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15 Dec 22. Turkey unveils latest ULAQ USV variant. Ares Shipyard in partnership with Meteksan is developing a new variant of its ULAQ unmanned surface vessel (USV) configured for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
The baseline version of ULAQ was launched in February 2021 and is the first Turkish USV to be developed in Turkey.
The latest configuration, revealed in a video released by the Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı: SSB) on its official twitter account on 11 December, will be equipped with one remote weapon station at the front of the USV, with the rest of the weapons and sensors located aft. Weapon and sensor options include an ASW rocket launcher, lightweight torpedoes, a dipping and towed-array sonar, and a stabilised turret capable of carrying UMTAS and CİRİT guided missiles. According to Ares Shipyard, a hull-mounted dipping sonar or a telescopic sonar can be fitted. (Source: Janes)
15 Dec 22. Zephyr ‘pseudo-satellite’ flying military missions ahead of formal entry into service. The Zephyr high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) has already flown military missions ahead of its formal entry into service, an Airbus official told Janes and other defence media on 12 December.
Speaking at the annual Airbus Trade Media Briefing (TMB) in Madrid, Samer Halawi, CEO Airbus HAPS Connectivity Solutions, said the company had begun flying contractor-supplied missions of the solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), ahead of it being formally introduced into service in 2024.
“We have already been flying missions for the military, and being paid for them,” Halawi said, without naming the military in question. “There will be continued flight trials and customer missions in 2023, and we are taking orders from potential customers for early market entry ahead of the planned entry into service (EIS) in 2024.” (Source: Janes)
16 Dec 22. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Lockheed Martin a 10-year contract to provide the British Army with uncrewed Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services, including sophisticated targeting, and automated target and threat recognition enabled by the latest Artificial Intelligence technology. The contract supports highly skilled jobs across multiple sites in the south west of the UK and will bring together leading Artificial Intelligence and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) technology partners based in the UK including Inzpire, Nordic Unmanned, and C3IA.
“This programme will bring a significant uncrewed technological advantage to the UK Armed Forces and be a key enabler in multi-domain integration, as well as create highly skilled jobs and increase the resilience of the industrial base,” said Paul Livingston, chief executive of Lockheed Martin UK.
The TIQUILA contract includes leadership from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®, bringing more than 60 years of UAS expertise and close to 80 years of pioneering solutions to the UK Armed Forces. Skunk Works will enhance the uncrewed systems Stalker VXE30 and Indago 4, which are already in use with the British Army. Skunk Works will also collaborate with the British Army on innovation, road mapping and technology scouting to increase industrial capacity and resilience, as well as develop new capabilities.
“As the global threat changes, its crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting-edge capabilities to our deployed forces,” said Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk KC.
“TIQUILA will bring the next generation of remotely piloted air systems into service in the Army. It will provide the means for the capability to remain at the leading edge of innovation allowing it to adapt to new threats,” said Brigadier Pete Drew, the British Army’s senior responsible owner for the TIQUILA programme.
“The Skunk Works team is honoured to support and partner with the British Army to modernise the UK military’s UAS fleet,” said Jacob Johnson, director of ISR and UAS systems at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “This is an exciting opportunity for us to help meet the critical needs of our coalition partners.”
Lockheed Martin UK has operated in country for more than 80 years. From helping to build the UK’s first commercial spaceport to postal sorting technology, its helps solve some of the UK’s most complex challenges, contributing to national defence, security and prosperity. The F-35 programme alone, which provides stability and value vital to military partnerships with key allies around the world, will generate more than £40bn pounds of gross value for the UK economy and sustain more than 20,000 British jobs between 2007 and 2038.
