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27 June 19. New variant of Korsar UAS unveiled. The latest reconnaissance variant of the Korsar unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was unveiled at the Army 2019 defence exhibition being held in Kubinka close to Moscow on 25-30 June. The tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg, maximum speed of 125 km/h, and a maximum cruising speed of 120 km/h. Its flight endurance is 10 hours and maximum flight altitude is stated to be 5.1 km. An industry source told Jane’s that the reconnaissance Korsar’s maximum flight altitude makes it a difficult target for many, if not most, man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS). (Source: IHS Jane’s)
27 June 19. Germany assesses Mikado UAV performance. Germany has completed an evaluation of the Mikado UAS, testing incremental updates that have been introduced into the system. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) tasked the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment with the evaluation of the quadcopter’s characteristics, carrying out the assessment at the Feilenmoos test site in May 2019 in cooperation with the Air Force Centre of Aerospace Medicine. The Camouflage, Concealment and Deception Technology Unit at the Training Center Munster and the Special Operations Forces Command supported the planning, execution, and evaluation of the tests, which assessed the handling during flight as well as the air vehicle’s transportability across various obstacles during multiple test phases. The tests also focused on the evaluation of the system’s reconnaissance capability, and it underwent a specifically-developed ‘reconnaissance mission’, during which it had to find and identify different targets in the visual and infrared spectrum. The different tests showed the strengths and weaknesses of the system, the government said, and further tests will be performed on the basis of these results. (Source: Shephard)
26 June 19. LIG Nex1 advances Sea Sword USV development. South Korea’s LIG Nex1 showcased a sea demonstration of its prototype Hae Gum (Sea Sword) unmanned surface vessel (USV) to the public for the first time at Changwon Marine Defense Exhibition 2019 held in Changwon city from 20-22 June. The Sea Sword USV adopts a high-speed monohull design – constructed from fibre-reinforced plastic – and measures 8 m long and displaces approximate 3 tonnes. The sea vehicle is equipped with a diesel engine and a waterjet propulsion system that enables it to achieve a stated maximum speed of 40kt. According to LIG Nex1, the Sea Sword has an operational endurance of up to eight hours at 15kt and has a control radius of up to 12km. It is also designed to operate in sea state 4 conditions.
Typical mission equipment includes an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system with a detection range of up to 6 km in daylight and 3km at night time. It is also equipped with an on-board radar with a range of up to 5 km, a communications module, and a modular electronic architecture that supports the integration of a range of mission payloads.
An indigenously developed autonomous navigation system enables the UAV to conduct independent surveillance and reconnaissance missions according to a pre-programmed route, with the ability to perform automatic collision avoidance to evade maritime obstacles.
Its key missions include surveillance and reconnaissance in high-risk areas and tracking of suspicious surface contacts such as illegal fishing vessels. The Sea Sword features a modular payload bay that enables it to carry weapons for armed interventions. Possible armaments include a Hanwha Defense remote controlled weapon station armed with a K6 12.7mm heavy machine gun with an indigenous fire control system, as well as LIG Nex1’s fire-and-forget Hyeongung (Raybolt) anti-tank guided missiles, which can engage surface targets out to a range of 3km. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
24 June 19. Chinese drone maker tries to quell talk of data siphoning. After a bruising Senate hearing over drone security issues last week, Chinese drone maker DJI told U.S. lawmakers that some claims made by witnesses were “inaccurate” and “unsubstantiated.”
The company sent a letter on June 24 to the leadership of the Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee in the aftermath of a hearing on potential security risks arising from China’s increasing dominance in low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We are deeply concerned that, left unchecked, the unsubstantiated speculation and inaccurate information … will put the entire U.S. drone industry at risk, causing a ripple effect that will stunt economic growth and handcuff public servants who use DJI drones to protect the public and save lives,” said Mario Rebello, vice president and regional manager, of DJI Technology North America.
During the hearing, Harry Wingo of National Defense University was particularly critical of DJI. He said the company has a “near monopoly” on drone technology marketed in the U.S. That technology isn’t just in the gears and rotors, but also in the image collection and storage systems that take photographs and retain data. He said American geospatial information is transmitted to Chinese data centers at an unprecedented level. “DJI says that American data is safe, but its use of proprietary software networks means how would we know.”
In his letter, Rebello called that speculation “simply wrong.” He said DJI drones “do not share flight logs, photos or videos unless the drone pilot deliberately chooses to do so.”
