotics and the future for military UGVs in the wake of diminished defence budgets. All military, police, fire-fighters and first responders who come in uniform will be granted complimentary access to the exhibit hall and morning general sessions. Registration in this category will be available onsite only starting 13 August. It should be remembered that individuals registering under this category are required to
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be in uniform at all times while attending the event. Anyone out of uniform on any day at any time will be denied access to the exhibit hall and general sessions and will be required to purchase a registration to attend the conference. A uniform changing room will be available.
nn NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION Established by AUVSI, the AUVSI Foundation is a non-profit organisation that provides students with hands-on robotics activities
designed to fuel and sustain their interest in science, technology, engineering and maths. One of those activities is the RoboTour, which takes place every year. This years RoboTour will be on 15 August and is a free event open to students in the fifth through 12th grades that helps expose future generations of scientists and engineers to unmanned systems. Students will be able to hear from speakers and then take a tour of the exhibition hall floor. Indications are that this years event is set to encapsulate AUVSIs stated aim of the promotion and support of the unmanned systems industry, but will the more than 7,000 members representing around 2,200 organisations make a difference by directly assisting this organisation in meeting the
various challenges described above, particularly NAS integration? As if a more motivational factor than still having to deal with issues raised by Nuke Newcome in ten years time is not enough, it may be worth remembering that for every year that NAS integration is delayed, the US loses more than $10 billion in potential economic impact a loss of $27.6 million per day. uv James Masey is an ADS consultant specialising in UAS. He has more than 25 years experience in aerospace, defence and security, ranging from military service/operations to the media and corporate business development, predominantly covering Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
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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.
n a climate of shrinking budgets and changing operational theatres, military forces worldwide are fielding fewer, but more mobile and versatile, units, resulting in an increased requirement for the support capabilities provided by UAVs. Manufacturers of propulsion systems for such platforms are seeing a parallel increase in demand for COTS components to integrate into new and existing vehicles, leveraging the benefits of established and readily available technology at a lower cost than bespoke solutions. Design considerations for these propulsion systems typically focus on fuel type, reducing acoustics, improving reliability and increasing the endurance of aircraft and engine, as well as future certification requirements.
Cubewano intends to certify its engines as soon as an industry standard is introduced. (Photo: author)
nn IN THE SHADOW Bill Leonard, programme director of AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, described the selection and evolution of the propulsion
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system used in the Shadow tactical UAS to Unmanned Vehicles. The Shadow was fielded in 2000 in response to an urgent operational need from the US Army, with just months between the 1999 army fly-off that led to AAIs selection and the first low-rate initial production contract, he said. The initial propulsion system, a UEL 741-1100 carburetted engine, was selected based on its fitness to support the stated requirements within the customers critical timeline. He explained that the Shadow evolved rapidly through two configurations, leading
to the Block 2 RQ-7B most would recognise today. Based on feedback from the field, it received significant upgrades to its communications and laser designation equipment, wing design and engine. The propulsion system went through multiple enhancements, such as converting it from a carburetted system to electronic fuel injection, [and] improving reliability as the aircraft grew in size, weight and power consumption [SWaP], noted Leonard. The latest iteration, an all-digital Shadow configuration, which the army calls the V2, is now being prepared for theatre.
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We continue to enhance the powerplant even more, with improvements such as a new oil pressure sensor, temperature monitoring and autopilot logic based on engine operating conditions, he explained, adding that the foundations of the successful evolution of the system was a result of the partnership developed between AAI, the army customer and the engine manufacturer to monitor, develop, implement and test enhancements over time based on feedback from the field. We work together customer, systems integrator and supplier to translate the information into an elegant design based on SWaP considerations, as well as other requirements such as cost. Leonard continued: This strategy has paid off. Over the past 15 months, weve seen more than a 50% reduction in operation and sustainment cost related to the propulsion system for Shadow, a more than 150% increase in mean time between failures and a nearly 30% reduction in unscheduled engine removal costs. These add up to greater reliability and less cost for the customer, which is our ultimate goal.
The unmanned version of K-Max retains the same powerplant as the original. (Photo: Kaman)
nn LASTING LONGER The MQ-9 Reaper also benefited from the introduction of an established propulsion system, as Randy Hartman, UAV product and portfolio manager at Honeywell, explained. General Atomics and the US government were interested in extending the Predators ISR capability for longer distances and longer flight times, he said. The Honeywell TPE331, a single-shaft turboprop engine, allowed them to extend its time aloft, providing a step up from the prior engine that was on the vehicle. The TPE331 was certainly targeted at the MQ-9 it was just the right engine for the Predator as it was efficient and had the right amount of thrust. It was an engine that met the requirements of that vehicle.