16 Dec 22. £129m to deliver cutting-edge mini drones for UK forces.
More than 250 “portable” and “packable” mini drones will be delivered to the Armed Forces after the award of a contract worth £129m to Lockheed Martin UK
- Lockheed Martin UK awarded contract to deliver more than 250 mini drones
- Drones will deliver high-resolution imaging capabilities to locate and identify potential targets
- Jobs supported at Lockheed Martin UK and across the UK supply chain
Replacing existing Mini Uncrewed Aerial Systems (MUAS) such as Desert Hawk 3, the 159 rotary-wing Indago 4 devices and 105 fixed-wing Stalker VXE30 drones, which are both capable of locating and identifying targets far from the operator, are due to be operational by the end of 2024.
Weighing a little over 20 kilograms and with a 4.88 metre wingspan, the portable Stalker is an operationally proven, vertical-launched, near-silent drone providing more than eight hours of imaging capability and able to cover around 60 miles.
The packable drone, Indago 4, weighing only 2.27 kilograms, can be folded and carried in a soldier’s backpack and deployed in just two minutes with a range of approximately eight miles. Its high-resolution camera systems provide incredible zoom capability to accurately identify people, objects, vehicles and weapons, day or night.
Both drone platforms will deliver cutting-edge imaging and surveillance and provide greater capability for the Armed Forces, locating targets at multiple ranges across a variety of environments.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC said: “As the global threat changes, it’s crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting edge capabilities to our deployed forces. This is another fantastic example of British industry supporting UK defence technology.”
With proven effectiveness in this technology, Lockheed Martin UK will be the Systems Integrator for the duration of the 10-year contract, working with numerous Small and Medium Enterprises as well as larger UAV manufacturers to iteratively develop the capability through life. This will ensure operational advantage is maintained by UK Armed Forces by upgrading the drones, keeping pace with technological changes and emerging threats when required.
Already used by the US military, the drones are designed to provide small military formations with immediate ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) capability – an increasingly vital component of modern battle spaces.
Andy Start, DE&S CEO, said: “These remotely piloted systems will enhance the ability of our soldiers to gather crucial intelligence and capture essential imagery in a tactical environment. As well as equipping the UK Armed Forces for operations now and into the future, this key programme supports highly skilled jobs for the next decade.”
More than a dozen full-time UK jobs will be sustained at Lockheed Martin over the contract’s duration, mostly based at Havant and Gloucester, including engineering, commercial, project management and support roles. Further supply chain roles across the UK are expected to be supported throughout the contract.
Lockheed Martin UK will be the conduit to a collection of additional UK and international companies known as the “TIQUILA Enterprise”. This ensures that TIQUILA is able to access the best technology and ideas, as well as rapidly integrate them with their Stalker and Indago platforms.
Brigadier Pete Drew, the Army’s Senior Responsible Owner for the TIQUILA programme, said: “TIQUILA will bring the next generation of remotely piloted air systems into service in the Army. It will provide the means for the capability to remain at the leading edge of innovation allowing it to adapt to new threats. It marks a significant milestone for the Land ISTAR programme, with TIQUILA being the first sensor to be digitally integrated into the wider ISTAR ecosystem. It will speed up decision making and will make us more lethal, responsive and resilient as a force, underlining the Army’s commitment to delivering Future Soldier as set out in the integrated review.”
Air Commodore Steve Bentley, UKStratCom’s Senior Responsible Owner for TIQUILA, said: “Employing a Systems Integrator approach will ensure that UK Defence is able to make the most of innovative development and Project TIQUILA’s rapid capability integration cycle, to deliver the latest and best capability into the hands of our users on the front line. Project TIQUILA will leverage competitive advantage from across the full spectrum of SMEs and Prime contractors, to ensure the UK is equipped with the best of breed and is able to make the most of the rapid pace of capability evolution.”
Delivering on the Integrated Review, the mini drone capability will underline the British Army’s commitment to Future Solider, building an Armed Forces capable of tackling emerging threats and future challenges on the battlefield.
Background
- The TIQUILA Enterprise is a collection of suppliers including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), incentivised by a commercial model that benefits both the innovators and the System Integrator.
