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03 Oct 24. French Navy orders underwater drones for deep-sea surveillance. The French Navy has ordered an autonomous underwater vehicle from Exail that will surveil critical infrastructure at depths of up to 6,000 meters, the company announced.
The architecture of the new drone will be based on the firm’s Ulyx, a vehicle co-developed with Ifremer, the national institute for ocean science and technology. The platform will primarily be used to carry out reconnaissance operations across the seabed, covering sensitive infrastructure like submarine cables, many of which lie at a depth of 6,000 meters.
Ensuring the protection of those assets has proven increasingly difficult, even for major navies. NATO officials have warned that Russia could target undersea cables to disrupt Western activities.
A number of countries have followed closely the development of Moscow’s submarine fleet, as the country possesses the ability to cut cables on the ocean floor.
During a media visit to the FREMM Normandie frigate of the French Navy, organized here ahead of the Euronaval trade show in Paris next month, officers touched on the increased activity seen in recents years in the waters surrounding the Brest naval base, where the ship was stationed.
Last December, two French frigates, the Normandie and the Auvergne, followed closely a Russian submarine that was transiting off the coast of the Brittany town, according to French media.
The transit route is one that Russian submarines are reported to have taken in recent months to reach areas nearby Ireland.
France has identified the safeguard of its sovereignty of the seabed as a key priority in the French investment plan for 2030.
As part of the capability-building process set out in the Ministerial Strategy for Seabed Warfare, adopted in 2022, the French Navy will buy autonomous as well as remote-controlled undersea vehicles
For the latter category, officials selected French vendor Travocean with its DeepSea vehicle.
The new underwater drone will incorporate several made-in-France components designed by Exail, including acoustics sensors and the Phins inertial navigation system.
An Exail representative declined to say when the delivery of the AUV would be, saying only that it would be before 2030. (Source: Defense News)
02 Oct 24. Pentagon taps commercial vendors for low-cost, throwaway drones. Pentagon officials want to build America’s arsenal of cheap, disposable drones, staple weapons of the war in Ukraine, pinging commercial vendors for systems with mass-production potential.
The Defense Innovation Unit released a solicitation this week for one-way, uncrewed aerial systems that can fly at ranges of 50 to 300 kilometers in low-bandwidth, GPS-denied environments.
“Recent conflicts have highlighted the asymmetric impact low-cost, one-way unmanned aerial systems have on the modern battlefield,” DIU said in the notice. “The Department of Defense must be able to employ low-cost precision effects at extended ranges.”
DIU plans to hold a live flyoff demonstration as soon as December to evaluate the proposed systems.
Small, one-way attack drones have featured heavily in recent conflicts — from Ukraine to the Middle East. Since last fall, the Iran-backed Houthi militia group has targeted commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, using aerial vehicles, uncrewed surface vessels and cruise missiles. Last week, the group launched what the Pentagon termed a “complex attack” on U.S. ships in the region.
On Monday, Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the Pentagon would focus the next round of its Replicator effort — a process for quickly fielding high-need technology at scale — on countering drone threats like these. But the department also recognizes the impact these systems can have and wants to stock up on its own supply.
“Reliable, affordable, and adaptable long-range UAS platforms that allow for employment at scale will maximize operational flexibility for the joint force,” DIU said.
A DIU spokesperson told Defense News that while the drones the department wants could perform attack missions, it’s also interested in systems that can fly electronic warfare, ISR and communications relay payloads.
According to the solicitation, the vehicles should also be hard to detect and track, have several pathways for two-way communications and be equipped with mission planning software. Critically, the department wants modular systems that can integrate new hardware or software in a matter of hours.
“Proprietary interfaces, message formatting or hardware that require vendor-specific licensing are not permitted,” DIU said.
The notice doesn’t detail how many systems the department might buy and it doesn’t set a cost target. The spokesperson said that omission was intentional because DIU’s selections won’t be based on the cost of a particular drone, but on the cost of the effect the platform achieves.
