Unmanned aerial vehicles | UAVs

[Khafee]

CHINA TO EXPAND DRONE OFFERINGS WITH STAR SHADOW UCAV
Feb 08, 2018
Bilal Khan

Star UAV System Company Star Shadow UCAV. Photo source: Air Recognition

At the 2018 Singapore Air Show, a company from Chengdu – Star UAV System Company – is promoting its stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Star Shadow, to prospective export customers.

Designed as a blended-wing and twin jet-engine platform, the Star Shadow will have a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 4,000 kg, endurance of 12 hours and cruising speed as well as cruising altitude of 600 km/h and nearly 40,000 ft, respectively. It will have a radius of 2,000 km and payload of 400 kg.

Star UAV aims to have the Star Shadow fly in 2019. The Star Shadow’s turbofan engine – i.e. the 200 kg TWS800 – is being designed and developed by a sister company (Shephard Media). As per IHS Jane’s, the engines are being developed by the Chengdu Chinese Academy of Sciences Aircraft Engine Co Ltd.

Interestingly, China’s state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is offering a jet-powered UAV platform of its own in the Cloud Shadow. Like the Star Shadow, the Cloud Shadow has a payload of 400 kg, but with a cruising altitude of 46,000 ft and cruising speed of 620 km/h.

However, the Star Shadow appears to have an internal payload bay, positioning it as a potentially credible stealth attack platform. In fact, Star UAV System Company claimed (via IHS Jane’s) that the Star Shadow will have a RCS of 0.1 m2. Its sensors and weapons suite has yet to be detailed.

Notes & Comments:
China’s UAV offerings, which encompass both state-backed designs from AVIC and beyond (through Star UAV System Company and Tengoen Tech) demonstrates a truly robust UAV industry, one spanning from the actual aircraft platforms to propulsion, onboard electronics and specially designed weapons. In fact, the undisclosed customer of the newly-launched Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute (CADI) Wing Loong II appears to be the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had ordered the Wing Loong I earlier.
Having long established the lead as a supplier of armed UAVs, especially to the non-NATO market (i.e. the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia), China is poised to reinforce its position through the availability of a diverse range of designs. The Star Shadow – along with the CH-5 and Cloud Shadow – point towards a willingness to offer potent attack capability to prospective customers who would have categorically no chance to acquire an analogous solution from the U.S. or Europe.

https://quwa.org/2018/02/08/china-t...il&utm_term=0_290f015d1a-f05511823d-206475549

 

[Khafee]

General Atomics enlists Boeing for its MQ-25 Stingray proposal
The company named six other partners on its entry to the competition to design and build the MQ-25 for the U.S. Navy.

By James LaPorta
Feb. 14, 2018

Boeing's unmanned aerial tanker aircraft system, which it unveiled in December. Photo courtesy of Boeing


Feb. 14 (UPI) -- General Atomics has announced their collaboration with Boeing, among other companies, to develop and build the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based tanker drone for the U.S. Navy.

Tuesday's announcement comes as the Navy has suggested in its latest budget request that it will only order four of the drone tankers during the next several years, despite years of development on the program.

The Navy has for several years been seeking an unmanned aerial system with refueling capabilities to support and extend the combat range of war fighting aircraft like the Boeing manufactured F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II.

"As the world's premier quick reaction unmanned aircraft system manufacturer, we are committed to delivering the most effective, affordable, sustainable, and adaptable carrier-based aerial refueling system at the lowest technical and schedule risk," David. R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI, said in a press release.

General Atomics says it has designed a purpose-built MQ-25A Stingray that is specifically designed for tanker refueling missions while exceeding all the the Navy's design requirements, including carrier integration.

In addition to Boeing, General Atomics said it is working with Pratt and Whitney, UTC Aerospace Systems, L3 Technologies, BAE Systems, Rockwell Collins, GKN Airospace's Fokker and GA's own Electromagnetic Systems and Systems Integration divisions.

"This collaboration of the best in aerospace industry will provide the U.S. Navy with a fleet ready unmanned tanker with exceptional growth, well within the Navy's preferred timeline," Alexander said.

Boeing Vice President and General Manager Chris Raymond said the company "is pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with General Atomics on its MQ-25 proposal," though the company told The Drive it will also continue designing its own entry in the design competition.