- The name TIQUILA combines previous military drone programme names.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
15 Dec 22. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) RQ-4 RangeHawk supported the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during the recent Artemis I mission. RangeHawk is part of SkyRange, the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center’s uncrewed high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE), responsive mobile flight test initiative.
“Supporting the Artemis I uncrewed flight test is a clear demonstration of the flexibility of the RQ-4 platform,” said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager, global surveillance, Northrop Grumman. “Our RQ-4 RangeHawks provide the combination of range, endurance and sensing capabilities needed for supporting this new era of deep space exploration.”
Shortly after the Artemis l launch and perigee raise maneuver, the uncrewed SLS rocket performed the Trans-Lunar Injection burn, which accelerated the Orion spacecraft from 17,500 mph to 22,600 mph to escape Earth’s orbit and head toward the moon. This burn occurred over the Pacific Ocean outside the field of view of NASA’s ground stations.
NASA leveraged RangeHawks to collect telemetry from the rocket and receive the health and status data it transmitted during the gap in ground station coverage. RangeHawk arrived at the data collection point in the Pacific within the appropriate time window and the Artemis TM Transmitter was transitioned to a detectable signal which RangeHawk immediately acquired. RangeHawks’ advanced telemetry collection sensors performed nominally, receiving error free signal enabling successful data collection.
RQ-4 RangeHawks are based at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California and currently support U.S. hypersonic missile flight tests as part of the SkyRange program. Northrop Grumman’s family of autonomous HALE systems perform critical wide-area intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR&T) missions.
Northrop Grumman additionally supported the Artemis I mission with the twin five-segment solid rocket boosters that provided more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s thrust at launch. Manufactured at the company’s northern Utah facility, the five-segment solid rocket booster is the world’s largest and most powerful human-rated solid rocket motor, producing 3.6 million pounds of thrust each. For the Orion spacecraft, the company manufactured the reaction control system tanks, environmental control and life support system tanks and solar array substrates at its Commerce and Goleta, Calif., sites.
15 Dec 22. Anduril Australia names RAN’s new XL-AUV as Ghost Shark.
Initially, the company is working to develop three XL-AUV prototypes as part of a $100m co-funded arrangement. Anduril Australia has officially revealed the name of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) future extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV). It was announced by the Australian Department of Defence (Dod ) on 14 December.
Being designed and manufactured in Australia, the Ran ’s vehicle has been named ‘Ghost Shark’.
The announcement was made during a ceremony hosted by the company at its Sydney Harbour base in Sydney, Australia on 12 December.
The event also featured a US-made ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous submarine. It will be used as the testbed for the development of Australian undersea vehicles.
RAN Capability head rear admiral Peter Quinn said: “They have the capacity to remain at sea undetected for very long periods, carry various military payloads and cover very long distances.
“The vessels will provide militaries with a persistent option for the delivery of underwater effects in high-risk environments, complementing our existing crewed ships and submarines, as well as other future uncrewed surface vessels.”
The new undersea warfare capability, Ghost Shark, is being procured as part of a $100m co-funded arrangement, supported by the Next Generation Technologies Fund.
In May, Anduril Australia announced its collaboration with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for the design, development and delivery of the autonomous robotic undersea warfare vehicle for the RAN.
Under this effort, the company is working together with the RAN and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group to develop three prototypes for the XL-AUVs.
Australian DoD chief scientist professor Tanya Monro said: “By Defence Science and Technology Group collaborating with our industry, we are able to co-develop critical capability that meets our specific needs much faster.”
The company together with the ADF is planning to complete the vehicle related tests and assessments over the next three years in Sydney. (Source: naval-technology.com)
15 Dec 22. Turkish unmanned fighter jet Kizilelma makes maiden flight.
Manufacturing of the unmanned aircraft Kizilelma is a very critical and strategic project, says manufacturer Baykar’s CEO.