To drive the point home, along with the letter, DJI said it has a “Government Edition” drone system with hardware and software controls that create a “data firewall for the photos, videos and flight logs created by a drone.” It said the package has been used by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services. It cited the agency’s 2018 UAS program use report, saying the office used the technology in 1,500 of 10,000 drone flights in 2018, which were audited “by DOI’s external and internal partners.”
In his letter to the subcommittee, Rebello said DJI aircraft don’t automatically send flight data to China “or anywhere else.” He added that the aircraft don’t automatically send photos or video over the internet. That data, he said, stays onboard the aircraft or the pilot’s mobile device. “DJI cannot share customer data it never receives,” he said.
Lawmakers on the Senate panel were concerned Chinese and other foreign manufacturers had a jump on U.S. makers on the lower-end, mass-market, more affordable drone market.
“I think the simple answer to the question is that American-made drones tend to be a little bit more upmarket and they tend to be more use-specific,” Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, said.
U.S. drone makers, he said, have been working with the Federal Aviation Administration to create more flexible rules for extended drone operations. Those restrictions have slowed some research and development of the technology in the U.S., according to some experts.
Catherine Cahill, director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, noted in her testimony to the panel that some FAA regulations were cramping drone technology testing. For instance, she said that only a few federal agencies could test anti-drone technology and that research on longer range, beyond-line-of-sight testing has to be done in Canada because of FAA restrictions. (Source: Defense Systems)
26 June 19. A drone dumped a spiky ground trap. Caltrops are an ancient weapon, targeted at the sole of mobility: the feet of any human or creature unfortunate enough to stumble across these erect spikes. Simple to manufacture and cheap to deploy in great quantities, these multi-pronged nails come with a handful of major limitations: they take effort to remove from the path after-the-fact, and it’s hard to distribute them effectively without injury. Dropping caltrops by drone does nothing for the first problem, but is one surefire answer to the second. Spotted at a technology exposition in China, this hexacopter dropping caltrops suggests a range of possible roles for the technology in the future. In the simplest cases, it’s a low-cost aerial denial strategy, blocking uninhibited passage through an area without armor. In more advanced cases, the drone could block alleyways and streets, spiking tires in car chases and putting obstacles in paths difficult for pursuers on foot or wheels to reach.
Drone-dropped caltrops fall into the uneasy space where internal security tools and military tools overlap. The ways that caltrops deny movement in combat are exacerbated when the target in question is civilian protesters, and while the rules for setting up lines of fire may be more about tear gas than grenades in repression, the principles of how to employ such tech is largely the same.
An enduring feature of drones like this is how they work as utility players for distributing new and novel payloads. The caltrops stand alone as a fascinating fusion of ancient and modern technology, but it’s hardly the only payload that turns a hexacopter into a surprise weapon. On display at the same show was a similar hexacopter, outfitted with a submachine gun. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
26 June 19. Aussie SME completes sea trials of BlueBottle USV off NSW coast. Australian-based unmanned surface vessel (USV) developer Ocius has successfully completed all sea trial requirements for the company’s Defence Innovation Hub contract, three months ahead of schedule.
An important final test was demonstrating the company’s ‘visual acuity target recognition and collision avoidance’ software. In these scenarios, Ocius put a BlueBottle (BB) on a collision course with the Ocius support boat, a difficult to see, low to the water, small, rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB):
- Using automatic visual recognition, the RHIB was identified as ‘not water/not sky’ and then positively identified as a ‘speedboat’;
- The collision avoidance controller software then plotted a course around the RHIB; and
- The BB proceeded around it and continued on its way.
This procedure happened autonomously, such that if the BB did not have communications at the time, it would avoid the collision and when communications came back it would send photos and GPS to the rest of the team and to the ‘human on the loop’.
Much of the endurance and intelligent networking trials over the last eight weeks have been done in Beaufort 1-4 conditions. However, recent weather events enabled sailing and rudder flipper testing to be conducted in a Beaufort 5-6 southerly winds and one-knot northerly currents for 24 hours.
Ocius was able to navigate freely in both ‘sail only’ mode, at one point going up to five knots boat speed, and in ‘rudder flipper only’ mode at up to two knots boat speed – both modes using zero propeller power.
Over the next month, Ocius will analyse the logs, write up reports and continue performance experiments on the company’s unique patented ‘rudder flipper’.