Boeing's version of the MQ-25 was unveiled in December 2017, with the company saying at the time that its unmanned aerial system can be integrated with the same catapult, launch and recovery system on U.S. Navy carriers for deployment.

In September 2016, Boeing and Lockheed Martin each received $43 millioncontracts from the Navy for work on development of the MQ-25, and Northrop Grumman received a $35 million contract for development on the project a month later.

Last October, Northrop Grumman pulled out of the competition, leaving Boeing, Lockheed and General Atomics. The Navy is expected to choose a design sometime later this year.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/20...or-its-MQ-25-Stingray-proposal/1351518632427/

 

[Khafee]

Lockheed Martin Launches Unmanned Vehicle Control Software that Can Simultaneously Control Multiple UAV Types, Operating Anywhere on Earth
Feb. 20, 2018
VCSi is based on 25 years of experience and 1.5 million flight hours

CALGARY, Alberta,- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) software has been simultaneously flying, on average, at least six unmanned aircraft during every hour of the last 25 years, completing missions as diverse as reconnaisance, inspection, mapping and targeting. Today, Lockheed Martin is launching VCSi, a new vehicle control software, as the culmination of more than two decades of experience and 1.5 million hours of operational use.

Lockheed Martin will unveil VCSi – commercial software that enables operators to simultaneously control dozens of unmanned vehicles and conduct information, surveillance and reconaissance missions – during the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi this month.

"VCSi is a safe and reliable software platform that can be adapted to any vehicle – from one you can hold in your hand, to a 50,000-pound machine; from a vehicle that flies for a few minutes, to a vehicle that flies for months at a time," said John Molberg, business development manager, Lockheed Martin CDL Systems. "The user can integrate as many vehicles as required to complete their missions, including boats, quadcopters, fixed-wing aircraft or even high-altitude pseudo satellites. Across commercial or military missions, VCSi is adaptable to the challenge and further extends the power of the human-machine team."

VCSi's major enhancements include:

• Multi-Vehicle: Control interfaces to allow for true 1:n control of dissimilar vehicles anywhere on earth
• Intuitive: Lockheed Martin further advanced its fly-by-mouse interface to enable easier training and reduce operator/analyst task loads
• Affordable: Priced competitively with all unmanned systems in mind, customers can buy essential modules for their mission set
• Modular: Offers a robust plug-in architecture, which allows for custom content to be added by the user or selected from pre-existing modules
• International: Commercial software, made in Canada and free of export restrictions

VCSi is designed around the NATO Standardization Agreement known as STANAG 4586, which supports unmanned vehicle interoperability. Customers can build attachments or plug-ins beyond 4586 to customize the VCSi software, which also supports multiple languages and non-Latin scripts. VCSi provides advanced 3D visualization of vehicles and airspace, and it is at the forefront of integration into unmanned traffic management systems.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the VCS unmanned control product family, which has accumulated more than 1.5 million flight hours by operators controlling 40 different vehicles across several dozen companies.

Lockheed Martin has five decades of experience in unmanned and autonomous systems for air, land and sea. From the depths of the ocean to the rarified air of the stratosphere, Lockheed Martin's unmanned systems help militaries, civil and commercial customers accomplish their most difficult challenges.

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/201...ultiple-UAV-Types-Operating-Anywhere-on-Earth

 

[SOUTHie]

Lockheed Martin Launches Unmanned Vehicle Control Software that Can Simultaneously Control Multiple UAV Types, Operating Anywhere on Earth
Feb. 20, 2018
VCSi is based on 25 years of experience and 1.5 million flight hours

View attachment 5791

CALGARY, Alberta,- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) software has been simultaneously flying, on average, at least six unmanned aircraft during every hour of the last 25 years, completing missions as diverse as reconnaisance, inspection, mapping and targeting. Today, Lockheed Martin is launching VCSi, a new vehicle control software, as the culmination of more than two decades of experience and 1.5 million hours of operational use.

Lockheed Martin will unveil VCSi – commercial software that enables operators to simultaneously control dozens of unmanned vehicles and conduct information, surveillance and reconaissance missions – during the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi this month.

