16 Nov 16. Boeing in Talks for UAS Under ‘Make in India’ Initiative.
Boeing has said it is in talks with Indian companies to collaborate under the ‘Make in India’ initiative to manufacture Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that could be used for surveillance by the Indian Navy.
Brad Jeisman, Senior Business Development Manager of Insitu Pacific which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, said since the Indian Navy is looking to acquire a UAS, it is “actively working” on it.
“We had discussions with a number of Indian companies on what could be possible to support our make and buy Indian (products). We are working with different companies. We are meeting with some of the larger ones that we typically expect, but we are also interested in small to medium scale industries,” Jeisman said.
Insitu Pacific builds UAS, apart from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and supplies it to Australia and other countries in Asia-Pacific.
Under the UAS, it manufactures ‘ScanEagle’ that gives images and live video feed on land or at sea and can be used for surveillance methods. ’Interceptor’ is another such UAS with cameras and communication capabilities.
Boeing recently announced its joint venture with the Tatas namely Tata advanced System Ltd (TASL) – Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL). He said the company is also in talks with small and medium enterprises in India.
Talks are also in progress on how much per cent of the product could be manufactured in India under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, he added.
“What we have found in our discussions, observations and meetings that India has incredibly gifted small and medium- sized companies with amazing technology on your doorstep,” Jeisman said. (Source: UAS VISION/The New Indian Express)
16 Nov 16. 10 Hour Flights with Fuel Cell Electric UAV. H3 Dynamics has unveiled HYWINGS, a hand-launchable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of 10 hour flight durations and distances of up to 500km.
At a total take off-weight of just 7kg, HYWINGS can cover larger areas of land faster, while removing the need for catapult launchers or runways typically required by larger, heavier and more expensive systems. This translates to less time spent in the field, greatly reducing costs for operators.
For UAV manufacturers, HYWINGS demonstrates technology deployed in flight, skipping months or years of testing in the lab, thereby reducing development costs while accelerating go-to-market.
As a miniaturized electric aircraft of the future, HYWINGS is also a step towards enabling larger platforms. With further improvements to its technology in combination with new aircraft designs, HES sees the feasibility of 50 to 80 hour electric flight durations in both unmanned and manned aircraft configurations.
HYWINGS is part of growing product line-up at H3 Dynamics, which includes HYCOPTER, a hydrogen-electric multi-rotor platform, and DRONEBOX, a remotely operated drone charging station which can self-sustain in the field for up to 2 years.
Aerospace-grade fuel cell technology, which can be 3 to 5 times lighter than lithium batteries is the result of a 10-year evolution at HES Energy Systems, an H3 Dynamics subsidiary. HES Energy Systems is now working on field-refueling systems as accessories to HYWINGS and HYCOPTER platforms. Unlike much larger refueling stations designed to fill up to 300kWh worth of hydrogen in fuel cell cars, HES is designing small and portable refueling systems able to fill up 1kWh storage tanks, which is enough to fly HYWINGS for 6 hours. (Source: UAS VISION)
15 Nov 16. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) demonstrated for the first time how its suite of optionally-piloted helicopters and small unmanned aerial systems can work together to successfully locate and extinguish fires, pinpoint the location of a missing person, and bring that person to safety.
“When lives are at risk, advanced human-machine teams can comp