The drone has aggressive manoeuvrability, with a flight time of five hours and an operational altitude of 35,000 feet. (AA)
The first prototype of Bayraktar Kizilelma, National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System (MIUS) developed by Baykar Technologies, has finally flown, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Selcuk Bayraktar said.
“We could not keep it anymore on the ground. It flew! Thanks to our Lord,” Bayraktar said on Twitter on Wednesday.
Türkiye’s latest drone Kizilelma (red apple) will take the country’s defence industry to new heights, according to its manufacturer Baykar. (Source: News Now/https://www.trtworld.com/)
14 Dec 22. US Navy Tests Slack Tether for Launching UAVs from USVs.
U.S. Navy engineers are testing a smart winch that will allow tethered unmanned aerial vehicles to launch and land on an autonomous, uncrewed boat. Tethered UAVs, most are a kind of quadcopter, transmit communications and power through the tether, allowing them to operate for longer periods relative to a battery-powered drone.
Most tethered UAVs use the taut-tether style, which maintains tension on the tether strung between the base station and the UAV. But the taut-tether style doesn’t work for the Navy because the frequent pitching and rolling motion of ships in in choppy waters would break the line.
That’s why Kurt Talke, a mechanical engineer at the Naval Information Warfare Center in San Diego, designed a new tether system that keeps slack in the tether using a smart winch that unwinds the spool such that the UAV can hover at a specific altitude while the ship below crashes through waves. The winch autonomously performs the paying out and taking in of the tether with the spool motor by measuring the tether-departure angle.
In November, the Navy reported that Talke had partnered with Jared Soltis and Eric Silberg, aerospace engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division, to test the tether system in a wind tunnel and earlier in an indoor wave pool known as the MASK Basin.
The experiments will eventually support the Naval Sea Systems Command Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406) Program Office, which is overseeing the development of the Navy’s unmanned surface vehicle fleet, which now includes the Seahawk, a 145-ton vessel with 14,000 gallons of fuel that can patrol the ocean for months without a crew member aboard.
Adding a tethered quadcopter to the Seahawk may allow the Navy to elevate cameras to heights that expand the line of sight or conduct offboard mine detection operations.
On September 13, 2022, the Navy was granted U.S. Patent 11,440,680 for Talke’s work developing the smart winch.
Through the Navy’s technology transfer program, private companies can apply for a patent license, which would allow the smart winch to be commercialized.
TechLink, the Navy’s national tech transfer intermediary, is providing no-cost support to license applicants. Companies are invited to contact TechLink now to start the process. (Source: UAS VISION/Tech Link)
14 Dec 22. Orbital UAV teams up with Animal Dynamics.
The companies have agreed to collaborate to help drive innovation in the UAV space.
Orbital Corporation (Orbital UAV) and Animal Dynamics have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which aims to further the development of propulsion systems and uncrewed aerial technology.
The agreement involves exploring initial concepts for heavy fuel engine systems applicable to Stork-STM — a heavy-lift uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) under development by Animal Dynamics.
This is tipped to produce a “highly performant, reliable and maintainable engine”, designed to excel across a range of environments.
Stork-STM is billed as an autonomous, heavy-lift parafoil built from first engineering principles, capable of carrying heavy cargo weighing up to 135 kilograms over 400 kilometres.
The platform is also expected to be operational beyond visual line of sight and capable of taking off and landing across short distances on unprepared ground.
The technology can be used for military resupply, humanitarian aid and emergency response missions.
Orbital UAV is expected to leverage its experience operating platforms in extreme temperatures, ranging from -30 to 49 degrees.
The company’s in-house prototyping and cradle-to-grave product life cycle capabilities are tipped to take an engine from concept and definition, through to full rate engine production and in-service support.
“Animal Dynamics represents an exciting opportunity to take Orbital UAV’s patented engine technology into the European market and expand our global reach,” Todd Alder, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of Orbital UAV, said.
“Stork-STM is a groundbreaking UAS that will create a unique solution for the defence sector, and beyond.”