"VCSi is a safe and reliable software platform that can be adapted to any vehicle – from one you can hold in your hand, to a 50,000-pound machine; from a vehicle that flies for a few minutes, to a vehicle that flies for months at a time," said John Molberg, business development manager, Lockheed Martin CDL Systems. "The user can integrate as many vehicles as required to complete their missions, including boats, quadcopters, fixed-wing aircraft or even high-altitude pseudo satellites. Across commercial or military missions, VCSi is adaptable to the challenge and further extends the power of the human-machine team."

VCSi's major enhancements include:

• Multi-Vehicle: Control interfaces to allow for true 1:n control of dissimilar vehicles anywhere on earth
• Intuitive: Lockheed Martin further advanced its fly-by-mouse interface to enable easier training and reduce operator/analyst task loads
• Affordable: Priced competitively with all unmanned systems in mind, customers can buy essential modules for their mission set
• Modular: Offers a robust plug-in architecture, which allows for custom content to be added by the user or selected from pre-existing modules
• International: Commercial software, made in Canada and free of export restrictions

VCSi is designed around the NATO Standardization Agreement known as STANAG 4586, which supports unmanned vehicle interoperability. Customers can build attachments or plug-ins beyond 4586 to customize the VCSi software, which also supports multiple languages and non-Latin scripts. VCSi provides advanced 3D visualization of vehicles and airspace, and it is at the forefront of integration into unmanned traffic management systems.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the VCS unmanned control product family, which has accumulated more than 1.5 million flight hours by operators controlling 40 different vehicles across several dozen companies.

Lockheed Martin has five decades of experience in unmanned and autonomous systems for air, land and sea. From the depths of the ocean to the rarified air of the stratosphere, Lockheed Martin's unmanned systems help militaries, civil and commercial customers accomplish their most difficult challenges.

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/201...ultiple-UAV-Types-Operating-Anywhere-on-Earth

Don't get me wrong, but isn't it a step closer to Skynet? This incorporates AI partially.

Some movies do predict the future.

 

[Khafee]

Don't get me wrong, but isn't it a step closer to Skynet? This incorporates AI partially.

Some movies do predict the future.

Very Valid point!

 

[Khafee]

Air Force Wants to Decrease Manning for Its UAVs
24 Feb 2018
By Oriana Pawlyk

ORLANDO -- The Air Force wants to operate its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles more efficiently, and is looking for ways to reduce the number of airmen needed to manage them while still getting better intelligence collection.

“We’re going to change the game -- I am working with the whole of the Air Force to build a strategy and an architecture that gives us more ISR for less people, for less money,” said Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast, the commander of Air Education and Training Command.

It’s about “more situational awareness to be able to do more things...more efficiently,” Kwast said during a media roundtable here during the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium.

During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq when intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions were greatly needed for troops on the ground, drones such as MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers were the heavy hitters in overwatch, Kwast said. But, he noted, that was just a band-aid solution at the time.

“The [remotely piloted aircraft] … requires much more architecture than, say, an F-16 squadron,” Kwast said. While the ratio of people to aircraft in manned aviation is roughly 1.5 to 1, he said, it takes about 10 people to operate one UAV at any given time.

“It is manpower intensive in a big way, and of course it’s very vulnerable to satellite comm[unications], to kinetic problems, to the [theater] it’s deployed to,” Kwast said.

He continued, “It doesn’t mean we have to live with that. We need to change that, because it’s too expensive. I have to be able to project power at a cheaper price point than my adversary, or I’ll be outspent.”

Last year, Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, then the head of AETC, said the service had more jobs for MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones than any other type of pilot position, and these communities were slated to grow even more in years to come. With the MQ-1 officially retiring from service March 9, more emphasis will be placed on Reaper crews, officials have said.

Additionally, officials recently met to pick the next enlisted airmen slated to fly the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

The Air Force Personnel Center will decide on 40 new airmen -- an increase from last year's pool -- out of 134 applicants by the end of February, officials said.

While the Air Force is facing a pilot shortage, which includes the RPA field, the manpower levels need to be refined to understand where there are gaps in the enterprise, Kwast said, reiterating more can still be done with less..

The Air Force is now collecting data on how to best dictate a future strategy, but first needs to “know the elements that make this effective,” Kwast said, which could include leveraging new technologies, or perhaps artificial intelligence, to “wean ourselves from this massive manpower-intensive architecture we’re in.”

https://www.military.com/daily-news...s-decrease-manning-its-unmanned-vehicles.html

 

[Khafee]

Australia buys second MQ-4C Triton UAV
April 4, 2019

zoomIllustration: US Navy photo of MQ-4C Triton

The Australian defense ministry announced it is buying the second of a planned fleet of six MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft.
Australia is acquiring the Tritons through a cooperative program with the United States Navy. The MQ-4C is being acquired to complement Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft operations.