The BlueBottle USVs are autonomous data gathering and communications platforms being like ‘satellites of the sea’. They offer multiple economic and operational advantages over conventional methods of ocean surveillance, such as:
- Continuous coverage;
- Wide coverage;
- Greatly reduced capital costs;
- Greatly reduced operational costs – no fuel, food or crew;
- Elimination of errors due to human fatigue; and
- No people or expensive assets in harm’s way.
Major entities in offshore energy, defence and science are investing heavily in unmanned systems for “dull, dirty or dangerous” operations. Independent industry research estimates the USV market for defence alone to be a staggering US$3.8bn by 2020.
In the recent trials, the ‘rudder flipper’ performed above expectations, giving boat speeds using wave power of between 0.5 and 1.5 knots against the seas and 1-3 knots with the seas – in everything from Beaufort 1-6. However, the company believes there is room for improvement, so we’re experimenting with some different flipper designs, before more endurance testing starting on 22 July.
Ocius is working with two major private-sector partners to develop USVs capable of undertaking specific high-value applications in hydrography and defence.
BlueBottle has its origins following an inquiry from the US in 2007 for a ‘self-sustaining platform at sea’. Ocius began research into the development of unmanned solar/wind/wave and ballasted powered ocean vessels or autonomous USVs. Initially, a 20-foot manned engineering development model (EDM) proved the ‘speed of advance’ in all conditions, adequate power, payload and persistence for a sustainable platform able to go to sea for months.
With Ulladulla Fibreglass and Engineering, Ocius built multiple scale models for tank and lake testing, culminating in the building of the first 10-foot prototype called ‘Nemo’ (Latin for ‘no one’ i.e. unmanned), which provided significant proof of concept of a solar, wind and wave powered USV carrying a significant payload.
Based on Nemo’s development, in 2015 Ocius was awarded a $3m capability technology demonstrator (CTD) from Defence Science and Technology Group. This proved a significant contract and Ocius, with partners, developed an 18-foot prototype, ‘Bruce’, for anti-submarine warfare. (Source: Defence Connect)
25 June 19. Ukraine fields updated Spectator-M UAV. The Ukrainian Armed Forces has operationalised an updated version of the Spectator-M tactical surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the Spectator-M1. The Spectator-M1 was developed by OJSC Meridian, which is a subsidiary of state-owned industrial company UkrOboronProm. The air vehicle is powered by an electric motor that is designed to minimise its noise profile and can be used for conducting day and night aerial reconnaissance. The Spectator-M1 features a new thermal imager and an improved ground control station. The air vehicle is also designed to automatically determine target co-ordinates and securely transmit video data to the SK-42 artillery fire control system up to a range of 35km. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
25 June 19. Textron Completes Testing of Shadow Block III Upgrades. Textron’s Aerosonde HQ is a possible replacement for the company’s Shadow UAV. Its hybrid quadrotor technology makes it runway-independent and capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Textron has confirmed that it has completed test flights of the Block III upgrade configuration for its Shadow UAV, which when introduced will add more capability and reliability to the U.S. Army’s in-service fleet.
Conducted at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the five-week test campaign completed last has proven the viability of the upgrade, which includes a new engine, enhanced video payload, more durability in the design for use in adverse weather conditions, and advanced communications relay capability.
A so-called engineering change proposal for the Block III configuration is now being coordinated with the army, ahead of an expected rollout to the in-service Shadow fleet in 2020. “We, in partnership with the U.S. Army, are working on a proposal to outline the hardware and software,” David Phillips, senior v-p and general manager for Textron Systems (Static A2), told AIN.
Via the upgrade, Shadow will be able to operate in two inches of rain per hour—a fourfold increase from its previous capability—which “really opens up the envelope in which it can operate,” Phillips said.
It will carry the L3 Wescam MX-10 electro-optical/infrared payload, which Phillips said is “one of the most notable upgrades.” This offers enhanced image collection capability for the UAV, while a Joint Tactical Radio System will enable communications relay.
The Shadow has been criticized for its noise signature, which is targeted by the new engine configuration that will reduce the sound made by the powerplant.
“This is good given the number of covert missions that the UAV has to fly,” Phillips noted, adding that it is also more reliable and produces more horsepower.