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The MQ-9 has undergone changes over time on the back of efforts to extend the range and loiter time of the platform. However, the TPE331 has remained fairly constant throughout this process, according to Hartman. Responding to questions regarding the recent USAF RfI for a new turboprop engine for the MQ-9, he confirmed Honeywell would likely be taking part. We would be aligning our capabilities with the requirements that the USAF has there is still some leeway for the TPE331 to grow and add even more capability in the future if certain upgrades are made, he said. Elaborating on the companys strategic focus on UAV propulsion, Hartman pointed to rotary-wing platforms as showing significant promise. Rotary platforms can be transitioned, where existing platforms are converted into UAVs, he explained. This is what happened with the K-Max, which we currently supply the engine for. We anticipate this trajectory gathering pace in the helicopter world, so we are currently focusing on certain platforms that might go unmanned to determine which of our engines could be successfully integrated in future. As we look toward the 2020 time frame, were likely to see more rotary vehicles that could emerge, and we would have a possibility on a number of those birds with our HTS900, once a civilian application is allowed. Civil applications for unmanned platforms are poised to dramatically expand once certification standards have been formally established by the FAA, however Hartman emphasised the prolonged nature of this process. In the course of our work, we participate with the FAA, trying to figure out what
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commercial standards are going to be in the future, he noted. The certification process is evolving and regulations are slowly becoming established, so we are moving towards a clearer idea of how the FAA might be certifying UAVs in the future.
nn THREE-FOLD FOCUS Hartman said that for Honeywell the future focus for UAV propulsion systems, as well as the overall aircraft, was likely to revolve around three key concepts maintenance, advisory and reliability. [UAVs are] going to be in demand, and theyre going to be flying longer, so well be looking at how to improve maintenance cycles, and how to monitor engine conditions. He predicts greater levels of automation, with more data shared
around the vehicle, and ultimately to the engines as well. We will be monitoring more and more factors, and trying to increase the life cycle and do preventative maintenance more often, so the vehicles dont get into an operational mode and then an uncontrolled condition without a pilot to be able to adjust the situation, he concluded. In contrast to the pre-existing powerplants utilised by Shadow and Predator, the two-stroke reciprocating piston engine used on the Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Integrator was made to order. It was built based on a custom design that our client worked with, explained Northwest UAV spokesman Joe Gibbs. We assembled the components here and subjected the engine to several years of fuels and durability testing.
He explained that the project started a number of years ago, and testing and systems improvements are still being carried out. Weve got a fairly extensive test facility with customdeveloped testing cells, where we run engines 24/7, he continued. We do a lot of durability testing, different fuels testing so we can see how the engine operates on different fuels. Northwest UAV bases its engine testing on a version of the FAR 33 airworthiness standard specifically modified for UAVs. The attempt is to design to a standard that will come out in future, he said. The FAA hasnt launched or introduced a standard, so at this stage we are just using our best guess until that is solidified. Right now, there arent any certified engines, but we are designing a new engine to meet that requirement. The FAA is promising a
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30 PROPULSION
certification standard by 2015. However, this keeps getting pushed out. Our idea with this new engine is to make it certifiable for when the FAA finally does come up with a spec.
nn COTS COMPONENTS As regards engine design, Northwest attempts to utilise COTS components that are already being used in aviation, wherever possible. We create the whole propulsion system, so that includes the generator, the propeller, the cooling system, the muffler system, and getting all that working as one component integrated packages is what we specialise in, continued Gibbs. The projected life cycle for these engines ranges from 250 up to about 500 hours those are the goals. Northwest manufactures a range of UAV engines, including heavy fuel, multi-fuel and Wankel-type rotary. Our heavy fuel engines are primarily designed for maritime applications, as the DoD has specified a single fuel requirement, explained Gibbs. We have designed them so that they are scalable. [This] makes it easy to manufacture for different UAVs and integrate in different ways. Weve got a version that were announcing soon thats purpose-built for FAA certification. With an eye towards the military market, UK-based Cubewano manufactures all of its rotary-wing UAV engines to run on heavy
Honeywell sees its HTS900 as a powerplant for future rotary-wing UAS models. (Photo: Honeywell)
fuel as standard, although they will also run on mixed fuel if required. There are five different sizes of engines that we do: 2.3, 5, 10, 15, and 40hp all of them run on heavy fuel, thats all we run, explained Craig Fletcher, chief executive of the company. We mostly cater to the military market. The reason is cost rotary engines are very expensive to make in small volumes, its as simple as that. The tolerances in a rotary engine are very high. The whole thing goes together without any gaskets and it has got to be right. If you tool up for it in a manufacturing line, the parts for it are very simple and the machine will spit them out. But you need the volume to do that. So high volume, theyre cheap, low volume, theyre not.