Australian defense minister Christopher Pyne said the Triton acquisition was an important part of strengthening the security of Australia’s maritime boarders.

“The Triton – which will complement our manned P-8A Poseidon aircraft – will significantly enhance our anti-submarine warfare and maritime strike capability as well as our ability to monitor and secure Australia’s maritime approaches,” minister Pyne said.

“These capabilities help us protect our maritime area from threats such as people smuggling, and the exploitation of our natural resources from activities like illegal fishing.”

“The Tritons will also be able to undertake enhanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks to support whole-of-government operations.”

The approval of the second aircraft means that the project is on track to see the first Triton aircraft introduced into service in mid-2023 with all six planned to be delivered by late 2025, based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia.

Australia buys second MQ-4C Triton UAV

 

[NightWolf]

Thales highlights BRAIN modular unmanned system

Link: Thales highlights BRAIN modular unmanned system | Jane's 360


Thales disclosed fresh details on its BRAIN development, which comprises a central connection component that can be reconfigured into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), and unmanned surface vessel (USV). Thales displayed BRAIN's handheld ground control station as well as the central connection component, with a series of modular kits that enables it to be configured as a quad-rotor UAV or 4x4 UGV.

 

[Khafee]

Raytheon gets $29m for work on US Navy LOCUST UAV prototype
June 28, 2018

zoomImage Courtesy: ONR

The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded Raytheon a $29.7 million contract for work on the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) innovative naval prototype (INP).

As its name indicates, the LOCUST project is aimed at developing a system for the deployment of small, low-cost swarming UAVs to autonomously overwhelm an adversary.

Raytheon subsidiary BBN Technologies is already working on developing technology to direct and control swarms of small, autonomous air and ground vehicles under DARPA’s Offensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics program.

In 2016, the company carried out demonstrations that successfully netted together 30 UAVs in a swarm, as part of the LOCUST program.

The UAV swarming system includes a tube-based launcher that can send UAVs into the air in rapid succession. The technology then utilizes information-sharing between the UAVs, enabling autonomous collaborative behavior in either defensive or offensive missions.

A video of a prototype test from 2015 was shared by the ONR and shows the system in action.

Raytheon is expected to complete work on the ONR contract by January 2020.


Raytheon gets $29m for work on US Navy LOCUST UAV prototype

 

[Khafee]

UK safety watchdog highlights Watchkeeper UAV shortfalls
Tim Ripley, London - Jane's Defence Weekly
18 April 2019

A British Army Watchkeeper on force protection operations out of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in September 2014. Subsequent Watchkeeper operations in the UK have met with less success. Source: Crown Copyright


Key Points

• The British Army is still having issues operating its Watchkeepers, despite the UAVs having received their ‘release to service’ certification
• Three Watchkeeper UAVs have crashed in recent years while on UK-based training sorties

UK safety investigators have identified significant technical problems with the British Army’s Thales Watchkeeper tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Shortfalls in the UAVs’ flight-control system and cold weather operations capability were revealed in two reports by the UK’s Defence Safety Authority (DSA) into two Watchkeeper crashes in 2017.

Lieutenant General Richard Felton, former director general of the Defence Safety Authority, criticised Thales, the manufacturer of the Watchkeeper, and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for “not fully understanding how the Watchkeeper works, not making the most of simulation or the exploitation of data, and providing a disproportionate level of complexity to those who fly Watchkeeper”.

The two service inquiry reports, focusing on accidents on 3 February and 24 March 2017 by Watchkeepers flying from West Wales Airport at Aberporth, were released on 11 April. The cause of the first crash was determined to be icing in the UAV’s pitot head that eventually confused its flight-control systems, resulting in it stalling. The next crash was believed to be caused by a computer failure in the Watchkeeper’s flight-control system that meant a back-up component was not working.

A service inquiry into another crash on 13 June 2017 is expected to be published soon, but Lt Gen Felton said there were common themes in all three incidents as each resulted in a Watchkeeper air vehicle being lost beyond repair. The reports recommend more than 50 modifications to the Watchkeeper system, improvements in operational processes, and changes to flight procedures.