“The best way to think of what we’re targeting is a cost per effect,” the spokesperson said. “If we launch one $1M platform or ten $100k platforms and generate the same effect, then the cost per effect is the same and that’s what we want to focus on.” (Source: Defense News)
01 Oct 24. US Army Selects LIFT Aircraft and Near Earth Autonomy to Develop Uncrewed Blood Delivery & Casualty Evacuation System. LIFT Aircraft (LIFT) announced today that they have been awarded a contract by the US Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) to design a medical multi-mission modular payload, a container that can carry blood supply and casualty evacuations (CASEVAC).
LIFT has partnered with Near Earth Autonomy (Near Earth) to address one of the Army’s biggest challenges – the need to autonomously perform these functions within the crucial “golden hour,” the critical period immediately following trauma when rapid medical intervention significantly increases survival rates.
MAJ Rickey Royal stated, “The current practice of relying on crewed vehicles to provide blood resupply and CASEVAC in contested areas has significant challenges. The Army has identified a significant need for a modular, multi-mission payload capable of climate control and telemedicine that can deploy via an autonomous aerial and/or ground platform. An autonomous solution enables speed and efficiency in casualty evacuations and delivery of medical supplies.”
This contract is part of the Special Program Awards for Required Technology Needs (SPARTN) program. This program uses Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding as a powerful innovation tool that moves at the speed of business. SPARTN reduces time to contract and time to payment so the Army can bring in the best company with the best solution.
Designed with a priority on swift deployment and integration with existing military operations, the payload system being developed by LIFT and Near Earth is distinguished by its adaptability, facilitating easy incorporation into various transportation methods and ensuring widespread usability. The payload will utilize proven technologies to incorporate vital signs tracking monitors and will be climate-controlled to maintain blood temperatures.
Matt Chasen, Founder and CEO of LIFT, emphasized the impact of the partnership: “After multiple contracts with the US Air Force, we’re thrilled to continue our work alongside the Army with broad implications for the wider Department of Defense. Our selection for this project underscores our readiness to expand into broad defense applications. We are confident that this collaboration will ensure swift, autonomous delivery of blood and evacuation services for casualties, and will ultimately save lives.”
At the culmination of the contract, LIFT will demonstrate the modular medical payload being transported by air and ground vehicles, including LIFT’s HEXA Cargo platform with its own uniquely modular design flown and tested by the USAF.
Near Earth has a history of autonomous aerial systems for medical logistics, including the Army Combat Medic autonomous CASEVAC helicopter program, and blood delivery in Project Crimson which was nominated for the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International
(AUVSI) Xcellence in Mission — Humanitarian Award. Near Earth has also developed aerial autonomy for other significant defense logistics programs, including USMC Logistics Connector with Honeywell and Leonardo, USMC MARV-EL with Kaman, OSD Joint Capability Technology
Demonstration Unmanned Logistics Systems – Aerial with SURVICE Engineering, and USMC Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) with Aurora Flight Sciences.
Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy, said, “Our collaboration focuses on integrating proven aircraft, autonomy, and medical technologies to meet urgent battlefield needs. We plan to develop, test, and demonstrate the system over the next 12 months. LIFT’s HEXA and Near Earth’s autonomy systems have a strong synergistic fit. We believe that our approach of combining existing, proven systems is the most efficient way to rapidly revolutionize battlefield medical support while minimizing costs and delays. The sooner we demonstrate the system’s effectiveness and reliability, the sooner it can potentially be out in the field, saving lives.” (Source: ASD Network)
02 Oct 24. For the third year in a row, Thales, worldwide leader in underwater and surface warfare systems, took part in the annual REPMUS1 military exercise hosted in Portugal by the Portuguese Navy, where NATO members were invited to participate.
- During this military at-sea exercise, thanks to the sponsorship of the Portuguese, British and French Navies, Thales leveraged its expertise in unmanned systems and digital technologies to unleash the potential offered by both air and surface drones.
- Over the years, Thales has demonstrated its capacity to deliver cutting-edge solutions to navies across the world, ensuring a high level of responsiveness and flexibility in anti-submarine warfare, anti-mine warfare, and anti-air warfare detection.