Northwest UAV conducts a wide range of tests on its engine products using an extensive in-house facility. (Photo: Northwest UAV)
nn TOTAL COSTS Fletcher pointed out that the cost of an engine is more than just the purchase price, its the cost of ownership over the period of its useable life. He said: How often you have to service it, and how much does the service cost? How often do you have to overhaul it and how much does an overhaul cost? An overhaul isnt just the cost of the overhaul, its the cost of physically removing the engine from the vehicle, of getting it somewhere where you can do the overhaul, the logistics of shipping it there, and all of these costs add up. The smaller the engine, the more likely they are to return it to base. If its a small engine [the customer] will just carry a spare, and rather than do an overhaul theyll just swap it, and send the other one back to us to do the overhaul. With the larger engines, its quite a big affair trying to get it
out of the vehicle and shipping it back. So we will do the training in-house for them to do the overhaul themselves and supply a service kit. Comparing the process of manufacturing an engine for a UAS versus manned equivalents, Fletcher underscored a key difference. Technically, physically, the process of manufacturing propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft is no different than for manned aircraft. As far as all of the paperwork goes, its very different. At the moment we dont manufacture any engine that is certified. This is starting to change. Theres been quite an issue in the industry in that there hasnt been the ability to certify for UAVs because there hasnt been a certification level. No one knows quite what that certification is.
nn QUALITY ASSURANCE Cubewano runs its engine systems to AS9100, a quality management aerospace standard. Weve got that system in place, although we havent been certified because there are two visits, said Fletcher. [The CAA] comes and sees that you have your systems in place, and then they come back again later when youve got a load of data because they need to see data of the system running. We have not had that second visit. But that hasnt detracted from the fact that we still have the systems in place. Sooner or later, we are going to be in a position where we have to certify our own engines to one standard or another. I look forward to it, because when that standard is physically available, Im going to be knocking on their door to get them certified straight away. uv
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32 GROUND SYSTEMS
Knowing where its at

R
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.
Defence applications like Oshkoshs TerraMax kit are likely to feature lower autonomy levels than civilian counterparts. (Photo: Oshkosh)
ecent US Senate hearings may come to be viewed as something of a milestone in the acceptance and application of autonomous vehicle technology. The mid-May sessions, convened by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, focused on The Road Ahead: Advanced Vehicle Technology and its Implications. Noteworthy about the hearings was not the fact that they covered autonomous vehicles, but that they addressed driverless technology on the same level as other safety and performance enhancements. As an example, in his opening remarks committee chairman Senator John Rockefeller observed: The power of technology is already saving lives. Looking a bit farther down the
road, he highlighted the self-driving car that could take you safely from point A to point B with no human involvement
nn DARPA DAYS Obviously, one of the key aspects of autonomous vehicle design involves navigation subsystems, and many would argue that a lot of todays technologies can be traced back to the challenges sponsored between 2004 and 2007 by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA competitions included two Grand Challenge events (2004 and 2005) that explored autonomous vehicle abilities to traverse off-road courses in a set amount of time, followed by an Urban Challenge event
At least one member of Carnegie Mellons 2007 Urban Challenge-winning team now works on Googles automated cars. (Photo: author)
(2007) that shifted the trials to the shopping and housing areas of an abandoned air base near Victorville, California. The DARPA challenges were really what got us into this whole market space, observed John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer for Oshkosh Defense. We saw a need through the DoD for this type of technology obviously DARPA spurred that technology development and Oshkosh used that as sort of our beginning requirements. Beck explained that Oshkoshs involvement in the challenges grew through the first two events, with initial participation involving providing a vehicle and project management for a team that included Ohio State University and Italys Parma University, which supplied the stereo vision. That [2004 Grand Challenge] system was based on largely radar and stereo vision, he said. Then, for the second challenge, we got more involved, particularly for the integration of the system onto the vehicle and addressing things like how you control the engine, brakes, steering and transmission. That event saw Oshkosh teaming with Rockwell Scientific. Rockwell Collins and Rockwell Automation had a shared resource called Rockwell Scientific and they helped quite a bit with things like path planning and LIDAR processing or perception, Beck said. And we still were working with Alberto Broggi [of Parma] for the stereo vision with the disparity
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33 GROUND SYSTEMS
between two images allowing you to triangulate, basically, the range of obstacles.
