28 Oct 16. New sUAS from BrockTek. BrockTek, an engineering and manufacturing company specializing in unmanned systems, subsystems and components, recently introduced a new UAS to market – the STORM – a small tactical UAS that comes as a complete solution to serve a variety of missions. As a small business, BrockTek believes in employing the highest levels of innovation and diversification in everything they do, and their entrepreneurial spirit attests to the continuous research and development work they perform.
“The STORM was not built on a model of ‘build it and they will come’”, said Callie Groth, BrockTek’s Vice President of Operations and Business Development. “It was built based on actual customer needs and wants – both in Government & Defense and Civilian & Commercial sectors. After gaining a thorough understanding of gaps in existing UAS solutions from a myriad of customers, BrockTek set forth to design, develop and manufacture a complete UAS solution: A backpack carry, hand assembly, agile and durable sUAS, capable of flying a variety of missions from aerial surveillance to over-the-hill reconnaissance to data collection. The system requires only one operator, can be tablet controlled, has interchangeable wings, and comes with spare parts.
From initial concept to the first endurance test, BrockTek completed the first phase of the STORM project in just 9 weeks. “We are not a team that likes to waste time and take months to think about things. We like to start working immediately. When we do this, we don’t just meet expectations, we exceed them.”
The STORM has received great feedback thus far, but BrockTek isn’t stopping there. As the aircraft undergoes further testing, both internally and externally, the company is continuing to improve features.
“We want to deliver an aircraft that is efficient and effective. And our team will not stop until we have reached that goal”, said Groth. (Source: UAS VISION)
26 Oct 16. The vice chief of Staff for the US Army has identified five objectives to guide development and employment of unmanned systems in the air and the ground, as the service takes a hard look at how it will operate in future battlefields.
Situational awareness
Gen. Daniel Allyn, in a keynote presentation at the Unmanned Systems Defense conference on Wednesday, emphasized that unmanned systems must increase situational awareness, as these platforms can go where manned systems cannot, increasing the agility of the individual soldier and units.
Allyn said that in 2018, the Army will use Improved Gray Eagles (IGE), the service’s variant of the MQ-9 Reaper drone used by the Air Force. This capability, he said, will triple the range of existing systems and increase payload capability to support soldiers at extended distances. The Army began procuring the IGEs in 2015.
The Army is also developing multifunctional electronic warfare (EW) payloads for these systems to sustain information dominance in future battlefields.
Lighten the load
The Army general also said unmanned systems must lighten soldier’s physical and cognitive loads.
The Army, he said, is focused on capabilities like the squad multipurpose system transport — an unmanned system that can carry a squad’s worth of equipment with multifunctional flexibility to make key contributions.
The service also is developing a common UAS ground control station. This breakthrough technology, he said, will enable a common interface for multiple types of unmanned systems, meaning both RQ-7 Shadow and Gray Eagle operators, who today use different displays, will enjoy commonality, reducing operator workload and increasing interoperability with the Army and in joint operations.
The other services are also looking into this capability for the same purpose.
Better mobility, improved efficiency
At the conference, Allyn also called for unmanned systems that can sustain the force with increased distribution, throughput and efficiency. These systems must be