Janes | Latest defence and security news

Janes | The latest defence and security news from Janes - the trusted source for defence intelligence

www.janes.com

 

[Khafee]

Turkey advances Anka-Aksungur MALE UAV development
Kelvin Wong, Singapore - Jane's International Defence Review
17 April 2019

Turkish Aerospace carried out the first test flight of the Anka-Aksungur medium-altitude long-endurance UAV on 20 March. Source: Turkish Aerospace

Turkish Aerospace is expanding the testing envelope of its internally funded Anka-Aksungur medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV) development with the aim of pushing the air vehicle into series production by the first quarter of 2020, company sources told Jane's .

The company earlier announced that a prototype of the twin-engine air vehicle had successfully performed its maiden flight - which lasted 4 hours 20 minutes - on 20 March. The air vehicle also demonstrated its automatic take-off and landing capabilities, it added.

Jane's understands that a second test had been conducted on 3 April near Ankara, which had a duration of 3 hours and was aimed at expanding the prototype's flight testing envelope.

The Anka-Aksungur UAV features a twin-boom airframe design supported by a retractable undercarriage and incorporating forward-mounted PD170 twin-turbocharged engines developed by Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) with input from General Electric, followed by a set of high-mounted wings with slight dihedral and terminating in vertical stabilisers joined by a horizontal tailplane.

Jane's earlier reported that the 2.1 litre, water-cooled inline-4 PD170 engine - equipped with three bladed propellers in a tractor configuration - has a dry weight of 170 kg and can develop and maintain an output of 120hp at up to 30,000 ft (9,144 m) and 170hp at up to 20,000 ft. TEI expects an engine growth potential of up to 210hp with only minor modifications.

The air vehicle also features an overall length and height of 12 m and 3 m, respectively, with a wingspan of 24 m. Each wing is equipped with an integral fuel tank and can accommodate up to three hardpoints. According to the source, this arrangement provides the air vehicle with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) "in excess" of 3,000 kg and a payload capacity of 750 kg.

https://www.janes.com/article/87973/turkey-advances-anka-aksungur-male-uav-development

 

[Khafee]

APRIL 24, 2019
N.C. hospital delivering blood with drones in pioneering medical program
By Daniel Uria

UPS and California-based drone maker Matternet have partnered for the first FAA-sanctioned deliveries of medical samples in the United States. Photo courtesy Matternet

April 24 (UPI) -- The first-ever medical drone delivery program to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration has taken flight at a North Carolina hospital in a pioneering use of the devices in the healthcare field.

A small, white drone last month began delivering samples, including blood, between Raleigh's WakeMed Hospital surgical center and the primary testing lab at its main campus. In the following weeks, the supplies made daily flights that professionals hope will eventually transport life-saving products like blood to more rural locations.

The flights are conducted through a collaboration with United Parcel Service and California-based drone manufacturer Matternet and is overseen by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program.

"It was not a demo, it was not a test, it was the real deal. They're still flying, and it's been a real exciting time to get to see that happen here," transportation department communications officer James Pearce told UPI.

The three-year pilot program seeks to safely test the integration of drones into commercial airspace.

"North Carolina has always been a leader in aviation innovation," Bobby Walston, the transportation department's director of aviation, said in a statement.

The flights use Matternet's M2 quadcopter drone, which can carry medical payloads of up to about 5 pounds for more than 12 miles. Each flight begins with a medical professional loading a secure drone container with a medical sample or specimen. In about 3 minutes, it flies a path to and from a landing pad at WakeMed's main hospital.

Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said it's a process the medical staff doesn't participate in.

"They don't touch the drone, they don't even see the drone," he said. "The system does the rest automatically with remote supervision."

Collaborators eventually want to take advantage of the drone's full range and ship samples to campuses around Wake County.

Dr. Stuart Ginn, a WakeMed ENT surgeon and director of innovations for the hospital, said his team first considered implementing drone technology after realizing the existing process for transporting blood samples was inefficient. He said lab samples accounted for 70 percent of what the hospital was shipping through couriers.

"That's a fine solution in some cases, but we've kind of been thinking about how theoretically, if drone technology is deployable, it could change the way we move things around in our system," he said.

