EURE media kit 2020 On Land. At Sea. In Flight. Fact not fiction. Science not speculation.

What’s on the radar? Vision of Plug-free power Then there were five Advances in sense-and-avoid systems What 5G will mean for unmanned vehicle control the future Wireless charging technologies

Key advances in image Signals from space explained and compared Strong attachments sensor technology GNSS rises to the accuracy challenge Way points Why you need to latch on to advances in connectors Advances in MEMS Match points How to pick the right and what they mean Blades of class electric motor for a UAV for navigation Take care How to match a propeller to a UAV Focus on maintenance

This year’s modelling Chain of command The latest in simulation and testing kit Advances in ground control systems

Rugged and reliable Who wants data? Burning ambition Plug and play A seamless transition Under the surface Tecdron’s TC800-FF UGV has been Aviation looks to fill a gap in the UAV XOcean’s XO-450 hybrid USV collects and delivers How the Wingcopter uses only one propulsion Development details of the iXblue DriX USV designed to fight fires – at least for now market with its all-weather SkyRobot FX450 How Milrem developed its Multiscope commercial UGV system to shift between all flight modes and its underwater payload gondola

UST 21 : AUG/SEPT 2018 UST 22 : OCT/NOV 2018 UST 23 : DEC/JAN 2019 UST 24 : FEB/MAR 2019 UST 25 : APRIL/MAY 2019 UST 26 : JUNE/JULY 2019

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e22 e22 e22 e22 e22 e22 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE Advanced Aircraft Company HAMR UAV | Dossier 5G communications | Focus