nn TRINOCULAR VISION Beck explained that the capability was based on three baselines of stereo vision dubbed trinocular, with two cameras at the sides of the vehicle and a third mounted off-centre. So, based on speed we could basically select which baseline to use. At high speed we would use the wide baseline, because you are determining obstacles at a greater distance. As we went slower we used the middle baseline. And then as we went very slow we used the shorter baseline. It was an interesting concept and it worked quite well. The Victorville Urban Challenge still featured considerable stereo vision as well as other machine vision technologies. The difference between the earlier challenges going from point A to point B through the desert and the Urban Challenge was that the Urban Challenge brought in a whole new aspect, which was dynamic obstacles and rules of the road. You needed to be able to pull up to a stop sign and obey intersection driving rules For that requirement the thing needed to drive in accordance with the California Drivers Handbook. So that was quite a challenge. First prize in the Urban Challenge event was awarded to Carnegie Mellons Tartan Racing entry, which had included sponsorship and
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support from Applanix, CarSim, Caterpillar, Clean Power Resources, Continental, General Motors, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Ibeo, Intel, McCabe Software, M/A-Com, Mobileye, NetApp, TeleAtlas and Vector CANTech. Second place went to the Stanford Racing Teams Junior, a diesel VW Passat wagon design supported by team partners Applanix, Google, Intel, MDV, NXP, Red Bull and Volkswagen of America. The DARPA challenge experience clearly provided a springboard for both military and civilian autonomous vehicle development. For example, in announcing its automated cars in October 2010, Google emphasised technology for cars that can drive themselves, and pointed to a development team that included the technical lead for Carnegie Mellons 2007 Urban Challenge winner as well as the software lead for the victorious 2005 Stanford Grand Challenge effort.
nn LOCKHEED LEGACY On the military side, in addition to Oshkosh Defense, Lockheed Martin also traces a strong autonomous vehicle heritage back to the DARPA events. According to Myron Mills, programme manager for the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) UGV at Lockheed Martin: Much of the autonomy algorithm work, which involves navigation, came from a software group thats part of Lockheed Martin Missiles
and Fire Control that we call Autonomous Systems, and that group has their heritage as a small company formerly known as PercepTek. And when they were PercepTek they did participate in the DARPA challenge. PercepTeks Team Urbanator Urban Challenge candidate was based on a Chevy Tahoe SUV dubbed Rocky. Mills continued: We also have another group within Lockheed Martin whose expertise we tap known as our Advanced Technology Lab in New Jersey. They also participated in the DARPA challenge series along with a couple of universities. Acknowledging that background in the company to draw on, he quickly added: Given that DARPA challenge background as a starting point then we did a lot of development, building on that basis, to do what we want the SMSS to do. One area of developmental divergence between military and civilian applications of autonomous vehicle technologies over the past half-decade involves the desired levels of autonomy. While Google and others are taking the military technology foundation toward driverless civilian cars, it is unlikely that defence applications will feature true autonomy, reflecting instead a need to remove as many warfighters from as many threats as quickly as possible. Oshkoshs Beck observed that in the last half decade the company has come to
34 GROUND SYSTEMS
understand that the DoD isnt ready for a robot [where they say]: Heres a map. Heres where we want you to go. Go do it, and then keep hands-off until it gets to its destination. Thats just not practical, because there are certain things that can come along the way where you may want to have some interaction. Thats the philosophy applied to the companys TerraMax UGV, a vehicle kit system that advances perception, localisation and motion planning to protect warfighters from IED threats and increase performance in autonomous missions. Elements of the modular kit include: a multi-modal sensor suite consisting of LIDAR, radar, optical feeds and a military-grade global navigation satellite system; an operator control unit that allows operators to create/load route information and observe/manage internal operations and autonomous systems status; and Command Zone computer-controlled, multiplexed electronics technology operating and diagnosing all by-wire vehicle systems. The disadvantage of a remote-controlled cargo truck is that its a lot easier to just jump in the thing and drive it than it is to sit in a moving platform or at a desk and remote control it with your entire attention devoted, Beck acknowledged. This understanding translated to a recent design focus on things like improving the ability of the robot to understand/deal with its environment through perception sensors and being able to automate vehicle elements beyond areas like the throttle, braking, steering and transmission. The expanded areas for integration could include things like driveline locks or a central tyre inflation system. Lockheed Martins Mills identified a number of considerations in designing a new system with autonomous capabilities, offering: A lot of what drives your decisions for your navigation system is very dependent on what level of autonomy, if any, you want the vehicle to have in what sorts of environments. Choosing his words to avoid competitive disclosure, he offered: If you have a UGV that is tele-op[erated] or remote control only, the requirements for the navigation subsystem are
