02 Dec 11. French Navy trials Camcopter at sea. The French Navy recently completed a series of sea trials of the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) onboard the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) L’Adroit . The trials of the Austrian-built UAV, which were announced on 29 November, took place in the Bay of Biscay from the newly commissioned Gowind OPV. (Source: Jane’s, JDW)

05 Dec 11. New algorithm boosts undersea gliders decision-making. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Southern California (USC) have applied fundamental research in autonomous behaviour to undersea oceanographic glider vehicles under a technology initiative sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR). The new algorithm helps gliders decide when to spend more time surveying specific regions that have changes in activity or environmental factors, rather than paying equal attention to each and every area. (Source: Jane’s, IDR)

19 Dec 11. Under the Defence Capability Plan Joint Project (JP) 129 Phase 2, the Australian Army is acquiring two complete Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) systems. Sentient announced that its automated target detection solution – Kestrel Land MTI – will actively support the TUAV systems in their surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition missions. Operated by the 20 Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Regiment, Kestrel Land MTI will assist Australian forces in analysing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) imagery from the AAI Shadow 200. The software processes the imagery in real time, automatically detecting small, moving targets such as dismounts and vehicles within the TUAV sensors’ field of view. The Army TUAV Capability Implementation Team, which is bringing the Shadow 200 into service, sees in Kestrel Land MTI a significant ISR capability enhancement. The Shadow will be the Army’s “eyes in the sky”. Equipped with cutting-edge payload technology including advanced electro-optical and infrared sensors the Shadow will transmit real-time, full motion video (FMV) to the Ground Control Station (GCS) and remote video viewing devices. Kestrel will analyse the video footage and provide a real-time cue to operators on moving objects within the field of view. This capability will enable the Army to effectively detect and respond to enemy targets, and thus protect Australian forces. The Army has purchased three Kestrel Land MTI licenses for 20 STA Regiment, which will be deployed with the Shadow in Afghanistan early next year. Sentient has been working closely with 20 STA Regiment and AAI over the past years and has successfully demonstrated Kestrel’s automated target detection capability with the Shadow. (Source: ASD Network)