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24 Oct 22. Turkish firm developing country’s first unmanned helicopter. Turkish engineering company Titra has been picked to receive government subsidies for its ambition to produce the country’s first unmanned helicopter, the Alpin. The Ankara government has put the program on its “regional priority investment list.” This means the program will be supported by government incentives. Titra said it will produce 10 Alpins a year, in addition to 250 kamikaze drones.
“The government will be the buyer upon successful field tests, hoping that, once combat-proven, the system will be exported to friendly countries,” one procurement official said.
The long-range Alpin helicopter can be used for both military and civilian purposes as well as for rescue missions. The Alpin’s design is based on the manned Italian Heli-Sport CH-7 ultralight chopper.
The development of the aircraft dates back to 2019 when Titra signed a deal with UAVOS, a U.S.-based drone specialist. Under the deal Titra and UAVOS would convert CH-7s into dual-purpose, rotary-wing unmanned aircraft. The Alpin made its first flight in 2020.
The helicopter has a length of 7 m, a width of 1.5 m, a height of 2.35 m and a rotor diameter of 6.28 m. It has an empty weight of 340 kg and can be easily transported in a vehicle. The unmanned helicopter can carry a maximum payload of 200 kg including fuel.
The Alpin unmanned helicopter can carry multiple payloads, and transmit real-time information to the operators. It features a wideband satellite communication channel that supports operations in remote areas.
Alpin’s other features include a fully redundant autopilot system aboard the aircraft, fully autonomous take-off and landing system, remote ground control network capability, autorotation landing capability and high efficiency flight control. Its high-precision payloads include hyper-spectral, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras. The Alpin is powered by Rotax 914 UL engine with a power output of 115hp. Its maximum cruise speed is 160km/h. The Alpin has a maximum range of 840km and can fly at altitudes of up to 5,000m. Its maximum endurance is seven hours, or two hours when fully loaded. (Source: Defense News)
20 Oct 22. The French Navy has conducted a first campaign with the HUGIN Superior AUV to implement an exploratory capacity for deep sea underwater drones. The DGA notified the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg Maritime of a contract for the implementation by the French Navy of the Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV) HUGIN Superior which can operate up to 6,000 metres deep. This contract, notified on August 12, 2022 and for a maximum amount of around four m Euros, includes several trips to the sea. It is part of the exploratory capacity of the ministerial strategy for controlling funds sailors.
As part of this strategy, in October 2022 the French Navy conducted a first campaign to implement an exploratory capacity for ‘deep sea’ underwater drones. The objective sought: to have autonomous submarine systems capable of operating in great depths. This first campaign consisted of a deployment of the hydrographic and oceanographic ship Beautemps-Beaupré from Brest, with the vehicle HUGIN Superior.
The DGA Naval Techniques centre of expertise and testing was involved in the specification of the requirement and will also participate in the feedback from these missions with a view to the future specification of the means that will be developed for the needs of the French Navy.
This first stage of defining an exploratory capacity is thus based on the rental of various French and European equipment, autonomous (AUV) or remotely operated (Remotely Operated Vehicle – ROV), available on the market, and which are intended to be used during campaigns at sea. With these campaigns, the DGA and the French Navy will be able to refine and then define their concept of employment.
A second stage, defined in synergy with the France 2030 investment plan, will ultimately provide sovereign access to future deep seabed capacities. (Source: www.joint-forces.com)
17 Oct 22. SURVEY Copter, an Airbus subsidiary, has developed a new extended range configuration of its ALIACA family of light tactical UAVs.
SURVEY Copter, an Airbus subsidiary, has developed a new configuration of its ALIACA range of light tactical UAVs.
Stronger, faster, further, longer: ALIACA ER, for ‘extended range’, is a new configuration of the ALIACA Evo, a light tactical UAS developed by SURVEY Copter. The ALIACA Evo has been selected by the French Ministry of Defence to equip ships of the French Navy as part of its SMDM (Systèmes de Mini Drones aériens embarqués de la Marine) programme.
The ALIACA ER is a high endurance system capable of carrying out 6-hour missions within a 100km (54 NM) range. Like all ALIACA UAS, the ALIACA ER is launched by a catapult and ends its flight with an automatic net recovery.
With a maximum take-off weight of 16 kg and a wingspan of 3.6 m and a length of 2.2 m, the ALIACA ER is powered by a powerful thermal engine propelled by kerosene. The system can be easily and quickly deployed by only two operators.
This dual-sensor system is capable of performing the most demanding intelligence, tracking and target tracking missions. It is equipped with a high performance gyrostabilised electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that can detect vessels within a range of several hundred kilometres.
Also easy to use, the ground station allows the operator to continuously monitor the automatic flight of the UAS, while receiving in real time, day and night, the images and AIS data collected by the onboard sensors. It will allow users to carry out long-range missions for up to 6 hours:
- Identification of unknown vessels thanks to its gimbal and its AIS (Automatic Identification System),
- Taking photos and videos (transmitted in real time),
- Discrete repositioning of vessels of interest,
- Search for shipwrecked persons
ALIACA as a range of SURVEY Copter systems: ALIACA ER is the latest addition to a range of light tactical UAVs with over 10 years of experience.
- The ALIACA Evo. A light tactical UAV system for maritime use, certified and qualified by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) under the SMDM contract (Systèmes de Mini Drones aériens embarqués de la Marine). 11 ALIACA Evo systems are and will be fitted to various French Navy units such as high seas patrol boats (HSP), the new overseas patrol boats (OPB) and surveillance frigates (SF). Other BPH platforms are also under study. Discreet and silent thanks to its electric motor, ALIACA EVO can be used for the most sensitive surveillance missions.
The two systems, ALIACA Evo and ALIACA ER, offer end-users the ability to perform different types of missions:
- ALIACA Evo is designed for operational users who wish to carry out surveillance and intelligence missions in complete discretion over a range of 50km and for 3 hours. Thanks to its “glide” mode and its low acoustic signature.
- ALIACA ER meets increased endurance requirements, thanks to its 6-hour autonomy and its 100 km range. (Source: www.joint-forces.com)
20 Oct 22. Defexpo 2022: India inducting Heron Mk IIs. The Indian military is in the process of acquiring a number of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron Mk II unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to supplement its existing fleet of Herons. A proposal to manufacture the aircraft in India under licence is also being discussed, Janes has learnt during Defexpo 2022, being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 18 to 22 October. IAI is said to be delivering a batch of Heron Mk IIs to the Indian Army (IA) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) as part of an emergency procurement. Janes understands that the initial delivery comprises an estimated 10 aircraft. The army had not commented on the matter to Janes at the time of publication. (Source: Janes)
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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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