At the REPMUS 2024 exercise, Thales showcased its highly innovative solutions in the field of unmanned systems for naval warfare during real-world conditions. Through its multi-drone management solutions, smart sensors and combat management systems specifically designed for unmanned platforms, Thales is supporting navies to develop new concepts of operations, teaming manned and unmanned systems to carry out naval missions with greater responsiveness and flexibility.
Unleashing the full potential of unmanned systems
From 9-27 September 2024, Thales demonstrated its latest innovations to support concept development and experimentation with new technologies for sponsors in the Portuguese, British and French navies. These span unmanned systems designed for all types of missions, both in the underwater (anti-submarine barriers, critical infrastructure protection and anti-mine warfare), and above water (maritime surveillance and anti-surface warfare). Equipped with high-performance smart sensors and systems, various air and surface drones from Thales and its partners Schiebel and Tekever carried out effective surveillance, tracking and protection missions. An advanced command and control system enabled these drones to achieve their mission efficiently but also operate collaboratively and autonomously, under the control of an operator.
“In recent years, drones have proved to be a game-changer for armed forces. To support them, we bring our unique expertise in drone systems, sensors, communications, digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence, for air, as well as above and underwater. Our teams mobilise all their talent to develop innovative systems that exploit the full potential offered by drones for the benefit of navies, whose missions are evolving rapidly and are increasingly carried out in coalition. This was brilliantly demonstrated during the REPMUS exercises organized by the Portuguese Navy, with the invaluable support of our other partner navies and OTAN invited countries.” Philippe Duhamel, EVP Defence Mission Systems, Thales.
REPMUS demonstrations enabled Thales and partners to:
- Highlight the value of modular, multi-mission unmanned systems that comprise unmanned vehicles operating with a range of payloads, integrated with different Command and Control systems to achieve naval mission objectives.
- Test and prove the effectiveness of detection, identification and monitoring of threats by collecting and processing, in real time, data from sensors on-board the various unmanned systems with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) while guaranteeing overall coherence with the Combat Management System.
- Successfully federate several air and surface drones, automatically creating mission plans, tasking and ensuring complete supervision.
- Increase projection capability through communication systems integrated into unmanned aerial systems to relay operational data, enabling greater responsiveness, a reduction in human resources, costs and environmental footprint, and to demonstrate supervision systems deployed on surface ships.
- Experiment with the Royal Navy additional surveillance missions capacities for RWUAS (Multi-Mission Rotary Wing Unmanned Air System) enhancing the system with new capabilities in smart sensors and combat management systems.
- Confirm compatibility with NATO interoperability standards, currently under development
Empowering drones through Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of AI-boosted sensors and systems improves the ability to detect, identify and track threats in real-time using data collected by sensors. For instance, AI algorithms were used to automatically detect abnormal behaviour in the positioning and trajectory of ships, to analyse images captured by sensors on the Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), to identify any unusual activities or patterns that may indicate a security threat. This empowerment of drones enables a higher volume of data to be treated as well as continuous situation monitoring, thus saving the armed forces valuable time.
While aerial and maritime drones are undoubtedly valuable assets, they require multiple operators and extensive coordination for effective control. By leveraging AI, Thales increases autonomy among its unmanned systems, enabling them to automatically raise an alert, formulate mission plans and even select the most suitable drone among a fleet as soon as a potential threat is detected. This enables operators to supervise missions in real time. An interface integrates the entire drone fleet and operators can take control of drone systems at any time, keeping humans at the centre of the decision-making process.
01 Oct 24. Skydweller Aero has successfully completed the initial uncrewed autonomous flight test campaign of its Skydweller Unmanned Aerial System. A series of uncrewed flight tests – with the two longest being 16 hours and 22 ½ hours – were launched from the company’s facility at Stennis International Airport in Kiln, Mississippi.
This campaign is one more step towards bringing extreme flight endurance to the world, demonstrates the feasibility of remaining airborne for weeks to months using solar energy and batteries, and is another significant milestone in the development of the Skydweller aircraft and its high reliability autonomous vehicle management system.
