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29 May 19. Lockheed Martin Unveils Condor UAS. Lockheed Martin unveiled its latest small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the 2019 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), which was held in Tampa, Florida from 20 to 23 May. The Condor, which has been developed as a Group I fixed-wing UAS in collaboration with the US Air Force (USAF) Research Laboratory, is designed to support small unit teams with tactical intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and targeting support.
Lockheed Martin’s Steven Fortson, who is responsible for spectrum convergence and unmanned solutions at the company, told Jane’s that the Condor’s mission flexibility is centred around a single battery configuration, which provides an endurance of 4.5 hours.
This can be further extended to 6.5 hours with a pair of batteries, although this would reduce the payload capacity of the UAS.
Additional power supplies including fuel-cell technology or expendable batteries could also be integrated to extend mission endurance out to between seven and 10 hours.
Describing the 2019 SOFIC as the “first public outing” for Condor, Fortson also confirmed the UAS is due to undertake Foreign Comparative Testing with the USAF later in the year. Areas of interest will include developments in fuel-cell technology.
“Modular payload and power bays allow the operator to configure the aircraft to favour either mission endurance or mission capability,” he explained. “Because the payload bays form the air vehicle’s ‘outer mould line’, larger volume payloads are easily accommodated.”
Fortson also noted that the Condor’s 6- and 12-inch mission equipment payload bays as well as its adaptive fuselage system enable carriage of ‘non-standard’ payloads. Additionally, the airframe and payloads can be subdivided into approximately 12 pieces for man-packable carriage by dismounted small unit teams. (Source: UAS VISION/Jane’s 360)
29 May 19. US Army selects Parrot to develop surveillance drone prototype. The US Army has selected European drone group Parrot to develop and prototype the next generation of a small-unit surveillance drone. A solicitation was issued in November for companies to take part in the short-range reconnaissance (SRR) effort. The army partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to identify and prototype new drone capabilities with commercial companies. The army has selected a total of six companies, including Parrot, for the SSR project and awarded them $11m in funding to prototype and evaluate drones.
The service intends to adapt small commercial drones for the battlefield.
Drones should be able to provide a rapidly deployable scouting capability to soldiers to gain situational awareness ‘beyond the next terrain feature’.
Under the requirements specified in the solicitation, the contract awardees are required to develop drones that can fly for at least 30 minutes, have a 3km range and weigh less than 3lb.
In addition, the aircraft should take less than two minutes to assemble and fit inside a rucksack.
Parrot founder and CEO Henri Seydoux said: “The United States has always been a major market for the Parrot Group whether it is for our well-known consumer range or our advanced professional offering.
“We also perfectly understand how small unmanned aircraft such as the Parrot ANAFI platform has the potential to become a key part of the defence system. We look forward to focusing our advanced R&D on meeting the high standards set by the US Army, to integrate drone efficiency in their day to day operations and support the world-leading army defence system.”
The US Army also seeks the development of an aircraft that can complete 25 operationally relevant missions with minimal operator level maintenance, reported Jane’s in November. (Source: army-technology.com)
29 May 19. The Spanish Air Force has become the first air force worldwide to support the development of Airbus’ drone and augmented reality-based maintenance inspection services, with the aim of drastically reducing maintenance inspections for large military aircraft and increasing overall fleet availability. This digital innovation technology will initially be trialled on Spanish Air Force A400M aircraft based at Zaragoza Air Base (31st Wing), with options to extend the technology to other aircraft, including the C295 and the CN235.
General José Luis Pardo Jario, Head of the Spanish Chief of the Air Staff office, said: “This technology has the potential to make a major contribution to maintenance tasks for our fleet. Not only is it more time and cost efficient, above all it allows the upskilling of aircraft maintenance personnel, in accordance with the new digital era we all need to contribute towards in order to reap its benefits.”
