Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
————————————————————————
24 Aug 18. UAE Deploys Wing Loong II to Eritrea. The United Arab Emirates has deployed at least one of its new Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to its base at Assab airport in Eritrea, satellite imagery has confirmed. A DigitalGlobe image from 3 August shows a UAV with dimensions matching those of the Wing Loong II at the base. The deployment of the larger UAV may have prompted the construction of two new 26×21 m aircraft shelters at the base since early March. These shelters are larger than the existing ones that are used by the Dassault Mirage 2000 jets and IOMAX Archangel turboprops the United Arab Emirates has at the base to support military operations across the Red Sea in Yemen. (Source: UAS VISION/Jane’s 360)
24 Aug 18. Aeronautics Rejects $117m Buyout Offer from Rafael. Israel’s Aeronautics, which makes military unmanned aerial vehicles, has rejected a 430m shekel ($117m) acquisition offer from state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and businessman Avihai Stolero. “The company’s board has decided to reject the proposal, among other reasons, because of the amount that was offered,” Aeronautics said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. (Source: UAS VISION/Reuters)
23 Aug 18. Russian firm may sell a drone resembling the US Predator to a Mideast customer. Officials from the Russian defense firm Kronshtadt Group announced the possible sale of the company’s Orion UAV to a country in the Middle East. But which Middle Eastern country is purchasing the platform, and what capabilities does the system bring to bear? The Orion-E (export version) is Russia’s medium-altitude, long-endurance drone with a reported range of 250 kilometers, a total flight duration of about 24 hours and a maximum altitude of 8,000 meters. While originally designed for only intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Russia has announced a combat version that can carry up to 200 kilograms of cargo, which will also be available for export. The Orion “most closely resembles America’s Predator/Gray Eagle UAV in its technical characteristics,” according to Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian military robotics. The Chinese model that most resembles the Orion’s capabilities is the Wing Loong.
According to Russian sources, Bendett said, “the two countries most likely to acquire [the Orion] are Syria and Egypt. Syria and Russia already enjoy a very close mil-to-mil relationship, while Egypt is diversifying its military imports from reliance on U.S. and occasional Chinese technologies.”
But there are other potential buyers, Bendett notes. “[The United Arab Emirates] has imported Russian military technology before, and Russia recently announced closer cooperation with Lebanon. Iraq, which has imported Chinese UAVs, has also started to import more Russian military equipment,” he said.
“Russia is keen to win new UAV markets but realizes it has an uphill climb against American, Israeli and Chinese UAVs in the short- to mid-range sector,” Bendett added.
China in particular is a fierce competitor in the Middle East UAV market. As the U.S. Defense Department noted in its annual report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments, “the Middle East and North Africa region was China’s second largest regional arms market, probably because of the demand for armed UAVs — a niche area where China is one of the few suppliers.”
“China has sold armed UAVs to several states in the Middle East and North Africa, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. China faces little competition for sale of such systems, as most countries who produce them are restricted in selling the technology as signatories of the Missile Technology Control Regime,” among other export control agreements, the report said. (Source: Defense News)
22 Aug 18. Almaz-Antey and Kupol unveil air-defence target system. Almaz-Antey and Kupol JSC have unveiled a multipurpose air-defence target training system at the Army International Military-Technical Forum being held in Kubinka near Moscow from 21 to 26 August. The 9F6021E Versatile Training Target System (VTTS) consists of four target types: missile air target propelled by a turbojet engine; fixed-wing propeller aircraft target; fixed-wing aircraft with a small jet engine; and a rotary-wing air target. These are operated by a mobile ground control post (GCP) that can control up to six targets simultaneously. Each target type weighs less than 50 kg with enough fuel capacity for a 30-minute flight time for the missile and turbojet aircraft target. The flight duration increases to four hours for the propeller aircraft target. The target types have a minimum flight altitude of 100m and a maximum of 3,000–4,000 m, while the rotary-wing target can hover up to 100 m. The GCP communicates with the targets through a radio frequency channel.
“The system has been designed to create a complex air environment for training of the combat crew operating short- and medium-range air-defence systems,” a Kupol official told Jane’s . “The system can also be used to check air-defence systems’ readiness and adjustments.”