Artist’s rendering of the HAMR with the boom fairings in Peter Donaldson details the development of this hybrid multi- by the drag, both of which can be place. The balls on sticks attached to the leading edges are measured in pounds or kilos, so the mass balance weights for stability (Courtesy of AAC) rotor craft, designed as the prelude to a more advanced system units cancel each other out to leave a dimensionless figure, which coincides with the glide ratio. Because powered-lift vehicles by definition have to consume power to Launched in 2014, UST is generate lift and overcome drag, it is hard to measure the drag, so the Shape of calculation is more complicated. “That’s why, in the case of a helicopter or a multi-rotor, we use effective lift-to- drag ratio,” Fredericks says. “Weight is things to come the same as lift in the numerator, but drag is replaced with velocity divided by the first ever publication to power.” This gives the drag, because the AVs provide tremendous These days AAC is focused on span forward boom and four on the more power required to achieve a opportunities to explore precision agriculture and survey/ longer main boom at the rear. given velocity at a given weight, the the potential advantages mapping, not only because current The front boom also carries a pair more drag there must be. The actual Again, the units cancel out to leave a so we held an aerodynamic clean- Blades of class of unusual airframe regulations permit UAVs but because of pivoting fairings, one between each eL/D calculation involves multiplying dimensionless ratio. up brainstorming session,” Fredericks How to match a propeller to a UAV configurations. Hybrids there is an established market for these motor and the fuselage, while the rear the vehicle’s weight by its velocity and “The aerodynamic efficiency of says. From that, the team selected three Take care Uthat combine the characteristics of services. boom carries four fairings in unequal- dividing the result by the power required. conventional multi-rotors is terrible, solutions. Focus on maintenance focus entirely on providing multicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are “The same design of the HAMR serves length pairs on each side. The longer increasingly common, but the Hybrid both applications, the only difference fairings are between the outer and This year’s modelling Advanced Multi-Rotor (HAMR) being being the sensors that would be inner motors, while the shorter ones developed by the Advanced Aircraft installed,” Fredericks says. are between the inner motors and the Picking up speed Chain of command The latest in simulation and testing kit Company (AAC) under NASA alumnus AAC also plans to expand into fuselage. William ‘Bill’ Fredericks is unique. linear infrastructure inspection – The composite fuselage houses a Advances in ground control systems It uses passively pivoting fairings power lines, pipelines and railway Desert Aircraft DA-35 engine (examined The impending introduction of 5G comms will have that automatically adjust themselves in tracks – and package delivery as the in detail in UST 15, August/September a huge impact on how unmanned systems are airflow to reduce drag and augment lift regulatory framework opens up to 2017) as well as a generator, a fuel tank, independent coverage of the 5G more will herald more responsive remote control of unmanned cars. This Audi Q7 SUV demonstrated in forward flight, and minimise drag in a permit commercial beyond-line-of-sight a Thunder Power lithium-ion battery, an controlled and organised. Nick Flaherty reports the technology at CES 2019 using chips and antennas from Qualcomm (Courtesy of Audi) hover, without the need for actuators. operations. autopilot and comms electronics, and Although the HAMR remains in rotor- For the government/military sector, two payload bays, one in the nose and driven flight throughout its envelope, he says, the HAMR spans the gap in one in the centre of the fuselage. its configuration and lift augmentation size between Group 1 hand-launched he development of the data links at up to 20 Gbit/s – 20 times as well as the 802.11p standard that is 8K high-quality cameras on UAVs to a The specification allows the radios, compared to the all-new 5G system improve significantly on the and Group 2 catapult-launched UAVs, Quest for drag reduction next generation of cellular that of current speeds – as well as low a variant of wi-fi which is used for the smartphone terminal, and for quickly orthogonal frequency domain Standalone (SA) systems. range, speed, payload and endurance noting that it has the minimal logistical The HAMR’s fairings – passively moving comms technology has latency and the ability to support short Digital Short Range Communications downloading high-definition (HD) maps modulation (OFDM) protocols already The advantage of SA is that the engineering of unmanned offered by comparable conventional footprint associated with Group 1 craft, wing surfaces – emerged from efforts reached the point where it data packets from millions of autonomous (DSRC) technology for vehicle-to-vehicle to vehicles. used in 3G and 4G to operate in more radios based on it are simpler and Burning ambition multi-rotor UAVs, and provide a degree which are typically lightweight but with to improve multi-rotor