Kevin Allington, CEO of Animal Dynamics, welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Orbital UAV.
“Orbital represents our first choice to develop the best possible powertrain for our vehicle,” Allington said.
“We’re confident our customers will be able to rely on their performant and reliable technology in the most difficult operating environments.”
According to the companies, Stork-STM can also power sovereign Australian vehicle Pelican, currently under development in conjunction with Animal Dynamics and Omega Dev Group in Sydney.
“Orbital’s world-class engineering is another good reason for the Australian Defence Force to be confident that our Pelican UAV brings class-leading performance and value for money,” Blair Hickey, CEO of Omega Dev, added. (Source: Defence Connect)
13 Dec 22. The iMUGS Consortium demonstrates autonomous missions with robotic systems. The integrated Modular Unmanned Ground System (iMUGS) project Consortium showcased the usage of autonomous unmanned ground systems for various defence missions, including intelligence gathering, casualty evacuation and last mile re-supply at the projects penultimate demonstration in Versailles, France. The event was led by Safran and Nexter and supported by other consortium members.
All the partners met in the premises of Nexter Robotics, made available during the weeks of integration and validation preceding the demonstration.
During the demonstration, three Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS UGVs equipped with payloads from the consortium members and cooperation partners fulfilled several autonomous missions to demonstrate the ability of the complete iMUGS system. These included autonomous mission planning from the operator’s point of view, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) with object detection and recognition, autonomous re-supply and casualty evacuation and cyber threat response.
The missions, performed by the French armed forces, presented how manned units can utilize unmanned systems to conduct missions more safely and effectively. “Unmanned systems increase stand-off distance from the enemy and, thanks to various sensors and effectors, provide soldiers the means to gather a higher quantity and much more precise information about their operation area than humans are capable of,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, the iMUGS Consortium lead.
“Autonomous unmanned assets are a game changer for armed forces as they allow the allocation of soldiers to more important tasks,” Väärsi added.
The UGV’s autonomous functionality that includes follow-me, waypoint navigation and obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities was developed by consortium members Diehl Defence, Milrem Robotics, Nexter and Safran. ISR was provided by OTEOS, the Escribano Mechanical & Engineering’s Electro Optic System, SAAB Grintek’s Laser Warning System (LWS) and Metravib Defence’s PEARL acoustic shot detection. Radio communication was provided by Bittium’s software defined radios.
The command and control (C2) and tactical C2ISR by GMV and sol.one were setup in the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s Boxer Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) with a C2 mission module and a static command centre. Cyber threat response was provided by Talgen. dotOcean and Insta showcased, via video, global and local swarming capabilities, respectively, in their in-house simulator.
The demonstration organized in France was the fifth of a total of six demonstrations held during the iMUGS project. The previous demonstrations were held in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Belgium. The last will be held in December in Germany.
12 Dec 22. Latest Award Moves Aurora’s CRANE X-Plane Closer to Flight. Aurora Flight Sciences was recently awarded phases 2 and 3 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program. This latest award funds phase 2, the detailed engineering design work necessary to create a full-scale version of Aurora’s X-plane candidate for CRANE. The award also includes an executable option to build and fly the aircraft in phase 3.
Aurora’s X-plane candidate uses active flow control (AFC) for multiple effects, including flight control at tactical speeds and performance enhancement across the flight envelope. The experimental, purpose-designed aircraft is designed around an AFC system that supplies pressurized air to AFC effectors embedded in all flying surfaces. The vehicle configuration provides AFC testing for multiple wing sweeps using nozzle arrays located at the upper surface of each wing. Aurora continues to collaborate closely with its parent company, Boeing, on the design of the aircraft and its AFC system.
The aircraft is configured to be a modular testbed featuring replaceable outboard wings and swappable AFC effectors. The modular design allows for testing of not only Aurora’s AFC effectors but also AFC effectors of various other designs. By expanding testing capabilities beyond Aurora-designed components, the program further advances its goal to provide the confidence needed for future aircraft requirements, both military and commercial, to include AFC-enabled capabilities.