The system readiness time is a maximum two hours (including preparation and deployment of all target types) but this can be reduced in case the number of targets is reduced. “This is unique system that combines all types of target in one operational scenario and also has a remote display that can be deployed at any location within 20 minutes, up to 5 km distance,” the official added. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
22 Aug 18. BVoLS Fights Launch at Grand Sky. Grand Sky, the first and only fully operational commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-focused research and development park in the U.S., announced beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight operations for large UAS have begun at the park.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, Grand Forks Air Force Base leaders, legislators, industry members, tenants and Grand Sky partner organizations gathered to celebrate the milestone at an event held at Grand Sky today. Secretary Wilson recognized the collaborative relationship between the U.S. Air Force, Grand Forks County, Grand Sky Development Company, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site and others that made federal approval of beyond visual line of sight flights at Grand Sky possible. Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford also delivered remarks at the event, which included a BVLOS flight conducted by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and a demonstration of the technology used to track BVLOS flights from the park.
“Flying large UAS beyond visual line of sight in the national airspace will allow the unmanned aircraft industry to demonstrate its true potential for contributing to commercial aviation operations,” said Thomas Swoyer, Jr., president, Grand Sky Development Co. “It reduces the cost for operators to test and prove systems and provides the opportunity for real-world demonstrations of how unmanned and manned aircraft can share the skies safely and efficiently. Achieving federal approval for these flights was truly a group effort and we can’t thank everyone involved enough for their hard work to make it happen.”
BVLOS flights at Grand Sky are monitored through a unique system that combines several methods of surveillance into one stream. One-way access to Grand Forks Air Force Base’s radar feed is linked to locally installed ADS-B Xtend and FAA NextGen systems through Harris Corporation’s RangeVueTM system to provide operators with real-time situational awareness of both manned and unmanned aircraft.
“As the technology partner for the detect-and-avoid system supporting Grand Sky’s safe and efficient BVLOS operations, Harris stands ready to make this inaugural flight a success,” said George Kirov, vice president, Commercial UAS Solutions, Harris Electronic Systems. “This partnership enables a truly integrated airspace, where commercial UAS operators and technology providers can innovate and test advanced drone technologies in a real-world environment.”
Grand Sky was the first location in the U.S. to receive regulatory permission to host commercial BVLOS test flights for large unmanned aircraft. The approximately 36-month process was led by the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS), which will now also aid operators seeking certificates of authorization (COAs) to conduct BVLOS flights within the approved air space at Grand Sky.
“The milestone of removing a chase airplane from these operations is literally years in the making with multiple stakeholders from private industry, FAA, and DOD coming together to find an achievable solution,” said Nicholas Flom, executive director, Northern Plains UAS Test Site. “The persistence has paid off and I can’t wait to have the UAS industry advance their programs in North Dakota with this approval.”
All large UAS flights from Grand Sky are launched and recovered at the Grand Forks (N.D.) Air Force Base runway. BVLOS flights will be managed by Grand Sky in partnership with the NPUASTS. Initial BVLOS flights at Grand Sky will be limited to large UAS flying within 30 nautical miles of Grand Sky and will be subject to several additional FAA restrictions while flight data is accumulated to demonstrate the safety of BVLOS flights. GA-ASI, one of the largest UAS manufacturers in the world and a tenant at Grand Sky, is conducting initial BVLOS flights at Grand Sky and will collaborate in gathering data and proving the process, to the benefit of the entire UAS industry. Under separate regulatory approval, GA-ASI recently conducted the first-ever trans-Atlantic flight of a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS, launching from its location at Grand Sky and landing at Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
“GA-ASI has been focused on certifying Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) UAS to fly in National Air Space (NAS) for many years,” said David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. “FAA approval to fly BVLOS flights from our Flight Test and Training Center (FTTC) gets us another step closer to earning certification for MALE UAS to fly in the NAS.”
As processes are proven, Grand Sky expects its BVLOS range will eventually be extended to include the entire state of North Dakota and all classes of aircraft flying at higher altitudes. The park’s surveillance system is also currently capable of supporting operations for aircraft flying within 60 miles of the radar. (Source: UAS VISION)
21 Aug 18. Autonomous Flight Startup Xwing Raises $4m. Xwing, an autonomous aviation company, has announced the closing of a $4m seed round. Led by Eniac Ventures with participation from Array Ventures and prominent angels and aviation buffs, including John and Patrick Collison, founders of Stripe, as well as Nat Friedman of Xamarin, Microsoft and GitHub. The round allows the San Francisco-based company to scale operations and continue to hire top aerospace and software talent.