aerodynamics, is ready to be rolled out for systems. It is the first specification that (V2V) links. With Release 16, all of this can be than 30 different bands – from 700 MHz consume less power, and will improve of failsafe operation thanks to a hybrid greater endurance and the ability to carry particularly the lift-to-drag (L/D) ratio. Tunmanned systems. Release 16 of the meets the IMT-2020 targets set in 2012 The low latency of the link can be used achieved using mainstream, high- up to 2.6 GHz, which is just above the performance in throughput up to the 5G specification was frozen at the end by the International Telecommunications for more responsive remote control of volume components that are developed 2.4 GHz unlicenced band of wi-fi; edge of the network, while supporting Under the surface Tecdron’s TC800-FF UGV has been petrol-electric power system. payloads closer to those of the larger Multi-rotors typically have an effective When we interviewed Fredericks Group 2 vehicles. lift-to-drag (eL/D) ratio of around 2, of 2018, and chips built to it are being Union for what the International Mobile unmanned cars and aircraft, as well as for the consumer cellular phone 3.3 GHz up to 6 GHz, and even the the ultra-reliable low latency comms Development details of the iXblue DriX USV designed to fight fires – at least for now for UST issue 13 (April-May 2017), he Fredericks explains, manned helicopters launched in the coming months for use Telecommunication system would look providing more efficient data connections business, allowing autonomous system 24-52 GHz ‘millimetre wave’ bands, (URLLC) of Release 16. Although NSA explained that this vehicle was intended Final configuration have a ratio of between 4 and 5, and in smartphones, but the technology like in 2020 and beyond. to and from roadside infrastructures designers to access the cost savings of allowing system designers to trade off 5G radios will be the first to roll out, they and its underwater payload gondola to pave the way for the more demanding After experimenting with prototypes, of small fixed-wing UAVs achieve ratios in is also set to play a crucial role in the These new capabilities open up the for driverless cars for vehicle-to- volume production. data rate with range. will eventually move to SA. hybrid multi-motor tilt-wing Greased which four have been built and flown with the 10-14 range. By comparison, airliners development of connected vehicles on use of cellular links for a wider range of infrastructure (V2I) comms. Overall, that These capabilities are all new to Frequencies below 6 GHz are covered Higher frequency systems, at 52 GHz systems. UST has grown at an Lightning UAV by providing the start-up a fifth now under construction, the HAMR typically have an eL/D of 14-18. the ground and in the air. applications across driverless cars, UAVs allows autonomous vehicles to make Release 16, but 5G also differs from by the 5G New Radio (NR) specification and even 60 GHz, support data rates of UST 25 : APRIL/MAY 2019 UST 26 : JUNE/JULY 2019 company with a source of revenue and has settled into a configuration with six For fixed-wing aircraft, the L/D ratio That is because Release 16 is a key and autonomous agricultural systems. decisions that are more informed. the previous generations of cellular that came in with Release 15 and can up to 20 Gbit/s but with short range. point in the development of cellular It aligns with the next-generation wi-fi 6 The high bandwidth can be used for technologies by supporting a wide range coexist with existing 2G, 3G and 4G For example, some researchers are a track record of bringing an advanced electric motors – earlier prototypes had is simply the lift – which is the same The fourth HAMR prototype in an early test flight without its product to market. eight – with two mounted on the short- as the weight in level flight – divided signature passively pivoting aerodynamic fairings (Courtesy of AAC) technology, as it provides high-speed standard, allowing easier control of UAVs, streaming video from next-generation of frequency bands. networks as Non-Standalone (NSA) using this technology to send data Read all back issues online Read all back issues online UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE e22 www.ust-media.com UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE e22 www.ust-media.com exponential rate. Continuing to 22 December/January 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | December/January 2018 23 34 February/March 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | February/March 2019 35 be published bi-monthly, UST probes the cutting-edge Platform one Unmanned vehicle dossiers & digests projects of today to provide in-depth research insights, using The UST news section is focused on technological Each issue of UST contains at least one main dossier and rigorous investigation backed by development. Business and politics are only covered one digest offering an incredibly detailed look at a high- professional peer review in so far as they impact directly on engineering solutions. profile unmanned vehicle project, revealing many secrets of and critical analysis. From the outset UST has established itself as a the technology that are simply not reported anywhere else. publication that deals in hard science.