“Given all that we have learned about AFC and its application to tactical aircraft in prior phases of CRANE, the next step is to prove out these learnings in flight,” said Graham Drozeski, vice president of government programs at Aurora. “The CRANE X-plane is designed specifically to explore the effectiveness of AFC technologies at mission relevant scale and Mach numbers.”
Previously, Aurora completed phases 0 and 1 of DARPA’s CRANE program. During phase 0, the team developed tools and technologies for incorporating AFC in the early stages of aircraft design and developed two X-plane concept designs. In phase 1, Aurora completed preliminary design of the selected X-plane and conducted wind tunnel testing. The wind tunnel tests collected data that provided a rigorous foundation for developing flight control laws using AFC as a primary control effector.
Moving into phase 2 of the program, Aurora has begun the detailed engineering design of its full-scale, 30 ft wingspan, 7000 lbs gross weight, uncrewed X-plane. In phase 3, Aurora would build the X-plane at its facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, and Mississippi. The vehicle would be used for AFC validation and demonstration at relevant scale and flight conditions, including flight speeds up to Mach 0.7. Flight testing is targeted for 2025.
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, advances the future of flight by developing and applying innovations across aircraft configurations, autonomous systems, propulsion technologies, and manufacturing processes. With a passionate and agile team, Aurora delivers solutions to its customers’ toughest challenges while meeting high standards of safety and quality. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Aurora Flight Sciences)
12 Dec 22. NATO Intelligence Collection Unit Conducts Sustained Surge Operations. NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) provided vital Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to Allied decision makers during a surge week December 1 to 8, 2022.
NATO’s multinational ISR collection force employed its RQ-4D unpiloted aerial vehicles during four 24-hour missions. Pilots, sensor operators, and intelligence analysts controlled collection activities from the Mission Operation Support Centre located at the Main Operating Base in Sigonella, Italy; the Force conducted these flights on the Alliance’s eastern flank.
“It is very rewarding being able to lead RQ-4D flying operations for these missions lasting over 24 hours spanning over a week of continuous operations,” said U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Pruitt, Commander of the NAGSF Flying Squadron.
“The mission requires five different crew positions be manned continuously while in flight as well as pre-mission planning and post-mission debriefs. NAGSF’s multi-national professional aircrew are providing vital near real-time intelligence that is enhancing situational awareness on NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he added.
“We are NATO’s elite ISR organization providing peerless decision advantage to the Alliance,” said NAGSF Commander, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Andrew Clark. “After declaring initial operating capability, we increased our operational tempo faster than anticipated – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine being the primary factor – with well over 100 sorties flown and more than 11,000 intelligence products disseminated in just over 18 months,” General Clark added.
NAGSF has achieved the second surge week in 2022 with an increased and sustained rate of mission execution. The team has met the challenges of maintaining the required manning levels, ensuring handing-over between missions and supporting a seamless information flow.
According to General Clark, NAGSF excels not only by collecting and distributing intelligence from their RQ-4D missions, but also – and more importantly – by processing and sharing so-called federated intelligence products received from other sources. The integration of these two processes makes NAGSF a crucial specialized unit within NATO’s ISR community. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/NTO)
09 Dec 22. Vietnam operationalises locally developed unmanned vehicles for CBRN defence missions.
The People’s Army of Vietnam has operationalised an indigenously developed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and locally made multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across two of its chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence units.
This was confirmed by a representative from the service, who spoke to Janes at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (VIDEX) 2022, which is taking place in Hanoi from 8 to 10 December.
The UGV is known as the ‘Viet Nam Robot CBRN’ while the UAV has been dubbed as the ‘Airborne Radioactivity Monitoring System UAV’. Both systems have been developed by the Vietnamese Academy of Military Science and Technology (AMST).
