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08 Feb 24. India’s National Aerospace Laboratories conducts HAPS flight tests. India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) has carried out a series of flight tests on a subscale model of its high-altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) platform. The tests were conducted at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Challakere, Karnataka, from 23 January to 2 February. During the tests, the subscale model, which has a wingspan of 12 m and a maximum take-off weight of 22 kg, conducted about 22 sorties and accumulated close to 37 flight hours. Speaking to Janes, L Venkatakrishnan, NAL’s chief scientist and high-altitude platform programme director, said, “The aircraft met or exceeded all the performance metrics set out for it including a flight endurance of more than 8 hours 30 minutes, reaching an altitude of almost 3 km above mean sea level.” Venkatakrishnan added that metrics including climb rate, maximum bank angle, turn radius, and one engine inoperative were also assessed in the flight tests. (Source: Janes)
07 Feb 24. Pakistani firm shows off new drone during Saudi defense show. A Pakistani defense conglomerate has unveiled its latest drone, the Ranger, at the World Defense Show, running Feb. 4-8 in Saudi Arabia. Global Industrial Defence Solutions describes the Ranger as a runway-independent tactical UAV. It was designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions, as well as for an artillery fire correction role. Its multi-sensor gimbal payload incorporates a high-definition, electro-optical, medium-wave infrared sensor, and its laser range finder allows it to carry out daytime and nighttime operations. Its line-of-sight control is 100 kilometers (62 miles). GIDS touts the drone as able to operate autonomously with artificial intelligence-enabled payloads. Four small rotors provide vertical lift, while a larger pusher rotor delivering forward propulsion. GIDS was also promoting its Fatah II guided multi-launch rocket system, first tested in December 2023. The export version has a range of 290 kilometers. GIDS told Defense News that its presence at the defense expo is its largest to date as it attempts to secure more export deals, with the offer of local production as a sweetener. It has already sold products to Peru and has broken into the African market. It is also keen to expand business with Pakistan’s close allies. On the first day of the show, the organization signed an agreement with Turkey, but a GIDS spokesman would not offer specifics when asked by Defense News. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
07 Feb 24. RoK Launches Development of Ship-Based UAV. South Korea launched the development of UAVs to be based on ROK Navy ships. The UAVs will also be tasked with reconnaissance and surveillance of northwestern islands. The main contractor and systems integrator is Hanwha Systems while Schiebel will provide the S-300 platform. A domestic system development project for rotorcraft to be deployed aboard Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy ships and Marine Corps northwestern island units has begun in earnest. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on the 29th,
“We will invest about 143.3 bn won from December 2023 to December 2028 to conduct the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) project for ship-based, northwestern islands reconnaissance under the supervision of Hanwha Systems.”
This UAV is the first rotorcraft developed by South Korea and can be operated on land or ships without runways. ROK Navy vessels and Marine Corps’ northwestern island units had previously been restricted from operating unmanned aerial vehicles.
In particular, the northwestern islands require more thorough surveillance and reconnaissance because of North Korea’s continuous provocations.
This UAV will be able to expand the reconnaissance range off the northwestern island by simultaneously using high-performance Electro-Optica/Infrared (EO/IR) cameras and multi-function radars, and monitor it 24 hours a day to identify and respond to signs of provocation from enemies or neighboring countries, the DAPA explained.
Kim Tae-gon, head of DAPA’s Advanced Technology Division side, said,
“We will do our best to develop them in a timely manner by cooperating with necessary forces and developers. The developed unmanned aerial vehicle will play a major role in deterring North Korea’s provocations by preemptively detecting and responding to threats through real-time monitoring and reconnaissance.”
He also predicted,
“The success of the development of the unmanned aerial vehicle system is expected to lead to the export of the unmanned aerial vehicle sector in the future, as the private sector will also use it in various island areas where the existing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle operation is restricted, and K-Defense is succeeding in the global market.”
Schiebel s-300
Schiebel’s S-300 was chosen as the platforms, and Hanwha Systems will be in charge of integrating the system.
Schiebel previously supplied the S-100 Camcopter to the ROK Navy.
The main objectives of the S-300 development are to provide solutions for land and sea operations, enhance anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and provide flexibility to integrate different types of radars.
This multipurpose vertical take-off and landing UAV is specifically designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations for the military.
One of the notable features of the S-300 is that it can accommodate various payloads through multiple hard points, allowing for flexible installation options.