Dan Gangon, UPS vice president of healthcare and life science strategy, said the high-tech deliveries eliminate inefficiencies in the current system, like traffic and multiple stops before delivery.

"The beauty about the drone network is it really cleans up that intracity congestion," he said. "It really ends up being a very efficient solution."

The pilot program is the first of its kind in the United States, but UPS and Matternet have launched similar programs overseas -- including thousands of delivery flights in Rwanda and Switzerland.

"Rwanda was a more rural application, and so while we did have some experience before this project came about, what we didn't have is a good, solid urban solution ... for the United States," Gagnon said.

Pearce said the state's Department of Transportation is examining what obstacles medical drone deliveries may pose and how to overcome them.

"We're figuring out things, like the safety of the drone as it flies over people," he said. "As well as how does a blood sample do when it's being flown by a drone at 200-300 feet?"

The FAA said it has looked at some of those potential obstacles. In an emailed statement, the agency said it granted the required waiver after reviewing safety practices at the transportation department, Matternet and WakeMed.

"How can we build a transportation system that can complete the task for medical assistance in a way that is more efficient than they are today?" Raptopoulos asked rhetorically.

If the pilot program is successful and the FAA grants more drone freedom, the collaborators plan to use the devices for more tasks. The next planned step is food delivery in Holly Springs, N.C., and then medical deliveries to rural hospitals.

"We've got these systems of hospitals that are hundreds of miles apart, and it can take hours to get supplies and equipment from place to place," Pearce said.

N.C. hospital delivering blood with drones in pioneering medical program

 

[Khafee]

Small Eye In The Sky: Special Forces Will Soon Have New Enduring ISR Option
Tethered Indago small UAS delivers continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at fraction of cost


VINEYARD, Utah, April 29, 2019 - Combating counterinsurgency, conducting reconnaissance, collecting information vital to national security, United States Special Forces conduct some of the most sensitive and critical missions.

• 
  
  Lockheed Martin Indago
  

The people and infrastructure required for these missions also require constant protection through reliable intelligence and surveillance. That's why Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] expanded its Indago portfolio to include a tethered option.

Without the tether, Indago 3 flies for 50-70 minutes and can be carried in a rucksack, leading the group 1 small unmanned aerial system (UAS) industry in endurance and transportability. For uninterrupted ISR, special forces can quickly configure the tether, taking away the need for battery reliance.

"When it comes to unmanned systems and capability, size does matter," said Michael Carlson, Business Development manager for Indago. "We want to make something as important as force and facility protection as simple and effective as possible – the tethered Indago can do that."
Its payloads provide high resolution, daytime, electro-optical imagery capable of reading a license plate from a 1000-foot standoff distance. For nighttime, it provides detailed thermal infrared that can identify a person, weapon, and other intelligence, such as warmth of vehicle tracks on the surface. This includes imagery in black hot, white hot, and ironbow, an orange and purple heatmap color scheme.

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-04-29-Small-Eye-in-the-Sky-Special-Forces-Will-Soon-Have-New-Enduring-ISR-Option

 

[Khafee]

INDAGO UAS​

he Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies Indago quadrotor unmanned aerial system (UAS) goes beyond an average drone’s capabilities. With its leading endurance and quick deployment ability, Indago gives civilians and warfighters an eye-in-the sky in just minutes. The UAS, along with its payload options and advanced ground control software, helps users to accomplish diverse missions including precision agriculture, firefighting, first response, and mapping, surveying and inspections.

Deployed in minutes
The collapsible Indago quadrotor UAS weighs less than 5 lbs. and folds into a man-packable unit that requires no tools for assembly. Indago can be unfolded in 60 seconds, and airborne in just 2.5 minutes.

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS

In addition to its compact folding design and quick setup time, the Indago quadrotor UAS features include:

• Whisper quiet, rugged, all-weather capability
• Configurable failsafe behaviors
• Industry-leading image stabilization
• Proven Kestrel 3 autopilot
• Multiple hot-swappable payload options
• Up to 50 minutes flight time with 200 gram payload
• Line-of-sight range of 2.5 kilometer
• More than 3 kilometer range using optional long range antennae kit
• A ready to fly weight of 5 lbs. with payload included (2,268 grams)
• UAV dimensions (L x W x H):
  • Open: 32 x 32 x 7
  • Folded: 12 x 9 x 6
• Operating altitude of 10-500 ft. AGL (typical), 18,000 ft. MSL