Furthermore, the army is assessing systems that have been downselected as possible replacements for Shadow, for which Textron’s new Aerosonde HQ design is one of the options. Under the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program, Textron and Martin UAV are competing—the latter with its V-Bat system—and both have been awarded contracts to operationally test their respective systems with brigade combat teams over a one- to two-year period. (Source: UAS VISION/AIN)
24 Jun 19. Quantum and ESG bring new ISR UAVs to town. German unmanned systems manufacturer Quantum Systems and missions systems integration partner ESG jointly debuted a pair of small mock-up ISR UAVs – Vector and Scorpion at Le Bourget. Sharing a range of common features including a glass fibre airframe, detachable EO/IR gimbal, mesh IP encrypted data link and a Quantum made autopilot, the larger fixed-wing Vector shades its tricopter Scorpion counterpart in size, by virtue of its 2.8m wingspan. Other distinguishing features include: Vector’s 6kg take-off weight, 2hr endurance, 20m/s cruise speed, while Scorpion’s smaller stature limits comparable items, with a 5kg take-off weight, 15m/s cruise speed, 45min endurance and 85cm wingspan.
Each are ITAR free and developed for ISR and security markets with a multirole mission profile including SAR, traffic investigation, asset protection and military surveillance.
‘We don’t have sense and avoid capabilities, we don’t need it for the German market but would need it for international customers,’ Johannes Krick, sales manager at Quantum told Shephard, regarding other technologies.
‘For military customers we have an ADS-B in link so operators can see other aircraft coming by and there’s an option to add ADS-B out.’
Quantum will host international customer and German armed services demonstrations at its Munich headquarters in July, with an individual German SF demonstration set for September, before production begins at the end of this year, according to Krick.
‘We are not into mass production right now but I think there is a path to increase the units we are selling to civil customers. For the military market and law enforcement there is a huge demand especially for Scorpion and its gimbal solution,’ he said.
The German Armed Forces is expected to release a tender to industry for new unmanned systems in Q2 next year, according to Krick, with Vector and Scorpion set to be offered for the requirement, although he did not disclose any potential quantity of systems that would potentially change hands. Quantum’s existing unmanned portfolio also includes the Tron F9 and Trinity fixed-wing UAV types used for land surveillance and ground mapping operations. (Source: Shephard)
21 Jun 19. US drone maker senses a leg up in Europe. U.S. drone-maker General Atomics looks to get a foothold in the European market by touting the promise of smooth civilian-airspace integration of its aircraft by militaries there. The company considers the United Kingdom, with its Protector program of 20 or so planned aircraft, as the launch customer for the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, a successor to the Reaper. The medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones come with safety features that executives at this year’s Paris Air Show said will enable a so-called military-type certification by the British authorities in the summer of 2023 — the final step toward allowing the drone to fly routinely alongside civilian air traffic. Belgium also has gained U.S. approval to buy four of the aircraft, complete with a detect-and-avoid suite that can alert the system whenever its flight path risks hitting another aircraft, according to a March 26 announcement by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. That technology, along with a host of technologies for safe operations that have long been standard in manned aviation, is still considered something of a holy grail in the drone business.
With unmanned aircraft expected to reach deeper into military and civilian life in the coming years, manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic have been working feverishly to construct their products with requisite safety certifications in mind.
General Atomics’ sales pitch is perhaps indicative of an industry where the potential for airspace integration is now taking an equal seat to reconnaissance capabilities and combat punch.
The American company can be expected to tread on manufacturers’ toes in Europe, where vendors are shaping the evolving regulatory landscape of the European Union and member states to ensure compliance with all expected safety requirements.
“We believe we should be there first,” General Atomics President David Alexander told reporters at a briefing during the air show. Being first with a certified drone, he noted, would also open vast potential of the commercial market.
But questions remain. Most importantly, issue experts said, it is unclear if the European authorities will honor whatever progress in safety certifications the MQ-9B has made in the eyes of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Company officials told Defense News they try to keep their fingers at the pulse of the relevant policymaking processes on the continent, putting them at the same tables as suppliers in the European industry, like Airbus, Hensoldt or Leonardo.
The American firm recently worked with the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center, or NLR, to simulate a SkyGuardian flying in European airspace.
“During the first simulations performed in May, we subjected air traffic controllers to many contingency procedures ranging from engine failure to loss-of-link between the pilot and the remotely piloted aircraft,” Emmanuel Sunil, an NLR project manager, said in a June 18 statement by the research center.
“The results indicate that the new procedures that we are developing will make it possible for MALE RPA to fly safely and efficiently in civil European airspace along with other manned air traffic.” (Source: Defense News)
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