27 Oct 09. DARPA outlines lofty ambitions for Vulture II flight demonstration. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is taking forward plans to develop and flight-test an ultra-long endurance airborne payload carrier that could remain on station for years at a time. In a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) released on 22 October, DARPA said that its Vulture II programme “will research and develop technologies and systems, which will enable the military to affordably deliver and maintain a 1,000 lb, 5 kW airborne payload for an uninterrupted period of at least five years with an on-station probability of 99 per cent. (Source: Jane’s)
04 Nov 09. AeroVironment’s micro-unmanned aerial system (MUAS) Raven B has been approved by the Dutch military for operation in the country’s airspace. The Raven B was selected by the Dutch Ministry of Defence for its hand-launchability, reliability, ease of use, robustness, demonstrated in-theatre operational performance and logistics support, the military said. The 4.2lb backpackable sensor platform provides day and night real-time video imagery for ‘over the hill’ and ‘around the corner’ reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units.
26 Oct 09. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)is funding a technology acquisition effort in anticipation of a future combat drone program. The company’s work extends to building a scaled version of its design, which it has already put in the air. KAI’s concept, called K-UCAV, would conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, including suppression of enemy air defenses. The stealthy airplane would also operate as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft with an “excellent sensor system,” the company says. No concrete South Korean requirement for a combat drone has been revealed, and industry executives say there is none. But research into such aircraft may be one way for Korea Aerospace to maintain its combat aircraft skills. The company has built up a fighter design capability with the T-50 supersonic trainer program, which has also produced the FA-50 light attack aircraft, but approval of its next fighter project, the semi-stealthy KF-X, is in doubt. One criticism of the KF-X is that it would appear too late in the history of the piloted fighter and that South Korea would more wisely focus its development resources on unmanned aircraft. At the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition here last week, KAI displayed the 20% scale model of the K‑UCAV that it has built to validate the aerodynamic aspects of its design. The research effort began last year, initially focusing on a blended-wing design that was dropped after aerodynamic analysis suggested it would be difficult to control. (Source: Aviation Week)
26 Oct 09. In the fight against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),
Schiebel has been awarded a sub contract by the U.S. technology company, CenTauri Solutions, to provide its CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAV as the air vehicle for a counter IED project known as “Yellow Jacket”. This is Schiebel’s first sale for use of its product by the U.S. DoD. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York (AFRL) is the U.S. Government’s sponsor for “Yellow Jacket” and has contracted with the U.S. company CenTauri Solutions LLC to examine the feasibility of using a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the solution to help detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the air. CenTauri Solutions has been contracted by AFRL to design a system incorporating a high definition electro-optical sensor combinedwith an unintentional electromagnetic emissions detector on board the autonomous, VTOL Schiebel Camcopter® S-100 UAV. The aim of the $11m feasibility and evaluation contract is to assist in the detection of IEDs, which are identified as the single greatest threat to the lives and safety of US and coalition forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.