SMSS can also trace its developmental lineage back to the DARPA challenge series. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
very benign. If you have a vehicle that has several modes of autonomy and you expect it to navigate autonomously in very chaotic terrain, then the requirements on your sensors and navigation system are much more severe. Theres sort of a continuum there.
nn PRICE TAG Along with levels of autonomy there is also the question of cost. So you start by determining what level of capability you want the vehicle to have and then you also factor in how much cost you can stand in the system for your customer. And from that you then decide what level of navigation, instrumentation and software you are going to need to do the job, Mills observed. Asked how that design approach might limit sequential enhancement of platforms as new technologies are introduced, he said that the ease of adding new functionality to an existing autonomous design kind of depends on the vehicle and whether you picked any navigation subsystem components that had additional capability in the first place. For instance, one level of autonomy that can be used in certain very controlled environments is just blind GPS waypoint following, where youre not sensing any obstacles in your environment but instead you are simply following a GPS path to get to certain waypoints when you need to get there, he explained. For some types of activities for unmanned systems that may work perfectly well. But if you want to be able to sense obstacles and things in your environment and be able to avoid them, then you have to give the system some eyes some machine vision which can be done in a
number of ways. It can be done with stereo cameras. It can be done with LIDAR. And that capability could be added on top of a machine that already had blind waypoint following, assuming that the machine is physically large enough to put those additional sensors on there and your system can handle the additional computing overhead to run those algorithms and things. He added that another critical element in the introduction of new sensing and computing resources would be a base design featuring excess electrical power capability. While both the US Army and USMC are exploring the applications of different levels of autonomy, civilian autonomous vehicles continue to cruise down highways albeit with a technician still in the drivers seat to take back control if needed. As of August of last year, Google reported the completion of more than 480,000km of this type of self-driving car testing, as well as the expansion of the technology onto new civilian vehicle platforms like the Lexus RX 450h. In terms of military programmes, Mills says that Lockheed Martin is targeting SMSS towards an emerging US Army programme called Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport which has been slipping to the right due to budget pressures and is still a couple of years away. In the interim, were working on beefing up our capability, working some mission equipment packages, and generating the degree of high flexibility that we think the customer is ultimately going to need to have, he said. Beck noted that the Oshkosh Cargo UGV contract, placed through the Robotic Technology Consortium and being worked with the USMC and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren completed its culminating event a limited objective experiment at Fort Pickett, Virginia last August. So that is winding down. We met the objectives. And there are a few activities still lingering with that project, he said. Choosing his words very carefully, he added: Were looking at taking it to the next level. uv
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35 SENSORS
Broad spectrum
O
ne leader in combining EO/IR capabilities for UAVs in the MALE and HALE categories is Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, which is currently marking 50 years since it introduced FLIR technology. The cornerstone of Raytheons work in this area is its Multi-Spectral Targeting System B (MTS-B), which provides EO, IR, laser designation and laser illumination capabilities in a single sensor package,and is currently in use on Italian, UK and USAF MQ-9 Reapers, US Customs and Border Protections Guardian and the USNs Triton UAS. The company has also developed a high-definition EO/IR version of its Common Sensor Payload (CSP) turret, CSP HD. In September 2012 Raytheon demonstrated
UAVs are carrying more sophisticated payloads than ever before. While much attention is focused on radar-based technologies, the market mainstay continues to be EO/IR systems, providing operators with high-definition imagery and the highest possible targeting accuracy, reports Claire Apthorp.
this system on a US Army Gray Eagle platform, followed by two weeks of successful CSP HD flight testing in Yuma, Arizona, in December. The CSP system was competitively selected for the MQ-1C platform. CSP HD provides significantly improved image quality and resolution compared to standard definition (SD) systems. According to the company, it was developed in direct response to warfighter requests for improved imagery.