The technology relies on drones equipped with sensors and high-definition cameras to scan, in a matter of hours and not days, the exterior of an aircraft undergoing a maintenance inspection. A secured connection allows data and information generated to be displayed on tablets and augmented reality glasses, allowing staff to quickly identify and apply maintenance procedures and corrective actions while ensuring all inspection and maintenance procedures are formally and fully recorded on the maintenance log. Not only does this technology reduce the maintenance inspection time, it supports the early detection of defects and helps guarantee quality and post-maintenance airworthiness.
José Antonio Urbano Torres, Military Aircraft R&D Chief Engineer, said: “Innovation and technological development are part of our DNA. Airbus invests considerable human and economic resources in the research and development of new processes, products and services to meet the current and future needs of our customers. We would like to thank the Spanish Air Force for its contribution and commitment to the development and maturity of this system, which is sure to revolutionise military aircraft maintenance.”
The tests with the Spanish Air Force A400M will allow Airbus to use real user data, not only to consolidate the algorithms for safe autonomous flight of the drone around an aircraft thus avoiding the use of scaffolding and heavy mobile equipment that risks damaging the aircraft, but also to process the terabytes of images and data as a deep learning library that allows for the development of a robust Artificial Intelligence-based defects detection system.
Through its SmartForce portfolio, Airbus is continuously developing new technologies and innovative services to help military customers assess, predict and anticipate the needs of their fleets by leveraging big data analytics coupled to secured connectivity to ensure the highest mission readiness.
28 May 19. The next quadcopter the US Air Force will order. The USAF is planning to purchase a new quadcopter drone, known as the InstantEye. In a May 23 announcement on the Federal Business Opportunities web site, contracting officials at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base said they plan to order the InstantEye MK-3 GEN4-D1 Unmanned Aerial System from Physical Sciences Inc.
The contract is expected to be placed as a sole source order, meaning that no other company was considered for the contract. The Air Force said in the announcement that Physical Sciences Inc. is the only company that produces Air Force approved quadcopter systems.
The order is expected to include two small unmanned aircraft systems, one tactical sensor controller with two batteries, one charger, one spare kit, and one transport kit, the announcement said.
The MK-3 GEN4-D1 is part of the InstantEye digital fleet. As a security precaution, the drone transfers data to a ground control station and does not store information on the aircraft.
According to the InstantEye Robotics website, the Mk-3 GEN4-D1 weighs about 3 pounds and can carry a payload of 3 pounds. It has a video range of 4 kilometers and can fly for up to 30 minutes depending on wind speed and payload.
The InstantEye can withstand up to 20 mph wind, which allows it to have high accuracy in charge placement for improvised explosive devices. InstantEye Systems also feature thermal imaging systems, still photo, and geo rectification capability, which links photos to a coordinate system so they can be located on a map.
The InstantEye is not new technology for the Department of Defense. For fiscal 2019, the Navy and Marine Corps requested 200 InstantEye quadcopters, likely part of a “quads for squads” program. (Source: Defense News)
24 May 19. The top five drones deployed by the US Navy. The US Navy currently employs multiple unmanned aircraft in operations across challenging environments. Four of the top five unmanned aerial vehicles used by the US Navy were developed by Northrop Grumman. Naval-technology lists the top five US Navy drones based on their payload capacity and endurance.
- RQ-21A Blackjack
The RQ-21 Blackjack small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS), previously known as the Integrator, has been designed and built by Boeing company Insitu for the US Navy’s STUAS programme.
The 36.7kg UAV features six payload areas, which can hold a maximum payload of 17kg. The electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) payloads aboard the aircraft enable the operators to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), battle damage assessment, communications relay, search-and-rescue, force protection, border security, and anti-piracy missions.
The RQ-21 Blackjack offers a line of sight (LoS) range of 102km. Powered by an 8HP reciprocating engine, the unmanned aircraft can reach a maximum altitude of 20,000ft. The maximum speed and endurance of the UAV are 167km/h and 16 hours respectively.
- MQ-8B Fire Scout
The MQ-8B Fire Scout autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been in service with the US Navy since 2009. Developed by Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, the vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) is based on Schweizer aircraft model 330.