“Aviation is currently undergoing what will be a seismic shift. In the not-so-distant future, technology will dramatically change the way people and goods move and transform transportation as a whole,” said Marc Piette, Xwing Founder and CEO. “Xwing has brought together experts in optionally-piloted vehicles, unmanned systems, and certified avionics, to develop key autonomous flight technology and accelerate this change.”
“The coming wave of eVTOLs coupled with the high-cost structure of the commercial aviation industry makes the timing perfect for autonomy,” said Vic Singh, Founding General Partner, Eniac Ventures. “We are excited to support Marc and Xwing. We believe they are the best, most experienced team and have built the leading technology platform to make intelligent autonomous aviation a reality.”
Modern airliners and high-end business jets have expensive autoland-capable autopilots, GPS-based navigation, and redundant fly-by-wire control systems, but these systems still require pilots to steer at times and always be ready to take over if any issues arise. Xwing is building a suite of technologies necessary for fully-autonomous flight of smaller, cost-effective passenger aircraft. The company’s early focus is on the key functions of autonomous flight: sensing, reasoning, and control, and are developing and integrating technologies for rotorcraft, general aviation fixed-wing, and the new emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for each of these capabilities. Through the integration of a suite of sensors, Xwing allows aircraft to perceive their surroundings. They algorithmically fuse input from these sensors to reliably detect ground-based and airborne hazards and precisely determine the vehicle’s position. This perception technology serves as the base building block for autonomous aircraft, and can also be used to increase the operational envelope of current-day piloted aircraft. Xwing’s Autonomy Flight Management System (AFMS) enables the aircraft to then act upon the information from its surroundings. It will integrate with air traffic control, generate flight paths to seamlessly navigate the airspace, monitor system health, and address all contingencies to ensure passenger safety. The company was founded by successful former entrepreneur and software executive Marc Piette in 2016, and has since built up a team of exceptional industry talent from leading industry groups in optionally piloted and unmanned vehicles such as Rockwell Collins as well as world-class software talent from companies like Google. Xwing aims to bring together aviation industry experts to partner and collaborate in order to challenge conventional thinking and speed up overall market adoption. (Source: UAS VISION)
21 Aug 18. ParaZero’s Drone Safety System Tested in US. ParaZero Ltd has participated in the successful testing of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for potential flight over people in controlled airspace. The testing was initiated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help it create new regulations that will enable the safe and secure integration of UAS into national airspace systems. Held in Fargo, North Dakota, the tests were conducted by the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of its UAS integration pilot program (IPP), working in partnership with CNN, Botlink, Parazero and Northern Plains UAS Test Site. ParaZero’s chief executive officer Eden Attias said he was pleased to announce the successful completion of testing utilising ParaZero’s systems.
He said: “In UAS flight, safety is a critical issue, and ParaZero presented our drone safety system as one of the safety solutions enabling flight over groups of people.
“By participating in these IPPs, ParaZero is working with industry stakeholders to further UAS safety and exposing the industry to our solution.
“ParaZero will continue working with these partners to further the use of UAS safety solutions based on our systems and the use of UAS in everyday activities.”
The UAS pilot program was designed to explore ways to safely expand cutting-edge drone operations into the national airspace by pairing state, local and tribal governments with unmanned aircraft commercial operators. Implementation of the IPP programs will lead to a nation-wide FAA regulated standard that will allow the use of drones in commercial activities and over populated areas. In May, the US DOT selected the North Dakota DOT as one of 10 participants in the FAA’s program. Bringing together all stakeholders North Dakota’s DOT is working with Northern Plains UAS Test Site, along with other partners and stakeholders, to: provide operational efficiencies; create new opportunities; build industry to grow the economy; and reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. The 3-year program gives state, local and tribal governments a chance to establish innovation zones for testing complex UAS operations. (Source: UAS VISION/Proactive Investors)
21 Aug 18. Trump Signs Defense Bill with $9.6bn for UAS Spending. President Trump has signed into law H.R. 5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, authorizing the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to spend $9.6bn for unmanned vehicle systems. The bill increases military spending for unmanned technologies by 28 percent over last year, according to an analysis by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). In its analysis, AUVSI noted that the total requested funding for unmanned technologies across all defense agencies comprises about 1.4 percent of the DoD’s FY2019 budget. Each military service – U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army – had requested a funding increase for unmanned systems. Among the services, the Navy received the largest funding increase for unmanned systems, with more than $1bn authorized over last year’s defense budget. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) had the highest funding support at more than $7bn, according to AUVSI’s review.
