Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
————————————————————————
21 Jul 17. South Korean Tiltrotor Completes Flight Trials from Ship. South Korea’s locally developed TR-60 tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has for the first time successfully carried out flight trials from a moving ship, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said in a statement on 11 July. The 200 kg UAV took off from and landed on the flight deck of a Korea Coast Guard vessel travelling at a speed of 10 kt. The flight manoeuvres, which were conducted on 7 July, confirmed the possibility of the TR-60 operating from a vessel, said the company, adding that the UAV can be used in a number of areas, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, search-and-rescue operations, transport, communication, and relay. The production-ready TR-60 UAV was unveiled at the 2016 DX Korea land warfare exhibition, held at the KINTEX convention centre in the South Korean city of Goyang. As Jane’s reported at the time, the TR-60, which is constructed from lightweight composites, measures 3 m in length as well as wingspan (and approximately 5 m from one rotor tip to another), and has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 210 kg, according to specifications provided by KARI. A 55hp rotary engine transfers power mechanically to the twin swivelling nacelles, enabling the UAV to operate at a top speed of 250 km/h at a maximum altitude of 14,763 ft. (Source: UAS VISION/Jane’s 360)
21 Jul 17. Unmanned Systems Presents Supercam S450 at MAKS. Izhevsk-based Unmanned Systems is using this year’s MAKS show to present a mock-up of its new development, the Supercam S450 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This upgraded version of the Supercam S350 baseline has its accumulator-powered endurance extended to eight hours and can carry four kilograms of payload. The developer says the UAV has a maximum airspeed of 120km/h and a maximum range of 560km. The radio link has a maximum operational radius of 110km, and the video channel range is up to 80km. The UAV is fitted with a wing detachment mechanism for rough landing situations. The detachable wing simplifies transportation and repairs. The vehicle’s possible mission payloads include an remote-controlled HD video camera, a remote-controlled video camera with 720х576 resolution, a thermal imager, as well as assorted photographic cameras and radiation sensors. The payload is installed under the center wing for unobstructed coverage. An Unmanned Systems representative told Russian Aviation Insider that the aircraft has successfully passed the flight tests and is ready for series production, which is scheduled to start in late 2017. The price tag will depend on the configuration and is negotiable. The Supercam S450 is intended for real-time airborne video surveillance day and night. As part of its exposition at MAKS 2017, Unmanned Systems is also demonstrating a target acquisition and tracking module. Mounted on a UAV, the module can acquire and track a target selected by the operator. It supports digital image stabilization; keeps the UAV in place based on the video imagery, including in situations when satellite-based navigation is unavailable; and also provides automatic target tracking and autonomous camera movement control based on the video picture. The module can be installed on such fixed-wing UAVs as the Supercam S100, Supercam S250, Supercam S350, and Supercam S450. (Source: UAS VISION/Russian Aviation Insider)
21 Jul 17. Russia Offers Advanced Reconnaissance UAV for Export. Russia’s Kronshtadt hi-tech firm has started to offer its Orion-E unmanned aerial vehicle for export, Kronshtadt CEO Armen Isaakyan said on Wednesday.
“We are today announcing this complex and are already working with our partners in Rosoboronexport [state arms seller] and are beginning to offer it for exports. We expect it to enjoy demand,” t