UST is an invaluable resource of Powerplant dossiers actionable intelligence for engineers UST insights whilst also providing a targeted The world of unmanned systems has created new promotional platform for those with Insights reveal the latest technological advances across requirements for small internal combustion engines and products and services of interest all unmanned vehicle platforms, as well as a number of electric motors, to the extent that currently there is far from to them. If you want to seize more specific industry applications. UAVs, UGVs, UUVs, USVs agreement as to the most appropriate technical solution. than your fair share of the fresh and Unmanned Space Vehicles will all take their place in A host of different approaches are being exploited, from opportunities being created in this the spotlight, as well as sectors utilising this burgeoning Wankel rotary to reciprocating, from battery electric to fuel exciting sphere, then UST is an technology including Mining, Agriculture, Surveillance, cell and all manner of hybrids. Each of UST’s powerplant absolute must. Inspection & Security applications. UST is dedicated to dossiers explores in depth one of the diverse innovative providing invaluable knowledge for engineers. power units at the forefront of today’s unmanned revolution.

www.ust-media.com 2020 Media Kit

Content overview

Tecdron TC800-FF | Dossier iXblue DriX | Dossier Ian Bamsey Peter Donaldson

The high fineness ratio that minimises drag, the wave- piercing reverse bow, the drop keel and the sensor gondola it supports are all intended to promote stability in the pitch, yaw and roll axes (Courtesy of iXblue) Peter Donaldson explains the approach behind developing Editorial Director Technology Contributor this versatile UGV, which is aimed initially at firefighting duties Ian Bamsey is a world Peter Donaldson has been Blazing a trail renowned technology writer and covering the technology of hile many unmanned cm long by 65 cm high by 77 cm wide), finalised. We took their requirements and vehicle platforms and its battery pack provides a maximum specifications into consideration in order are intended to endurance of 6 hours. to design a robot that would more than take on multiple While the TC800-FF is a clean-sheet meet their expectations. roles, starting with a design, it incorporates lessons learned “We put on paper everything we had Wparticular job in mind is a good way of from the development and fielding of the learned from our previous experiences editor. Over the past 25 years unmanned vehicle systems in focusing development efforts, building Scarab TX with the Paris Fire Brigade, with firefighters, and started from scratch Minimising noise and vibration are relationships with potential operators and and has been developed in response to to design a more powerful and more key to this USV’s success, writes learning about the challenges presented a follow-on tender from the service. reliable platform.” by the environments in which they work. CEO Jean-Charles Mammana He emphasises, however, that Tecdron Peter Donaldson, who explains Tecdron has taken this route with its explains, “When we submitted our works with many fire brigades across how it was developed TC800-FF UGV (formerly known as response to the tender, the TC800- France as well as overseas, and each he has created publications particular and aerospace and the Sentinel), a 540 kg tracked vehicle FF’s conception phase was being one has its own more or less specific Quiet capable of carrying an 800 kg payload aving a job to do but like,” says Guillaume Eudeline, business and withstanding the heat that comes not quite the right tool development manager for the company’s with operating close to wildfires and with which to do it is the Shipyard division. “First of all, they were burning buildings, to help keep human situation that iXblue faced very slow, and they all had either V-shaped The DriX carrying out the contract to survey the seabed around the Tonga firefighters at a safe distance. Other three years ago when monohulls or catamaran hulls. They simply archipelago for which iXblue developed covering the technology of defence in general since the sectors the company has in mind include Hthe maritime survey division of this did not handle the sea correctly.” the vehicle (Courtesy of iXblue) confidence the construction, nuclear power and navigation, positioning and imaging Their motion over the waves, he says, military markets, so versatility has been company was competing for a contract limited their potential usefulness because very important from the start. from the New Zealand Hydrographic it would degrade the performance of the Displacing 1.4 tonnes, the DriX’s of them,” says Eudeline, a former officer That was important, because iXblue maximum width) of 11:1. That is a figure Tecdron emphasises that, although the Service to map the seabed around sensors. Unable to find a vehicle that met development was led by iXblue’s in the French Navy with a background wanted a vehicle that would present that wouldn’t disgrace a racing catamaran, TC800-FF has a degree of autonomy in Tonga, in the South Pacific. It did not their needs, they therefore decided to shipyard director Sebastien Grall. His that encompasses engineering as well as the propulsion system with minimum and is unusual for a small monohull racecars and race engines and more recently mid-1980s. He cut his teeth on a range of titles the form of path-following capabilities, have the equipment that would allow it develop one themselves that would draw engineering team had to find ways tactical operations. resistance so