Significant funding increases authorized by the NDAA include:
- The Air Force RQ-4 Mods program and the MQ-9 Advanced Battle Management System received a $225m total increase from the original funding requests;
- The Army MQ-1 UAV was increased by $60m to support the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Service Life Extension Program; and
- The Navy Undersea Warfare Applied Research program received an additional $20m for academic partnerships involving undersea unmanned warfare.
Some programs related to unmanned systems received less than requested, such as:
- Fewer MQ-9s for the Air Force Oversea Contingency Operations;
- Reduced spending for research, development, test and evaluation for the Navy’s MQ-25 and large unmanned undersea vehicle; and
- Decreased funding for the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS), a weapon system to counter UAS-mounted sensors.
“The increase in funding for unmanned systems by the military shows how the technology has advanced to become an important tool for our warfighters,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “Unmanned systems are proving that they have the potential to save time, money and, most importantly, save the lives of our men and women in combat.” (Source: UAS VISION/AUVSI)
21 Aug 18. Boeing completes autonomous synchronised flight tests in Australia. Boeing has successfully completed the first suite of synchronised unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight tests using new on-board autonomous command and control technology developed by Boeing in Australia. Conducted at a regional Queensland airfield, the test flights saw five UAV test beds equipped with Boeing’s new onboard system safely complete in-air programmed missions as a team without input from a human pilot. The milestone comes six months after establishing the company’s largest international autonomous systems development program in Queensland.
“What we’ve created here in Australia has the potential to transform the use of unmanned vehicles for civil, commercial and defence applications – whether that be in the air, on the ground or out at sea,” said Shane Arnott, director of Boeing Phantom Works International.
Boeing’s partnership with small and medium-sized enterprises helped drive rapid design, development and testing of this autonomous technology. In just two months, Boeing engaged and vetted local companies and issued $2.3m in contracts with 14 Queensland businesses. Over the coming months, the Boeing Australia team will incorporate and test more advanced behaviours on high performance air vehicles before exploring other domains, such as unmanned ocean vehicles.
“This capability will be a huge driver of efficiency and productivity. By safely teaming unmanned systems with human operated systems, we keep people away from dull, dirty and dangerous tasks so they can focus on activities that machines can’t or shouldn’t do,” Arnott said.
This activity is delivered in partnership with the Queensland government as part of Boeing’s Advance Queensland Autonomous Systems Platform Technology Project. (Source: Defence Connect)
21 Aug 18. Civilian drones provide stepping stone for Army UAS capabilities. With drones changing the way modern soldiers and commanders operate, drone literacy is key to ensuring that Australian troops can maintain their advantage. For the Australian Army, civilian, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are providing the proving ground to ensure Australian soldiers remain at the leading edge of this capability. The capability of Army’s UAS, including the DJI Phantom 4 and the Black Hornet, were on display at Randwick Barracks as the Australian Army continues to roll out the technology across the country. Sydney-based personnel of the 17th Combat Service Support Brigade (17 CSS BDE) received a DJI Phantom 4 UAS on Monday as part of the Army’s plan to issue 350 UAS, with each unit receiving up to three systems.
“This technology will better enable Army to gather airborne imagery of training to assist with improving training methods, conduct site surveys for the placement of camps and other temporary facilities, assess damage to buildings, as well as assist with environmental protection in the field. These drones provide a variety of tools in the tool kit for soldiers and in the field commanders, we want to enable commanders and soldiers to quickly and effectively identify which tool they use,” Colonel Gabrielle Follett said.
For David Mann, general manager of UAVAIR, the training company responsible for providing the roll-out training for Army, the project with Army was exciting.
“It is a very exciting time for UAVAir, this is our first contract with Defence, which when completed by two teams by the end of November this year will see Army supplied with 840 UAS operators who can the train soldiers and commanders in the use and benefits of UAS systems,” Mann said.