Powered by a single Rolls Royce 250-C20W heavy fuel turbo-shaft engine, the VTUAV is capable of carrying payloads weighing 136kg. It is capable of flying for more than seven hours with a baseline payload and covers a range up to 1,103km. The autonomous aircraft can reach a speed up to 85k and has an altitude ceiling limit of 12,500ft.
The MQ-8B’s autonomous nature, longer endurance and greater payload carrying capacity enable it to identify, track and notify targets, as well as provide targeting data, carry out ISR and perform battle damage assessments. The payload includes EO/IR sensors with laser range finder (LRF), mine detector, maritime radar, and communication relay.
- MQ-8C Fire Scout
The MQ-8C Fire Scout fully autonomous unmanned aircraft was built based on the MQ-8B platform. The advanced VTUAV variant made its first flight in November 2013 and was delivered to the US Navy in December 2014. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the next-generation VTUAV also shares the capabilities of Bell 407 helicopter.
The MQ-8C possesses greater abilities than its predecessor MQ-8B. The MQ-8C’s range doubles to 2,272km, while its endurance is up to 12 hours. Its maximum speed is 135k and the service ceiling is 16,000ft. The UAV has a payload carrying capacity of 226kg and can additionally convey external sling loads up to 1,202kg.
The bigger MQ-8C is powered by Rolls-Royce 250-C47E engine equipped with a full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system. It carries a coastal battlefield reconnaissance and analysis (COBRA) mine detector apart from the payloads carried by MQ-8C. The autonomous aircraft can further be configured to transport other payload varieties.
- X-47B UCAV
The X-47B is a fighter-sized unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Northrop Grumman, as part of the US Navy carrier demonstration (UCAS-D) programme. It is a naval version of the X-47A Pegasus technology demonstrator aircraft.
The first X-47B demonstrator aircraft made its first flight in February 2011, while the first catapult launch was conducted in November 2012. The first UCAV is expected to enter service with the US Navy in 2020. Equipped with EO/IR payloads, the aircraft can support aerial refuelling, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence and strike missions.
The X-47B is the first unmanned aircraft to perform autonomous launch and recovery aboard an aircraft carrier and the first to conduct in-flight refuelling. It has a wingspan of 18.9m, maximum gross take-off weight of 19.95t, and payload capacity of 2,000kg. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220U engine, the UCAV can fly at high subsonic speeds and attain a maximum range of 2,100nmi (3,889km). It has an endurance of 14 hours and a maximum operational altitude of 40,000ft.
- MQ-4C Triton
The MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy. It is a derivative of the US Air Force’ RQ-4B Global Hawk.
The UAV entered service the US Navy’s service in May 2018, after five years of its first flight. It can support persistent maritime ISR, signals intelligence, search-and-rescue, and communications relay missions. The primary payload of the unmanned aircraft is the AN/ZPY-3 multi-function active-sensor radar.
The MQ-4C Triton has a maximum gross take-off weight of 14,628kg and can respectively carry maximum internal and external payloads of 1,452kg and 1,089kg. Powered by a Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine, the MQ-4C Triton can fly non-stop for 24 hours at altitudes up to 56,500ft. It has a maximum speed of 592km/h and an operational range of 15,186km. (Source: naval-technology.com)
28 May 19. Singapore Panel to Review Regulations on Drone Use. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has set up an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Advisory Panel (UASAP) that will review Singapore’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) regulatory framework and recommend enhancements to it.
The UASAP will also work with UAS users to promote a safe and responsible culture for the use of drones, CAAS said.
As part of its engagement, the panel will seek views and feedback from users, residents and other stakeholder groups before making its recommendations.
It will be chaired by Timothy De Souza, a veteran RSAF pilot and member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights who has been involved in community service for over 30 years.
He will be joined by 11 members representing key stakeholder groups, including UAS industry and interest groups, UAS training organisations, academia, government agencies, and grassroots organisations.
They include members of the Singapore Police Force, NParks, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the founder of Just Fly It, a provider of aeronautics and aeromodelling programmes.
Changes to drone regulations were proposed by CAAS in April 2018 after technological advancements in unmanned aircraft made them increasingly popular.