that it could combine usefully surface vessel but which Eudeline says is it is primarily intended as a remotely to match the day rates offered by the big on in-house capabilities and experience. to minimise any interference with the high speed with frugal fuel consumption, ideal for minimising fuel consumption. operated platform designed to help survey companies against whom it was This experience included a USV built sensors from bubbles, vibration and the Hydrodynamics while allowing the engine to devote a This presented an integration firefighters and other emergency bidding for the contract, so it decided for the French Navy to tow targets and vehicle’s own radiated noise. One of the first configuration decisions major portion of its power to generating challenge in terms of the volume and responders with dangerous, difficult or to look for an off-the-shelf unmanned monitor missile launches. This 20 m “The benchmarking we did of other made concerned the hull form. V-shaped electricity for onboard equipment. weight available for equipment inside physically demanding tasks. solution that could be launched from and catamaran was iXblue’s first autonomous USVs helped us considerably, because hulls are common in manned vessels This pursuit of ‘slippery’ hydrodynamics the narrow hull. The hull is terminated he was one of the founders of Unmanned covering civil and military helicopters, regional Its electric motors and rubber tracks recovered by a mother ship. vehicle. The DriX impressed the New all the flaws we noticed when we because they provide the internal volume led to a slim hull form that combines the at the front by a sharp reverse bow, enable it to operate inside buildings, Compactness and the ability to climb steps as The TC800-FF’s primary purpose is to keep “We benchmarked a number of Zealand Hydrographic Service enough conducted those trials were in reality needed to accommodate a crew, but they DriX’s 7.7 m length with a beam of 0.7 m a wave-piercing shape reminiscent well as negotiate rough ground put limits on firefighters out of harm’s way. Carrying a hose and a where its compact size allows it to pass the overall size of the vehicle, and made tracks water cannon into risky situations is one of its tasks USVs, and while we were doing that for iXblue to win the Tonga contract, the beginning of our development. We do not have the most hydrodynamically at its widest point, giving a fineness ratio of early 20th century dreadnought through doorways (it measures 156.4 preferable to wheels (Courtesy of Tecdron) (Courtesy of Tecdron) we found a number of things we didn’t which it completed at the end of 2018. wanted to make sure the DriX had none efficient cross-section. (the ratio of the length of a body to its battleships and the US Navy’s Systems Technology magazine. airliners, UAVs, space technology, military 22 June/July 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2019 23 22 April/May 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2019 23 Bamsey is now concentrating his attention sensors and communications and advanced on the equally complex and innovative world materials and has been a freelance writer and of unmanned systems technology. The same editor since 2010. Peter has been nominated for Focus articles challenges of engineering efficiency are present the Bill Gunston Technology Writer of the Year here together with a lot more freedom for Award three times. Revisited just once every 3 years the focus acts as an experimentation with alternative solutions. excellent source of reference on specific products and Rory Jackson types of engineering service – topics covered include: Nick Flaherty Technology Reporter Technology Editor Rory Jackson is a technology Nick Flaherty is one of the analyst and writer. Over • 5G Radio • Additive Layer Manufacturing • Advanced Materials world’s leading electronics the past five years he has • Ancillary Engine Systems • Antenna • Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology journalists. He investigated trends and • Autopilots • Batteries • Cable Harnesses • Composites • Connectors has been covering the latest advances in aerospace, • Data Storage • Design Software • Electric Motors • Embedded Computing developments in semiconductor, machine and digital systems, with particular • Engine Control Units • Fuel Cells • Gimbals • Ground Control Systems embedded software and electronics technology regard to the opportunities and threats of for the last 25 years as a writer, editor, analyst emerging technologies to defence, security, • Image sensing / cameras • IMUs, Gyros & Accelerometers and consultant. and heavy industries. His current focus is • Launch Systems • LiDaR • Machine Learning • Maintenance His expertise is now applied to the unmanned on unmanned systems, involving regular • Motion Control • Motor Controllers • Navigation System • Parachutes systems market, where the technology is moving international travel to explore the latest • Performance Monitoring • Personal Information Systems fast. He brings detailed technical knowledge, techniques, ideas and patents from the world’s • Power Management Systems • Propellers • Radio Links & Telemetry analysis and experience of hardware and most prolific technology hubs. • Real Time Operating Systems • Sense & Avoid / Radar • Servo Actuators software system development to deliver a unique insight into the challenges of this Interested in joining our editorial team? • Simulation & Testing • Solar Power • Sonar & Acoustic Systems exciting, cutting edge market. • Thermal sensors • Transponders • Wireless charging Please email [email protected]