Both MTS-B and CSP HD are available with HD cameras in both the visible and IR spectrum, and this makes their imagery superior to earlier systems that utilised lower-resolution SD cameras and detectors, or systems with only HD visible cameras, Andy Bonnot, Raytheons director of surveillance and targeting systems, told Unmanned Vehicles. The cameras feature completely native HD, using detectors that encompass the full number of pixels required to generate a simultaneous HD image this is also
Controps T-Stamp payload uses a cooled detector to provide better image quality. (Photo: Controp)
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36 SENSORS
superior to other systems that might use an SD detector and then create an HD image through processing two SD images together. Native HD systems that generate the HD image at the detector provide superior image quality in the presence of motion, since the HD image is generated by a single frame of video versus two successive frames. In addition, they can run at higher effective frame rates and require less processor power in the system, freeing up the processor for other taskings, additional algorithm processing or targeting.
The MX-10 turret was designed as an entry-level product for smaller airframes. (Photo: L-3 Wescam)
nn WEIGHT LOSS Automatic algorithms are also an increasingly hot topic for manufacturers, who are seeing increasing requirements to reduce the workload of the payload operator. In order to achieve this, Neri Zin, senior director of EO ISTAR systems at Elop, told UV that recent developments for the companys D-Compass product have focused on adding extra video enhancement features and automatic algorithms, so that less operator input is required to identify targets, even at long ranges. A central component of the UKs Watchkeeper UAV payload, D-Compass delivers day and night ISTAR capabilities in harsh weather conditions. Its light weight and small size is made possible by miniature digital electronics and advanced lightweight materials. Being able to provide high-performance payloads that meet the demanding size, weight
and power (SWaP) constraints of the platform is a significant benefit here, particularly for MALE aircraft that need to fly higher and for longer periods to meet current customer requirements. D-Compasss compact design also frees up additional payload and fuel capacity in the carrier platform. Our customers want platforms that can perform missions at higher altitudes and with longer endurance, Zin said. Therefore we need to provide longer-range observation solutions that offer the same performance as that provided by lower-altitude systems with the same constraints on size and weight. This is also a feature of FLIR Systems Star Safire and Brite Star product lines, which both provide the performance of much larger, 20in class systems in a compact, lighter weight, multi-sensor configuration. The Brite Star II payload is the EO/IR targeting system used in the USNs MQ-8B Fire Scout, featuring: a five-field-of-view (FOV), large-format thermal imager; a three-FOV, hi-resolution, three-chip
colour daylight camera with matched FOV to the thermal imager; a diode-pumped laser pointer and automatic in-flight boresighting capability; a laser spot tracker; an automatic target tracker; and an inertial measurement unit (IMU)/navigation processor. FLIRs products have been integrated on multiple UAV platforms in addition to the MQ-8B. The TALON lightweight, gyro-stabilised 9in turret that contains up to six payloads simultaneously is used on the AAI Shadow 400, and the Star Safire HD is installed on the TCOM 17M aerostat, among others. According to the company, Star Safire HD is the only EO/IR turret in its class to provide full digital HD video from all of its imaging sensors, with output feed that meets US DoD and NATO specifications for HD acquisition. The system is true digital, featuring megapixel thermal, daylight and low-light cameras with high-magnification optics, laser payloads and a fully-integrated IMU to precisely locate targets.