They include a compulsory online training programme, a pilot licensing scheme and partial or full certification for heavier unmanned aircraft of more than 25kg as they present a greater safety risk.
Existing Singapore regulations outlaws the flying of drones within 5km of airports or military airbases, or at altitudes above 200 feet (about 60m), without a permit.
Those found guilty face a fine of up to S$20,000 or up to 12 months in jail, or both.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health Lam Pin Min previously announced in Parliament that CAAS plans to develop a system to monitor unmanned aircraft. It will allow CAAS to check if individual drones are operating under a valid permit, and issue alerts to pilots who fall foul of regulations.
The UASAP is expected to announce its recommendations by early 2020. (Source: UAS VISION/The Business Times)
24 May 19. US Navy Wants MQ-25A Stingray Tanker Before UCAS. The US Navy won’t pursue the development of a lethal carrier-based unmanned aircraft before it fields its unmanned MQ-25A Stingray tanker sometime in the 2020s, the service’s requirements chief said last week.
The service is taking a deliberate approach to adding unmanned aviation assets to carrier decks, ensuring it successfully integrates the MQ-25A into the airwing before it studies adding new, armed UAVs into the mix, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems (OPNAV N9) Vice Adm. Bill Merz said at an event co-hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“The MQ-25, we think, is just a fantastic program. Integrating an unmanned aircraft into the carrier airwing will be a significant step forward for the Navy, no question about it,” he said.
“We are just compelled to be somewhat pragmatic in how well they work before we over-commit. We have a limited budget; we also have real lives at stake. Unmanned isn’t really unmanned, you just don’t have a body sitting in the platform. There’s a lot of support. You have deck handling, a lot of things you have to come through to bring these things aboard a maritime environment.”
In August, Boeing was awarded an $805m contract to develop four MQ-25As. The company based the design on a prototype the company quietly built for the canceled Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) competition.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson has made fielding the MQ-25A a priority for the service, but it’s still unclear how quickly the service can get the capability to the fleet, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons Rear Adm. Brian Corey said earlier this month.
“When we awarded our contract [in August], we believed we could go to 2024, [but] CNO said ASAP,” Corey said. “I’m not going to give you a date. It’s as soon as we can.”
The Navy wants to introduce the aircraft quickly to reduce the refueling burden on the service’s F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter that are now responsible for the tanking mission. Based on the success of the first set of missions – tanking and limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions – the Navy could look to other capabilities.
“It’s a big aircraft, it’s robust, it’s built as a tanker, but it’s probably a stepping-stone to other capabilities,” Merz said.
“[Future aircraft] are conceptual right now until we get this thing into the fleet and see how it survives in a sea environment and how it integrates with the airwing.”
However, at least one analyst sees the Navy’s progress in unmanned vehicles as a missed opportunity for the service.
“Yes, the MQ-25 is a stepping-stone. However, the Navy had an opportunity to develop and field a more robust unmanned capability for surveillance and strike and chose not to do so, at least not in the mid-term,” said Mark Gunzinger with Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “A carrier-based low observable [Naval Unmanned Combat Air System] for surveillance, strike and possibly other missions was identified as a need at least as far back as the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. Over time, this has been scaled back to the MQ-25. I’m not saying the MQ-25 is not needed, but I do believe the Navy has missed an opportunity.”
Based on the 2006 QDR, the Navy developed a low observable, potentially armed $1.4bn demonstrator program. The service tested a UCAS-D aircraft, two X-47Bs – Salty Dog 501 and 502 – built by Northrop Grumman to prove unmanned aircraft could safely launch and be recovered from an aircraft carrier. The tail-less aircraft were built with the ability to be refueled mid-flight and had an internal payload capability equivalent to an F-35C Lightning II Joint Fighter.
In 2013, Salty Dog 502 successfully landed on USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), after aerial refueling tests in 2015, Naval Air Systems Command shut down the testing program for UCAS-D with thousands of hours of flight time left on the airframes – to some congress. (Source: UAS VISION)
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