The six-wheeled UGV is a 115 kg vehicle with a manipulator arm that can lift weights of up to 23 kg. It features a gripper attachment that can be interchanged according to mission types, and the type of decontaminant involved. It is equipped with two video cameras, and these are located on the UGV’s main body and manipulator arm, respectively. (Source: Janes)
09 Dec 22. Vietnam Army deploys locally developed UAV for scout, targeting operations. The People’s Army of Vietnam (PAV) has inducted a locally developed fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for scout and target acquisition missions across several units.
Speaking to Janes at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (VIDEX) 2022, which is taking place in Hanoi from 8 to 10 December, a representative from the service described the UAV as an equipment that was first developed by Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) for reconnaissance operations by border units.
The UAV is referred to by the PAV as the VUA-SC-3G and it began operations with the service in 2018. It has been developed by PAV, in collaboration with Viettel.
Besides reconnaissance operations, the PAV is presently conducting early trials of the system with formations such as the artillery services for target acquisition operations, the representative added. (Source: Janes)
09 Dec 22. Vietnam unveils VTOL-capable UAV for urban warfare operations. Vietnam’s Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) has unveiled a new fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Speaking to Janes at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (VIDEX) 2022, which is taking place in Hanoi from 8 to 10 December, a representative from the company described the system, which it calls the ‘light-weighted close-range UAV’, as one that has been under development since 2019.
“It is being shown for the first time, so that we can market the product to potential overseas customers,” a Viettel representative said. He also disclosed that the People’s Army of Vietnam has also acquired several units of the system for its urban warfare operations. However, the number of units acquired cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons. (Source: Janes)
12 Dec 22. Remote Carrier demonstrator released and operated from flying A400M for the first time. Germany’s Bundeswehr, Airbus, the German Aerospace Center DLR, and German companies SFL and Geradts have jointly carried out the world’s first successful launch and operation of a Remote Carrier flight test demonstrator from a flying A400M. Multiplying the force and extending the range of unmanned systems will be one of the future roles of Airbus’ military transport aircraft in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
“The excellent collaboration with our German customer and partners on the A400M UAV Launcher campaign is further evidence of how the development of FCAS will take innovation and technologies to the next level,” said Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn. “FCAS as a system of systems is starting to take shape now.” The device for launching Remote Carriers from a flying A400M was developed in just six months. For the test flight, it was loaded onto the ramp of a Bundeswehr A400M, from which the Remote Carrier demonstrator, a modified Airbus Do-DT25 drone, was launched. After the release, the Do-DT25’s engines were started and it continued in powered flight mode. The crew on board the A400M then handed over control to an operator on the ground, who safely commanded and landed the drone.
Remote Carriers will be an important component of FCAS. They will fly in close cooperation with manned aircraft and support pilots in their tasks and missions. Military transport aircraft such as the A400M will play an important role: as motherships, they will bring the Remote Carriers as close as possible to their areas of operation before releasing up to 50 small or up to 12 heavy Remote Carriers. These will then join manned aircraft, operating with a high degree of automation although always under a pilot’s control.
Getting the A400M UAV Launcher ready for testing
To get the A400M UAV Launcher ready for the test campaign, Airbus, the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment (WTD 61), DLR, SFL and Geradts applied new ways of working such as rapid prototyping and a joint flight testing approach. This enabled the multidisciplinary team to develop and integrate the system, bringing it into the needed systems-of-systems context in a very short time, ready for flight testing. Throughout the development, this flexible industrial setup and new collaborative ways of working were supported by the German procurement office, BAAINBw.
12 Dec 22. Russian Drone Uses Many Chinese Components. A new Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), introduced to meet immediate minor battlefield roles, came under heavy criticism for being a Chinese copy and having limited indigenous components.
Russian defense commentators pointed to the Dobrynya quadcopter from Almaz-Antey as having many components and electronics from China.