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37 SENSORS
nn PERFECTLY FORMED The requirements at the small UAS (SUAS) end of the spectrum are slightly different. Unlike large UAVs that fly at high altitudes and are complicated to operate, SUAVs are easier to control but nonetheless require effective EO/IR payloads to provide reliable and effective data for operators. And as the demand for SUAS increases, the technology being utilised for lightweight payloads is advancing apace. SUAS payloads are limited by the SWaP constraints of the platform, but as these aircraft are being utilised in demanding operational scenarios, the sensors they carry must be able to overcome these limitations and deliver clear and precise imagery to soldiers on the ground. One of the biggest challenges in the SUAS sphere is that, unlike large UAVs that are
being flown by professionals, SUAS are being flown by an infantry soldier for whom it is only one of many jobs, so the payload must be simple to operate and the imagery must be easy to interpret, Johnny Carni, VP of marketing at Controp, told UV. That means the payload cameras must be highly stable, with user-friendly control of line of sight and a continuous zoom lens. Controp has built these capabilities into its Stamp family of payloads a range of miniature, lightweight, stabilised airborne sensors which are designed to be carried by a miniature UAV for tactical over-the-hill reconnaissance in daylight and/or at night. These products utilise a three-gimbal design for high-quality stabilisation of the image something that is very difficult in small aircraft
as well as a gyro mounted on the line of sight to help the operator keep his eye on the target. The M-Stamp 1.2kg payload includes a daylight camera with continuous optical zoom, uncooled IR with a dual or continuous FOV lens and a laser pointer. The first deliveries took place earlier this year, and the company has already received orders for several hundred payloads from unnamed customers. Having a continuous zoom lens on an uncooled camera is an important aspect of the technology. The alternative option is single-FOV and dual-FOV imagery, and for the operator, the ability to zoom in continuously without losing view of the target is a major advantage. If something is detected in a single FOV, the operator cannot investigate because he
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38 SENSORS
cannot zoom in, Carni explained. With dual FOV, the seconds it takes to switch between a wide FOV and a narrow FOV can cause the operator to lose track of the target especially if it is moving so having a continuous zoom lens allows the operator to keep track of the target while he zooms in to investigate. The T-Stamp 3kg payload includes an IR camera (T-Stamp C with cooled 3-5 micron camera with x7 continuous optical zoom; or T-Stamp U with uncooled 8-12 micron camera with x4 continuous optical zoom), a day TV camera with x10 continuous optical zoom and an optional laser pointer. Having a cooled detector on the T-Stamp provides enhanced imagery, and offering this capability in a 3kg payload is a big differentiator. As IR imaging provides a thermal picture, the cooler the sensor is, the better the image will be. However, as cooled detectors require a refrigeration component, this becomes a weak point of the technology, generally requiring greater maintenance as well as adding weight to the payload. As a result, cooled imagery in a 1kg payload is almost impossible, but to meet the need for high-performance imagery for SUAS, Controp has developed a very small cooler and cooled camera for the T-Stamp. The system is intended for SUAVs within the 10-30kg weight range, and the company has delivered the payload to Israeli UAS developer Aeronautics as well as customers in North America and Europe.
Stabilised turret systems offer improved precision engagement capability. (Image: L-3 Wescam)
The company has built stabilisation technology into its EO/IR turret products in order to achieve this, along with accurate and stable geo-referenced pointing to reduce operator burden and enhance precision engagement. L-3s EO/IR heritage goes back to the late 1990s, when it developed the MX-20 system which fulfilled the USNs requirements for a new EO/IR sensor for the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. That was followed by the MX-15 aimed at manned aircraft and the MX-10, which was launched in 2008 to create a smaller, lower-cost product that could be leveraged into price-sensitive markets, the UAV sector and across multiple domains airborne, land, and shipboard and has been integrated on the Camcopter S-100. That was followed by its designator variant, the MX-10D, which is
intended for light attack helicopters and tactical UAVs. The newest product in the MX family is the MX-25, which had its first flight trials in 2012 and is aimed at customers who wish to have a very long stand-off range for surveillance and accurate target geo-location accuracy. In February, the company delivered the MX-25 to the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, where it was evaluated by the Persistent Threat and Detection System (PTDS) team of the US Armys Communications-Electronics Command as a plug-and-play upgrade path for MX-20 systems currently deployed on PTDS aerostats. During the evaluation, side-by-side resolution tests were conducted with the MX-20 and MX-25, whereby the latter provided similarly detailed thermal imagery at 50% greater stand-off ranges.
nn CRYSTAL CLEAR Stabilisation technology is a central concern for EO/IR payload manufacturers. This is much more difficult to achieve in small UAVs, which are inherently more unstable than their large fixed-wing counterparts. Vibration induced by the host aircraft results in a fuzzy image, which reduces the distance at which objects can be detected, recognised and identified, Paul Jennison, VP of sales and business development at L-3 Wescam, told UV. Cancelling that vibration before it reaches the imagers is the key to getting the maximum possible imaging range performance from our cameras.