WIRELESS HAND CONTROLLER

In tandem with the UAV platform, the Indago quadrotor UAS includes a weather-resistant wireless hand controller, which provides an easy-to-use interface for untethered UAV operation. The wireless hand controller can be used for small unmanned aircraft operation, whether fixed wing or VTOL, to provide onboard video recording and high resolution still images. With a runtime of four hours, the lightweight 3.5 lbs. hand controller has an ergonomic design with a large touchscreen. Among its capabilities are a full spectrum of features that help make the Indago VTOL transcend the capabilities of an average drone:

• Virtual Cockpit™ user-friendly mapping interface
• Powerful mission planning tools
• In-flight re-tasking
• Full waypoint navigation
• Windows-based operating system
• Wi-Fi link to laptop and video dissemination
• Integrated GPS and 4G LTE connectivity

SEE THE INDAGO IN ACTION

INDAGO: READY FOR CIVIL, MILITARY APPLICATIONS
The Indago goes beyond the stable, capable design of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Features include an extended hover and fast forward flight capability that provides military, civil and commercial customers with a quick aerial reconnaissance capability in crowded areas unreachable by fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. The Indago’s payload system provides additional capability that separates Indago from the average drone. Featuring a quick disconnect adapter, Indago allows the operator to choose an appropriate payload that suits the mission. There are payloads available for a variety of different applications including: precision agriculture, mapping, surveying and inspection, and reconnaissance. Additional payloads are in development.


Indago

 

[Khafee]

Army takes another stab at ‘rucksack portable’ unmanned aircraft
By: Jen Judson   3 hours ago

U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), launch the RQ-11 Raven during platoon live fire exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky. Jan. 25, 2018. (Capt. Justin Wright/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON — The Army is taking another stab at procuring rucksack-portable unmanned aircraft systems after trying a variety of different ways to establish the capability in the force over roughly the past decade.

For instance, the service tried back in 2012 and 2013 to issue a capabilities production document for rucksack-portable UAS and even issued contracts to a group of companies in 2013 to supply small UAS on demand, but nothing’s really gained traction as the quintessential capability.
The Army’s Raven and Puma UAS — both small, hand-launched aircraft — have continued to be in operation, but aren’t as portable as the service has wanted, particularly down at the platoon level.

The tiny Black Hornet UAS has been selected as a soldier-borne sensor, but the Army still wants to find short-, medium- and long-range UAS that can fit in a backpack, according Brig. Gen. Thomas Todd, the service’s program executive officer for aviation.

Todd’s program office has been tasked by the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, to pursue rucksack-portable UAS and this time the Army is prepared to move out quickly.

“We think we will be very agile and get a capability out there in relatively short order,” Todd told Defense News in a recent interview.

The service plans to award Other Transaction Authority contracts this fiscal year to companies to move out on providing enough systems for units to test and evaluate, Todd said. The plan is to get the UAS into users hands at the beginning of fiscal year 2020, he added.

OTAs allow the service to move more quickly with more flexibility than other contracting mechanisms. The Army, for example, recently awarded OTAs to two companies to provide unmanned aircraft prototypes for a Future Tactical UAS that platoons will evaluate before the service decides to buy.

The Army has taken a step forward, according to an April 29 statement from PEO Aviation, by setting up a partnership between the PEO’s project manager for UAS, the Defense Innovation Unit and the Maneuver Center of Excellence, that is tasked to “identify and prototype new capabilities with commercial companies that specialize in on-demand, eye-in-the-sky technologies.”

The team has established the Short Range Reconnaissance program, the statement reads, to deliver an “inexpensive, rucksack portable, vertical take-off and landing drone that provides the soldier on the ground with a rapidly deployable scouting capability to gain situational awareness.”

Six OTAs have been awarded to companies to provide “object detection in both daytime and nighttime environments,” according to the statement.
Using quadcopters, the companies will, over the next several months, develop solutions for a next-generation small UAS, it adds.

For most of the companies, it will be the first time working with the Defense Department, according to the statement.

“The goal is to move with speed through the prototyping phase, with companies meeting key milestones, and then transition the best technology to production to be fielded within months, not years,” the statement says.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/04/29/army-takes-another-stab-at-rucksack-portable-unmanned-aircraft/