This campaign was initiated under a Joint Concept Technology Demonstration (JCTD) by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD R&E) and sustained by a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to evaluate Autonomous Maritime Patrol Aircraft (AMPA).
Dr. Robert Miller, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Skydweller Aero, said: “This flight test campaign is an important achievement and validates our business vision, marking a new era in autonomous aviation. Skydweller Aero is redefining what is possible in the aerospace industry, and the data gathered that validates our models for multi-day fights is a testament to our team’s dedication and innovation. We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what uncrewed solar-powered aircraft can achieve and will continue on with our mission to bring perpetual flight to the world.”
Barry Matsumori, President & Chief Operating Officer of Skydweller Aero, said: “We have accomplished a major milestone toward demonstrating the feasibility of perpetual flight by leveraging the trillions of dollars in global research and development investment in solar energy, battery storage, and the handing and manufacturing of extremely strong, ultra lightweight carbon fiber assemblies. As these subsystems improve, we will continue to leverage them for the benefit of our customers.”
Highlights of the Flight:
- Uncrewed Autonomous Operation: At high operation tempo, the Skydweller aircraft conducted a series of long endurance flight tests demonstrating potential to perform extreme endurance missions.
- Solar-Powered Flight: Powered by solar energy, the aircraft delivers zero carbon emissions with ultra-quiet operations.
- High Reliability Autonomous Systems: The flight demonstrated uncrewed operation of Skydweller’s fully redundant autonomous systems and beyond-line-of-sight operations & communication.
01 Oct 24. AeroVironment (AV) flight-tested an upgraded Sunglider™, enhancing its High-Altitude Platform-Station (HAPS) capabilities for commercial and government markets. The result is Horus™ A, the new version of Sunglider for government applications. Horus A is a solar-powered UAS capable of carrying up to 150 lb of payload with 1.5 kW of available power, offering industry-leading stratospheric performance.
Horus A features enhancements in all areas of the aircraft design, avionics, and offers unique features such as additional autonomy to increase mission flexibility and multiple redundant systems for mission assurance. Horus A received airworthiness approval from the U.S. Army and an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate to allow flight testing in the national airspace. These enhancements flow back into the continued development of Sunglider with SoftBank as both companies strive to deliver unrivaled payload capacity and persistence to unlock the full potential of both stratospheric flight and the latest, most capable payloads.
“During this recent Horus A flight, we demonstrated the ability to carry multiple payloads for the U.S. DoD and transmit real-time data, advancing the viability of HAPS for government applications,” said Jeff Rodrian, AV’s senior vice president and general manager of MacCready Works. “This flight marks another milestone in our stratospheric platform’s progress. It underscores AV’s leadership in developing solar-powered, high-altitude systems with significant potential for commercial and government applications.”
Continuing AV’s tradition of industry-defining firsts, Horus A simultaneously operated a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and Tactical Grade Mesh Network radio during the mission portion of the flight. Covering the majority of the flight test points, AV was able to validate multiple new and redundant systems, payload interoperability and performance enhancements. AV also demonstrated the ability to effectively maneuver in adverse and turbulent weather, landing safely, ready to return to the Stratosphere for future longer-duration missions. Horus A’s satellite-based BLOS radio and robust avionics and datalink suite will enable this platform to fill critical defense capability gaps such as resilient communications and network extension, Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT), Space Domain Awareness, long-endurance ISR, and deep sensing. Many of these capabilities can enable swarms of smaller uncrewed systems like Switchblade® 600 to be most effective on the battlefield.
After this recent stratospheric flight, which was supported by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Research and Engineering, and the Rapid Prototyping Programs, AV will continue aggressively progressing Horus A towards operational employment. Through continued partnership with SoftBank, the company aims to offer a robust connectivity solution in the world of 5G and beyond with Sunglider. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
30 Sep 24. In recognition of the development of its innovative Drone-in-a-Box technology, British UAV manufacturer Evolve Dynamics has won a grant competition for an Innovate UK Smart Grant, funded by UK Research & Innovation, part of the UK government.
