Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
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06 Dec 18. Frontex demos unmanned Falco EVO for EU maritime border surveillance. The Selex Galileo Falco EVO has been selected by the European Union’s Frontex border control agency to explore the use of medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for maritime border surveillance. Selex’s parent company Leonardo announced on 6 December that a Falco EVO has been deployed from Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Frontex surveillance research programme to test its ability to monitor the EU’s external borders.
“Leonardo was selected by the European agency under a service contract tender for drone operations for maritime surveillance across the Italian and Maltese civil airspace,” the company said. “The current agreement provides for 300 flight hours and may be extended into a longer-term agreement.”
For this demonstration, the Falco EVO is equipped with an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor; the Leonardo TS Ultra-Light (UL) surveillance radar; a beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) satellite communications link; an Automatic Identification System (AIS); as well as a communications relay suite. It is also equipped with a heavy-fuel engine, enabling the aircraft to conduct extended-range day and night-time missions (the UAV has an endurance of 20 h).
A special feature of this demonstration will be the Falco UAV operating in commercial airspace. For this, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) that authorises flights in the Italian and Maltese Flight Information Region’s civil airspace, have issued a ‘permit-to-fly’ for the 300h programme. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
05 Dec 18. Schiebel is expanding its flagship facility in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to meet the growing demand for its market-leading Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) CAMCOPTER® S-100 . Unmanned Air Systems (UAS). Schiebel’s high-tech facility in Wiener Neustadt, a well-known and highly visible landmark in the region, opened in 2006. Comprised of a production plant of 2,300m² and a spacious office area of 1,600m², the location has since grown from 50 employees to approximately 120 employees. The current expansion will double the size of the location to 7,770 m² to house production and maintenance, logistics, training and office space for an expected 150 employees by 2020, with room for further growth of up to a total of 200 employees.
“With this new addition to our facility in Wiener Neustadt we are continuing our successful expansion strategy,” notes Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group. “By doubling our production capacity for our best-in-class CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS, we are creating a production and logistics hub and we are establishing the framework for an increased focus on research and development at our Vienna headquarters.”
“We are proud of our state-of-the-art high-tech facility in Wiener Neustadt and our contribution to the economic growth and technological progress of the local industry,” added CEO Hannes Hecher. “This expansion allows us to generate more jobs and invest in training the workforce of the future.”
01 Dec 18. EU members seek common ground on autonomous weapons. European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini says the EU has a “very special role to play” in addressing growing concerns about the “security challenges” posed by autonomous weapon systems.
As an important regulatory power, the 28-strong bloc can decide “what should and should not be allowed” in the field of autonomous weapons, she said Thursday at the European Defense Agency’s annual conference. The gathering drew an audience of 400 attendees representing the European defense spectrum, including governments, armed forces, industry, EU institutions, NATO and think tanks.
Work is ongoing to define a first set of guiding principles on autonomous weapons, “and this work needs close cooperation between governments, the industry and civil society,” the Italian said.
Mogherini declared: “Humans must always remain in control of the use of lethal force.”
The event coincided with a separate conference on drones in Amsterdam where European Aviation Safety Agency executive director Patrick Ky spoke of the “need to regulate differently on drones, faster and better, encouraging innovation while ensuring safe, secure and socially acceptable operations.”
In an opening address to the EDA event, Mogherini said: “We know that artificial intelligence poses new security challenges and it is now starting to be weaponized. We are entering a world where drones could independently search for a target and kill without human intervention. AI could take decisions on life and death, with no direct control from a human being.
“The warning about the dangers ahead is coming from the very people who are working on AI: researchers, pioneers and business people as well, who don’t want to see their own discoveries exploited for malicious goals.”
Mogherini told the conference: “Together we can define the boundaries of AI applications so that within those limits, scientists are free to explore the immense positive potential of AI.”
Supporting innovation and having a strong industry is essential for Europe’s security, and this is also true with AI, noted Mogherini, adding, “Almost 50 percent of global private investment in artificial intelligence startups is happening in China. We Europeans cannot afford to waste time and to be less innovative than other world powers. It is a matter of economic growth, and it is a matter of security.”
While European defense industries and research laboratories are “among the best in the world,” investment from European national governments in defense research and technology continues to decrease, she warned.
Her comments about the EU’s regulatory role in autonomous systems were echoed by Mariya Gabriel, the bloc’s commissioner responsible for Digital Economy and Society. “We should reflect on how best we can ensure that the regulatory environment promotes the rise of strong European actors, which is crucial in a digital world where the winner takes all,” Gabriel said.
EDA chief executive Jorge Domecq told the packed audience that while the challenges were “considerable,” autonomous applications are “already crucial capabilities whose importance for defense will further grow in the future.”
Meanwhile at the EASA conference in the Netherlands, an “Amsterdam declaration” was adopted by participants. It urges the EU and industry to “continue the good progress towards the delivery of the common European drone services market.” (Source: Defense News)
03 Dec 18. Airbus celebrates opening of the world’s first Zephyr Solar High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite operating site.
- Wyndham, in Western Australia, is the world’s first operational launch site for solar-electric stratospheric UAV
- Marks the start of various Zephyr flight campaigns to be undertaken from the site with different customers
- Launch site is a key milestone in bringing real operational capability with the Zephyr S, the world’s leading solar electric, stratospheric UAV
Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia.
This site has been chosen due to its largely unrestricted airspace and reliable weather and is the result of significant investment by Airbus into its Zephyr programme. Zephyr is the world’s leading, solar electric, stratospheric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). It harnesses the sun’s rays, running exclusively on solar power, above the weather and conventional air traffic; filling a capability gap complimentary to satellites, UAVs and manned aircraft to provide persistent local satellite-like services.
“I am delighted to welcome the Airbus team and their Zephyr project to Western Australia. This is the culmination of almost a year of hard work by Airbus and my Government to bring this exciting and innovative technology to our state. The Zephyr aircraft provides new capabilities to commercial and military customers and will bring an economic boost to the East Kimberley region,” said Premier of Western Australia, Hon. Mark McGowan MLA.
“The official opening of the Airbus Wyndham launch site in Western Australia, the world’s first operational HAPS site, marks the start of a new era for Zephyr. We are proud to see Australia become part of the Zephyr operational network. The site is our gateway to the stratosphere and will be the main flight base for Zephyr going forward.” said Jana Rosenmann, Head of Unmanned Aerial Systems at Airbus.
Zephyr will bring new see, sense and connect capabilities to both commercial and military customers. Zephyr will provide the potential to revolutionise disaster management, including monitoring the spread of wildfires or oil spills. It provides persistent surveillance, tracing the world’s changing environmental landscape and will be able to provide communications to the most unconnected parts of the world.
03 Dec 18. Troops in West Russia to Get Five Orlan-10 Drones by Yearend. Troops in Russia’s Western Military District will be reinforced with Orlan-10 multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems by the end of the year, the District’s press office reported.“Five Orlan-10 multifunctional drones will become operational in the units of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Western Military District by the end of the year. In the winter training period, Orlan flights are planned in the conditions of low temperatures,” the press office said.
The Orlan-10 is designated for the surveillance of objects in hard-to-access terrain in any weather conditions. The UAV weighs about 10kg. The Orlan is furnished with a catapult launch and is capable of transmitting a signal in real time to an operator’s control panel at a distance of up to 120 km and stay in the flight mode for over 10 hours.
The Orlan allows controlling four UAVs at a time and organizing a local network for up to 30 operators to manage the payloads of simultaneously launched drones. (Source: UAS VISION/TASS)
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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
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