However, the company and other Russian commentators countered by pointing to how Russian self-sufficiency in key aviation components electronics is bound to increase with techno-industrial experience and that this was just the first model.
While Russia leads in sophisticated military technologies, it has remained historically weak in electronic components that involve computer circuitry, processors, circuit boards, and chips.
Dobrynya – Russian Copy of Chinese Drone?
Russia’s Almaz-Antey, its leading missile maker, displayed the Dobrynya quadcopter late in November, with reports saying it planned to manufacture 1,000 such drones by the end of the year.
Both Russia and Ukraine depend heavily on the Chinese company’s mass-produced commercially available drones for elementary battlefield tasks like surveillance, reconnaissance, and primarily artillery fire correction.
The use of Chinese drones is so abundant that even official videos by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the recruits’ training show DJI drones being operated.
However, Russian social media forums discussing defense and military affairs erupted last week when observers commented that Dobrynya was a “Chinese-made Nazgul Evoque F5 quadcopter in a Russian frame.”
One comment understands Russia’s fledgling attempts to introduce microelectronic production in the country from scratch and how indigenization will be a gradual, slightly time-consuming process.
“But what you definitely don’t need is to copy the Chinese Nazgul drone and call it Dobrynya,” the comment said.
“It is probably impossible to make it completely Russian, but Almaz-Antey will be able to establish mass production of batteries, engines, propellers, communication units, remote control, and video cameras – if there is demand. Now the first drones will be given to customers, they will receive feedback and finalize them. This is normal engineering/design activity,” said one comment.
“It can be designed by us, get everything that can be made in Russia, including on 3D printers, and buy the rest abroad. It’s not a perfect solution, but for now, it’s exactly what needs to be done,” the commentators added.
Russian Drone Maker Responds
Almaz-Antey soon responded, quelling doubts and assuring citizens of a gradual increase in domestically-made drone components. RIA Novosti quoted Yegor Shcherbakov, chief designer at the Obukhov Plant that produces the drone, pointing out the that the drone has a significant share of domestic components like a “flight controller, frame, boards, software, case, wires, printed circuit boards (PCB) and electric motors.”
Imported components like a camera, video and telemetry transmitters, engine speed controller, and antennas are found in the initial series of drones.
“Both domestic and imported engines and batteries were installed,” Shcherbakov said, adding it was natural to have components that are “easier to buy than to manufacture (with) their share constantly decreasing.”
No Problem with Copying or Sourcing
Chinese themselves have actively copied everything they lay their hands on, including Russia’s own defense platforms that Beijing buys. Russia is in a similar position when it comes to electronics.
“Russia urgently needs a mass-produced drone under tight deadlines, and the effort needs encouragement, not criticism,” said another comment.
Other criticisms regarding the high price of the Dobrynya compared to Chinese drones too are unfounded, as they ignore Chinese global predominance in electronics manufacturing.
Over the last four decades, it has acquired the advantage with vast, cheap, skilled labor backed by massive subsidies to factories and companies to which Western majors have outsourced manufacturing. (Source: UAS VISION/Eurasian Times)
09 Dec 22. Vietnamese unmanned systems company RT Robotics has unveiled an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system that is capable of dropping up to nine grenades per sortie.
The system, which has been dubbed as the Hera ‘individual combat drone’, is man-portable and propelled by four rotor-wings.
RT Robotics is a subsidiary of Vietnamese conglomerate CT Group, which also has business in real estate, finance, construction, and technology sectors.
Speaking to Janes at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (VIDEX) 2022, which is taking place in Hanoi from 8 to 10 December, a representative from the company, Quoc Luong, said that the Hera UAV has been fully developed in-country by Vietnamese engineers.
“Compared to similar UAVs manufactured by Israel, US, and NATO countries, the Hera is the most capable [in terms of the number of grenades that can be carried]. It is also more portable as it weighs only 9 kg and is the lightest [in the class of similar UAVs]”, Quoc said. (Source: Janes)
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