Drone as First Responder (DFR).
A British company with a proud heritage of innovation and ingenuity, Evolve Dynamics is developing revolutionary self-charging Drone-in-a-Box (DiaB) technology that can be used to provide a rapid response to emergency situations. Designed to facilitate eyes-on contact and transmit video and audio feeds to first responder control centres, Evolve Dynamics’ Drone as First Responder (DFR) concept will be able to demonstrate high weather resilience and fly autonomously for up to 45 minutes.
The company’s DFR will be vehicle-mountable or transportable by a single person, in turn reducing the challenges of moving larger uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Unlike existing UAVs currently used by first responders, this new innovation will feature vertical take-off, landing and recharging, all of which can take place autonomously, without human intervention.
By simply pressing a button on a handheld Ground Control Station (GCS) like a remote control, first responder operators will be able to send the DFR on a pre-planned route to a specific location. The journey undertaken will rely on radar or GPS and object tracking capabilities for collision avoidance, ensuring the safe arrival and home return of the UAV.
Breakthrough innovation of its type
Evolve Dynamics is the first company to offer a DiaB solution with autonomous charging and an integrated UAV. Developed to operate without risk of any foreign interference, the DFR will offer a high-quality, single-unit solution specifically designed for public safety applications. Recognising technological advances and evolving ways of working, first responders are increasingly utilising UAVs to improve incident response times, which are also helping to reduce costs and free up resources.
By providing first responders with greater situational awareness and surveillance capabilities from a distance, the DFR will help to minimise human-risk and quickly ascertain the required response-level. This in turn will have the potential to reduce response times by 87%, lower eyes-on response costs by £2000 per incident and decrease the number of fatalities and property damage.
Mike Dewhurst, CEO and Founder of Evolve Dynamics stated, “We’re delighted and honoured that Innovate UK has recognised the potential of our Drone-In-A-Box technology. We believe this capability holds immense opportunities and is a truly disruptive technology that can transform the way in which first-responders operate and work.”
With ongoing security concerns in the industry around the production of Chinese-manufactured UAVs, the demand for ‘home grown’ or OECD-produced devices is forecast to grow significantly. As a unique technological concept, the UK is ideally positioned to become a leader in the global public safety UAV market, with further potential for global expansion.
Innovate UK Smart Grants: UK-registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25m for game-changing and commercially-viable R&D innovations that can significantly impact the UK economy. This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. The Innovate UK Smart Grant has focused scope and eligibility criteria to support micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their partners in developing genuinely new innovations with significant potential for rapid economic return to the UK.
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BCB certainly has a rich history (1854) and an impressive portfolio of products designed to enhance the safety and effectiveness of NATO defence personnel in various environments.
The core competency of protecting lives in hostile environments, includes:
LAND:
BCB`s camouflage creams and camouflage nets have been standard issue to conceal generations of British and NATO forces.
Our newly developed MultiSpectral Cam technology, the MK8 Phantom, camouflages and protects people/vehicles/assets in the visual, IR and thermal (SWIR/MWIR/LWIR) spectrums.
FireDragon, our eco field cooking fuel, burns cleanly so can also be used in the confined space of a foxhole or tent. It is waterproof, easy to light, non-toxic and smokeless.
SEA;
Our patented Floating Body Armour is unique, versatile and sensibly protects both you and your life jacket, under the soft and hard armour. Designed to be low bulk, it`s massive 275 newtons of buoyancy is self-righting. We say it will “save your life twice”.
Our range of Boat Stopping Systems, provided a layered non-lethal stopping capability against all sizes of vessels, including unmanned threats. So you can stop and search, defeat pirates from boarding, prevent terrorists from getting near your vessel or close off quickly a waterway, port or maritime borders.
AIR;
BCB`s sister company UAVE have been manufacturing since 2013, the Dragon MK3, large, long range (1,000km) long endurance (12hours), versatile and mission-ready UAV. It is proven and operational from the polar regions to 45deg C heat in the Middle East and Asia. The larger of the 3 models, carries 25 kilos payload.
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