This UAV shares the same ground control station and payload fit as its predecessor, the S-100, allowing operators to transition seamlessly. (Source: UAS VISION/Naval News)
05 Feb 24. BAE Systems Unveils T-650 Heavy Lift UAV for Rescue Operations at WDS 2024. BAE Systems has unveiled the T-650, an all-electric “heavy lift” Unmanned Air System (UAS), marking a breakthrough in rescue technology. This development represents a turning point in how casualties could be recovered and transported from the battlefield, providing a rapid and cost-effective response capability.
BAE Systems’ Malloy Aeronautics team is working to explore opportunities to develop the capability, design, manufacture and marketing of a concept vehicle.
- Maximum payload: 300kg
- Range without payload: 80km
- Range with max. payload: 30km
- Maximum speed: 140kmh
The most significant feature of the T-650 concept is its class-leading payload (300kg) which will open up opportunities for new and disruptive mission types.
This type of vehicle allows rapid reconfiguration from one distinct mission type to the next. It aims to provide the versatility and utility required by our customers to discharge multiple roles in a cost-effective and sustainable way, giving an alternative to traditional delivery systems.
It is envisaged that the T-650 will have an open system architecture, enabling integration of third party systems and an upgrade path for new mission and payload capabilities.
There are a number of potential applications for a T-650 class of product. These range from Logistics activity such as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore movement, to potential carriage of weapons and sensors to support military operations on land and at sea. Once proven, the Electric Air vehicle could expand into wider application, such as casualty evacuation on the battlefield. A number of civilian / commercial use cases have also been identified, including humanitarian and logistics support; however, our initial focus remains across the military application such as:
- Automated logistics and resupply in both land and maritime applications.
- CASEVAC (casualty evacuation).
- Anti-Submarine warfare through carriage of Sting Ray (advanced lightweight torpedo).
- Maritime Mine Countermeasures through carriage of Archerfish (expendable mine neutraliser).
- Maritime Search and Rescue.
- Surveillance and Monitoring.
- Close Air Support.
The development of the T-650 is making considerable progress with active trials taking place on our testbed platform, the T-600.
In September 2023, BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics demonstrated the capabilities of the T-600 heavy lift uncrewed air system (UAS) during a large NATO exercise in Portugal to integrate the very latest maritime technologies across allied forces.
As of January 2024, Malloy Aeronautics became a wholly owned subsidiary company of BAE Systems. Work will continue towards the development T-650 as it was previously. (Source: UAS VISION/Army Recognition)
05 Feb 24. During a series of demonstrations in December 2023, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) worked collaboratively to execute several capability demonstrations as part of the Adaptive Airborne Enterprise (A2E) concept development.
The first demo featured the simultaneous control of three MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) by a single crew using the government-owned AFSOC RPA Control Suite (ARCS). ARCS adds additional capability to the Ground Control Station (GCS), by allowing a standard crew to control multiple UAS platforms. The second demo showed that an MQ-9A can launch a Altius 600 from a launch pod.
“We have established a great partnership with AFSOC,” said David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI. “We know our RPA will be a key building block for AFSOC to achieve its A2E vision.”
AFSOC is acquiring MQ-9B from GA-ASI for rapid prototyping and will forego a traditional GCS to control the RPA. Rather, AFSOC intends to control both the MQ-9A and MQ-9B aircraft, as well as a family of small UAS, from the ARCS. This event demonstrated the viability of ARCS to control the MQ-9A platform, which will lay the foundation for future work to integrate the MQ-9B aircraft into ARCS. This event also demonstrated the viability to operate the MQ-9 platform as surrogates for small UAS, all of which will be controlled by ARCS.
“These demonstrations were what we needed to really start to make A2E a reality,” said AFSOC Col. Trey Olman. “This was the first time we were able to demonstrate control of multiple RPAs from a single workstation, which is important in reducing manpower requirements.”
The A2E demonstrations took place at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. and Melrose Air Force Range (MAFR), N.M., and utilized Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Launch & Recovery (SLR). AFSOC launched the three MQ-9As using GA-ASI’s Portable Aircraft Control Stations (PACS) and Ground Control Stations. Once airborne, control for the three MQ-9A was handed from the three GCS to a single ARCS workstation. Control of all three aircraft was handed back from ARCS to each GCS and the three aircraft performed SATCOM landings via GA-ASI’s Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC).
The A2E concept envisions AFSOC projecting air power from beyond the horizon, using a family of large, unmanned aircraft along with small, expendable UAS, from permissive to denied environments. MQ-9B is the ideal platform for inserting air-launched effects into potentially hostile environments. The MQ-9B’s combination of range, endurance, reduced manpower footprint, and overall flexibility will key to AFSOC’s future family of advanced UAS systems.
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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