Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
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06 May 21. Aeronautics Orbiter 4 Designed for Maritime Patrol Missions. Aeronautics Group introduces its Orbiter 4 small tactical UAS, capable of performing long-range, long-endurance maritime patrol missions. The Orbiter 4’s high-performance EO/IR and MPR payloads are ideal for maritime monitoring, gas and oil rigs protection, illegal activity tracking, and search & rescue.
It has already been fully integrated into the operational environment of navy vessels, and meets the requirements of navy operations.
With the Orbiter 4, Aeronautics continues the evolution of its Orbiter product line of small tactical UAS, delivering top mission performance with the lightest, most versatile, and most advanced covert platform available today. Based on the successful aerodynamic structure and properties of the Orbiter 3 STUAS, the Orbiter 4’s exclusive abilities include endurance of over 24 hours, and the ability to carry and operate multi payloads simultaneously.
“There is a growing need today for tactical drones capable of carrying out ISTAR missions in challenging marine environments,” says Matan Perry, Vice President of Marketing & Sales at Aeronautics. “As pioneers in the field of small tactical UAS, we are proud to be able to provide a solution that has been adapted to meet these needs. Having been specifically tailored in this way, we believe it to be the best possible solution to meet all the requirements of the navy.”
With advanced image processing capabilities, automatic takeoff and recovery system, and the ability to navigate with or without GPS/ datalink, Orbiter 4 delivers superior performance capabilities, operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness in a small tactical UAS that is unique in its category. Airstrip independent, it is able to take-off and land on any type of vessel. Operated by only three personnel, it is easy to use, maintain, and carries a low logistical footprint.
(Source: UAS VISION)
05 May 21. The USAF’s first Skyborg autonomous drone prototype made its first flight. The USAF carried out the first flight test of a “Skyborg” drone last month with an Kratos UTAP-22 Mako equipped with a bespoke autonomy system, moving the service one step closer to fielding an uncrewed “loyal wingman” for human pilots.
During a two-hour and 10 minute flight test held April 29 at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, a UTAP-22 equipped with the Skyborg autonomy core system performed a serious of basic flight maneuvers to demonstrate the safe operation of the system, the Air Force stated in a May 5 news release.
The autonomy core system, or ACS, is a package of hardware and software that effectively acts as the brains of the Skyborg aircraft, allowing the drone to conduct operations without the need of a human pilot to physically fly the aircraft.
“The ACS demonstrated basic aviation capabilities and responded to navigational commands, while reacting to geo-fences, adhering to aircraft flight envelopes, and demonstrating coordinated maneuvering,” the Air Force said in a news release.
The Skyborg test was monitored from several unspecified airborne and ground command and control centers.
“We’re extremely excited for the successful flight of an early version of the ‘brain’ of the Skyborg system. It is the first step in a marathon of progressive growth for Skyborg technology,’ said Brig. Gen. Dale White, the Air Force’s program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft. “These initial flights kickoff the experimentation campaign that will continue to mature the ACS and build trust in the system.”
Ultimately, the Air Force intends to field a family of Skyborg drones capable of operating alongside tactical aircraft like the F-35 and F-15EX and taking on missions too risky for human pilots.
Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ unmanned systems division, said the event illustrated the potential for attritable drones — the term given to unmanned aircraft that, while reusable, are cheap enough that losses can be tolerated during combat.
Kratos is one of three aircraft manufacturers chosen by the Air Force to deliver Skyborg prototype drones that will be configured with the ACS for tests this year. The company received a $37.7m contract in December 2020. The service also awarded contracts to Boeing and General Atomics worth $25.7m and $14.3m, respectively.
All three companies are expected to deliver their first prototypes by the end of May, the service previously said.
The Air Force has also selected additional vendors to work on other facets of the Skyborg program, such as sensors, mission systems and algorithm development. Those companies include: AeroVironment Inc., Autonodyne LLC, BAE System Controls Inc., Blue Force Technologies Inc., Fregata Systems Inc., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, NextGen Aeronautics Inc., Northrop Grumman, Sierra Technical Services, and Wichita State University.
The April test was “was the first time an active autonomy capability was demonstrated on an Air Force test range, and is a first step to integrating these aircraft into a complex operational environment,” the service stated.
Further experiments are expected to occur over the next several months, with the end goal of demonstrating the operation of multiple Skyborg drones teamed with fighter aircraft flown by human pilots.
The advanced aircraft program office manages the Skyborg development effort alongside the Air Force Research Laboratory. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
05 May 21. SkyRunner FAA Certified Aircraft for CSAR. The SkyRunner MK3.2 is the first FAA certified, Light-Sport aircraft to support DoD and CSAR missions. As the battle space continues to expand, new and innovative solutions are needed to solve complex tactical challenges. SkyRunner combines both ground and air solutions to go almost anywhere and is customizable for multiple mission sets.
SkyRunner selected the Collins TASE400 BLK ll and TASE400 LD STANAG 3733 imaging sensors. The TASE family of systems was selected because it is battle proven, highly reliable, and provides high performance EO/IR in one of the lowest Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) systems on the market. TASE sensors utilize High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), H.265 compression providing faster data transfer and better image quality. The ability to provide real-time high quality imagery is absolutely critical to defeating adversaries.
Autonomous flight is needed to enable SkyRunner to effectively support key future operational mission profiles. The Collins Piccolo flight management system has been selected as the ideal solution to fully automate the SkyRunner. Piccolo will provide navigation with GPS/INS accuracy and support a broad suite of complex missions where a quick response and sustaining operations are needed. (Source: UAS VISION)
03 May 21. Aeronautics Group – a leading provider of integrated turnkey solutions based on unmanned system platforms, payloads and communications for defense and HLS applications – introduces its Orbiter 4 small tactical UAS, capable of performing long-range, long-endurance maritime patrol missions. The Orbiter 4’s high-performance EO/IR and MPR payloads are ideal for maritime monitoring, gas and oil rigs protection, illegal activity tracking, and search & rescue. It has already been fully integrated into the operational environment of navy vessels, and meets the requirements of navy operations.
With the Orbiter 4, Aeronautics continues the evolution of its Orbiter product line of small tactical UAS, delivering top mission performance with the lightest, most versatile, and most advanced covert platform available today. Based on the successful aerodynamic structure and properties of the Orbiter 3 STUAS, the Orbiter 4’s exclusive abilities include endurance of over 24 hours, and the ability to carry and operate multi payloads simultaneously.
“There is a growing need today for tactical drones capable of carrying out ISTAR missions in challenging marine environments,” says Matan Perry, Vice President of Marketing & Sales at Aeronautics. “As pioneers in the field of small tactical UAS, we are proud to be able to provide a solution that has been adapted to meet these needs. Having been specifically tailored in this way, we believe it to be the best possible solution to meet all the requirements of the navy.”
With advanced image processing capabilities, automatic takeoff and recovery system, and the ability to navigate with or without GPS/ datalink, Orbiter 4 delivers superior performance capabilities, operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness in a small tactical UAS that is unique in its category. Airstrip independent, it is able to take-off and land on any type of vessel. Operated by only three personnel, it is easy to use, maintain, and carries a low logistical footprint.
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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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