The DJI Phantom 4 is a COTS system that will be used in training to increase soldiers’ UAS literacy and is one component of the wider UAS program for the Australian Army.
COL Follet said, “If you buy off the shelf, it is cheaper, it allows you to partner with industry, which has impacts for future procurement, meaning you can get the next platform much easier.
“Issuing the DJI Phantom 4 to soldiers at all levels will change the application of tactical robotic technology and provide our troops with better situational awareness that will keep us informed from the air to make critical decisions on the ground in any tactical situation. I think these platforms provide endless capability opportunities, particularly in the combat support and logistics roles.”
Along with the DJI Phantom 4, 17 CSS BDE showcased other Army modernisation initiatives at the event, including the Black Hornet 3 nano UAS, the Enhanced F88 Rifle, PMV Bushmaster and G-Wagon vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Keirin Joyce, program manager for unmanned aerial systems in the Australian Army, said, “The roll-out of these systems are very exciting, particularly being so aggressive about it; having hundreds of soldiers capable in a matter of months is very exciting.”
UAVAIR are the premier trainer for Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems. Backed by Australia’s largest aviation training company Basair Australia, UAVAIR offer the highest level of qualification available in the commercial sector with links to various industries utilising drone technology. The Australian Army is currently undertaking an extensive modernisation program, which will see new armoured vehicles, air defence systems, enhanced rifles and other systems incorporated into the Army’s arsenal. As part of this modernisation program, entitled Army Research and Development Request (ARDR) 16/0054, Army is investing heavily in Remote Autonomous Systems (RAS) both ground and air based systems, which has seen the initial procurement of Black Hornet, Phantom and other RAS, which will continue to evolve as part of the broad spectrum of modern operations. (Source: Defence Connect)
20 Aug 18. FT-100FH continues flight testing. FT Sistemas has moved ahead in the flight test campaign of its newly designed Flettner Helicopter FT-100FH unmanned rotorcraft, the company announced on 15 August. FT Sistemas is set to conclude the visual-line-of-sight (VLOS) flight testing necessary to move ahead to RBAC-E94 beyond-line-of-sight flight authorisation from ANAC, the Brazilian civil aviation authority. The current phase of flight testing will test the maturity of basic FT-100FH designs, including the C2, avionics, flight controls, powerplant and power transmission systems. The envelope expansion of the rotorcraft will take place during the second half 2018, aiming for a full project qualification and first deliveries for launch customers. The company intends to request ANAC project approval for beyond-line-of-sight operations respecting RBAC-E94 requirements, issued by the Brazilian aviation authority in May 2017. The rotorcraft has transport capacity, autonomy and endurance for greater versatility and long range missions. The new product can be used for homeland security and monitoring, utilities, cargo delivery, crop protection and communication relay applications. An alternate version of the rotorcraft will be available for applications that require VLOS operations only. (Source: Shephard)
20 Aug 18. Australian Army acquires DJI Phantom 4 UAVs. The Australian Army (AA) has acquired the DJI Phantom 4 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as the service seeks to broaden its reconnaissance and situational awareness capabilities. The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra announced in a statement that Sydney-based personnel of the 17th Combat Service Support Brigade (17 CSS BDE) received on 20 August a DJI Phantom 4 as part of the AA’s plan to issue some 350 of the UAVs, with each unit receiving up to three systems. Colonel Gabby Follet, Acting Commander of the 17 CSS BDE, was quoted by the DoD as saying that the DJI Phantom 4 UAVs will greatly increase the AA’s capability to gather information and successfully complete tasks. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
————————————————————————-
The British Robotics Seed Fund is the first SEIS-qualifying investment fund specialising in UK-based robotics businesses. The focus of the fund is to deliver superior returns to investors by making targeted investments in a mixed basket of the most innovative and disruptive businesses that are exploiting the new generation of robotics technologies in defence and other sector applications.
Automation and robotisation are beginning to drive significant productivity improvements in the global economy heralding a new industrial revolution. The fund allows investors to benefit from this exciting opportunity, whilst also delivering the extremely attractive tax reliefs offered by the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). For many private investors, the amount of specialist knowledge required to assess investments in robotics is not practical and hence investing through a fund structure makes good sense.
The fund appoints expert mentors to work with each investee company to further maximise the chance of success for investors. Further details are available on request.
www.britbots.com/fund
————————————————————————