Raytheons CSP turret is now available with a full high-definition sensor installation. (Photo: Raytheon)
nn GROWING SEGMENTS In terms of where L-3 Wescam sees the EO/IR UAV payload market heading, Jennison said he expects it to grow significantly in a number of respects over the coming years. The market for UCAVs will be driven by the US government defence shift to east Asia, where there is a requirement for UAVs that fly higher, faster and stealthier than the present inventory due to anti-aircraft/air defence airspace. That creates a requirement for higher stand-off EO/IR sensors, he said. High growth is also expected for the man-portable mini-UAV market, where you typically find 3in sensor balls. A good example is the burgeoning quadcopter technology. That growth will be driven by forthcoming FAA regulations that will allow police forces and other users to operate UAVs in domestic US airspace. The EU is expected to follow suit in a few years. uv
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40 INTERVIEW
Getting hot and heavy

n unmanned version of the K-Max flying crane helicopter has been operating in Afghanistan as part of a USMC study project for the past 18 months, and all the evidence so far is that it is providing an invaluable service. According to Il Grande, the deployment will arrive at its two-year point in November, and is scheduled to continue through FY2014. But weve had indications from the marine corps that well probably be there as long as they are, he told Unmanned Vehicles. The deployment has progressed significantly since the aircraft arrived in-theatre. The activity at the start was from one of the main operating bases, with two aircraft supporting two FOBs. Weve moved from that concept to operating from an FOB and supporting many bases forward. The aircraft are more and more a part of the fabric of operations out there.
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.
The two aircraft in-theatre have also undergone some modifications since deployment under a contract from NAVAIR. Weve increased the range, revealed Il Grande. We took a section that was previously being used for storage and adapted it to carry fuel. Thats extended the range so that we can reach more FOBs. The first extended-range fuel tank mission was successfully completed recently and the K-Max have made deliveries to at least 11 different sites.
nn PROVEN SUCCESS Il Grande said this has occurred because of the reliability and dependability the aircraft has demonstrated. The two platforms are now operating up to six missions a day, and to date have delivered more than 1.58 million kilograms of cargo. Thats the confidence there now is in the system, he added. Retrograde has also become a significant tasking order for the US. Weve added procedures for retrograde over time, and marines are now hooking up cargo while the aircraft are hovering overhead. As the mission has evolved in Afghanistan, the forces there are reorganising and cargo that was previously delivered has needed to be moved to other locations. Thats a concept of operations capability that has grown with confidence over time.
nn ORDER OF MAGNITUDE A record mission distance of 58km one way has been achieved thus far and the capability has also demonstrated in-theatre for the aircraft to land and get refuelled at forward points without shutting down. According to Il Grande, the cost to run the K-Max is about $1,400 per hour, which is an order of magnitude less than many other military aircraft. In addition to its normal cargo work, K-Max was recently called on to assist US special forces in Afghanistan. The lesson weve learnt jointly is how to deploy this capability, he suggested. It fits a niche in terms of range and load-carrying capability. And where the risk is high more and more that is becoming a K-Max mission. The USMC has now tasked a number of companies to study the results from the K-Max trials to suggest future options. The reports are to inform the future direction of employing this sort of capability. Weve also had the US Army looking at it as well. How to effect that capability for themselves. There are certain contracts with the AATD [US Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate] to assess whats in the realm of the possible with autonomy.
Il Grande said that the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) is also investigating extensions of cargo UAS capability. Theyre looking at advanced concepts such as fully autonomous landing zone identification, he noted. Acknowledging the characteristics of the aircraft, Il Grande said that the success the company and partner Kaman Aerospace has had in Afghanistan is as much attributable to the aircraft as it is to the autonomous package. We started with a cargo solution and made it autonomous, he observed. Thats the inherent reliability. Were now looking at how to take the autonomy on a platform like K-Max and stretch it to other missions. The question is how far we can extend the capability, given the state of the art. What were doing for the ONR and the army is intended to be platform-agnostic. Phase two of the ONR work will see the company take the technology and apply it to a second platform. Il Grande said that Lockheed Martin had made a suggestion to the ONR about what that platform should be, but that it was commercially sensitive while the office was still downselecting the company to take it through to the next phase of the study. uv
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