www.ust-media.com Hummingbird XRP | Dossier UST 30 UST 31 UST 32 UST 33 The Hummingbird XRP with its inventor Allen Bishop in Reference Technologies’ home state of Colorado, where Development of this UAV provides it has access to a large block of airspace for flight test operations (Courtesy of Reference Technologies) an object lesson in how to cater for an extensive range of applications. Peter Donaldson reports February/March 2020 April/May 2020 June/July 2020 August/September 2020 Utility player TECHNOLOGY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY FOCUS:

ith eight rotors on below 18,000 ft and speeds below about outriggers around a 250 knots. Most are priced at around vertical ducted fan, $1 million, he notes. the Hummingbird He says he felt that in terms of price, XRP is a distinctive- performance and complexity, Group 3 LiDaR – sense & avoid Personal Information Systems Artificial Intelligence (AI) Radio & Telemetry Wlooking UAV developed by Reference vehicles represented a sweet spot in Technologies in Lafayette, Colorado. the margin between the commercial The 225 lb multi-copter has a hybrid and military sectors. “I didn’t want to be combustion-electric power plant, a limited by offering either only military claimed mission radius of 150 miles with or only commercial products,” he says. LiDaR laser technology is moving quickly with The move to self-driving, autonomous systems Artificial intelligence and machine learning Telemetry is a key function in autonomous 30 lb of payload, plenty of spare electrical “There were also too many battery- power to run mission equipment, and powered systems on the market. 400 lb of thrust. “Even now, I don’t know many multi- Eight hard points support sensors or rotor systems that can offer more than cargo, and the vehicle is offered at a an hour of flight time on batteries with a price of around $400,000 for surveillance, substantial payload, as in a large camera new approaches to deliver high volume sensors is opening up new design opportunities for are delivering tremendous advantages in systems. We will review the latest radio mapping, payload delivery and more. or multiple sensors.” Company founder Allen Bishop hopes After incorporating Reference it will become the UAV equivalent of Technologies in 2011, he spent about the Ford F-150 pick-up, a popular and 18 months researching power sources, powerful general-purpose truck. and soon decided that only a hybrid The story began in 2011, when Bishop power system would meet his needs, for autonomous systems. We will research the personal information systems. We’ll review how the development of control systems for technologies being used for telemetry to get saw a gap in the market for a VTOL which were at least 7 and preferably UAV that would fit into Group 3 of the more than 10 kW of 48 V DC power for US Department of Defense’s five-group the propulsion system, the utilities and taxonomy, in which higher numbers the mission equipment. indicate larger aircraft. Group 3 covers “We went through a period in which vehicles of between 55 and 1320 lb take- everybody said they could meet latest developments in LiDaR sensors for sense autonomous vehicle networks can integrate autonomous vehicles. We will consider the the longest range with the lowest power, from off weight, nominal operating altitudes those needs, but nobody actually 25 and avoid applications in both ground and the demands of higher data rates and lower range of AI technologies being used for both sub-GHz bands to millimetre wave. Also air vehicles, and how these sensors can be latencies for such information systems. driverless cars and UAVs, from predictive looking at the protocols used, from proprietary integrated into a wider sensor fusion architecture. Kalman algorithms to the latest CNN and DNN implementations up to 5G. PRODUCT FOCUS: convolutional neural network technologies.

Integrating a new type of solar cell and a new battery pack has extended the Silent Falcon EE’s daytime endurance by UAVs | Insight about 60% (Courtesy of Silent Falcon UAS Technologies) PRODUCT FOCUS: Ancillary Engine Systems PRODUCT FOCUS:

challenges that had to be overcome. System upgrades The new battery was designed and assembled by Justin Carr, the company’s Engineers must carefully choose among PRODUCT FOCUS: included raising director of flight operations, who has Thermal Sensors Servo Actuators gained experience in custom-building the power of the batteries for FPV racer drones that he operates in his spare time. After obtaining solar panels on sufficient 21700-type cylindrical cells, he built the new battery according to a As UAV operators seek out specialised ancillary engine systems such as fuel Servo motors are critical for the actuation of the wings to theoretical design he had been working Cable Harnesses on, and ended up with a system that 120 kW without increased the energy storage by 378 Wh while adding only 1 lb of weight. increasing the On top of the power system upgrades, the Silent Falcon EE’s GCS uses a payloads to suit their individual missions, tanks, fuel pumps, sensors, exhaust pipes, Cable harnesses are vital for carrying flight surfaces to provide pitch, roll and yaw, solar panel area new comms system called the SF TriAntenna configuration. This combines two directional antennas with one omnidirectional antenna (compared with the single-antenna system used previously), and test flights so far indicate the thermal camera market has grown mufflers, spark plugs, injectors, and starter- communications and power supplies between and the control of engine throttles to alter the the onboard energy storage from large increases in bandwidth and far 732 Wh to 1.11 kWh.” fewer drop-outs when the UAV nears the The power converter responsible data link’s maximum range. for making the solar power useable “The system doesn’t increase the for charging the battery or powering comms range but it makes the data link significantly. Long-wave, medium-wave, and generators. With rising demands for reduced the different subsystems of unmanned speed of fuel-powered systems. A range of onboard systems – the Multi Power much more reliable, which is critical for Point Tracking device – has also been operator confidence when you’re working changed from a COTS system to one at the long distances the Silent Falcon Cleared for designed and built in-house to provide EE is to be used at, and in need of high more energy efficiency and the ability to bandwidths and throughput for transmitting handle higher power loads. data in real time,” Brown says. short-wave infrared camera cores are all maintenance and fuel costs, we will see how vehicles. New advancements are reducing other systems depend on them also, such Brown says, “Selecting new solar Also aiming for longer endurance take-off panels was key because we needed times is Leonardo, which has unveiled something with higher power density, the Falco Xplorer, its newest and largest improved power-to-weight ratio, and long-endurance tactical UAV. cost-effectiveness. It also needed a It joins the rest of the Falco unmanned Rory Jackson reports on the work by some developers day and 3 hours during the night. physical robustness that would enable it to aircraft series, which includes the Falco now available from different suppliers, with key components are advancing to meet the the weight and space they take up, increasing as gimbals, which use multiple servos with to bring UAVs to an ever-widening range of applications “Realistically, we would only fly the withstand the parachute landings the Silent UAV (featured in UST 5, December 2015/ older model for up to 3.5-4 hours in Falcon EE undergoes after flights, and to January 2016). It has a 1.3 tonne MTOW daylight and 2.5 hours at night,” says be worked into the structure of the wings with a payload capacity of 350 kg, a flight s end-users of UAVs burden, and extended ranges and indicates, it has been designed around John Brown, chairman and CEO of Silent during our carbon fibre lay-up processes.” time of at least 24 hours and a BVLOS become more proficient endurances, all of which are vital to providing longer flights, for applications Falcon UAS Technologies. The Silent Falcon EE uses a ‘flexible comms capability. in their operations, and ensuring the regulation and uptake of such as border surveillance, wildfire “The system upgrades included silicon’ material on its wings, which The Xplorer is currently undergoing different approaches to processing, cooling, challenges required of today’s unmanned their flexibility for routing throughout complex complex protocols and algorithms. New begin to request upgrades UAVs around the world. monitoring and power asset inspections. increasing the rated power of the solar provides a 25.5% solar conversion certification for flight in non-segregated and reconfigurations that The Silent Falcon EE can remain panels on the wings from 80 to 210 W efficiency. After testing a pair of flexible airspace (with more flight trials scheduled Asuit their specialist requirements, UAV Survey and monitoring in the air for up to 8 hours during the without increasing the solar panel area, silicon test panels from the (undisclosed) throughout 2019), to enable it to be flown manufacturers are trialling various new Silent Falcon UAS Technologies daytime and up to 4 hours at night (while which really extended our capabilities manufacturer, the material was found to in civil operations such as emergency technologies and capabilities. These has unveiled the newest of its solar- carrying up to 3 kg of payload weight), in daytime flight. We also changed the meet all the engineering team’s desired responses or coast guard patrols packaging, and other key considerations internal spaces, and maintaining protection of technologies are enabling improved precision will provide critical benefits such as powered aircraft, the Silent Falcon EE which improves over the previous battery chemistry from lithium-polymer parameters, albeit with a slight increase and interdictions, in addition to being vehicle engines. enhanced safety, reduced operator (for Extended Endurance). As its name model’s 5 hours of endurance during the to lithium-ion, and in doing so increased in weight and some minor manufacturing designed for defence operators. 46 August/September 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2019 47 which we will investigate in this feature. their wires and circuits. and strength for these vital components.

INSIGHT: INSIGHT: INSIGHT: INSIGHT: Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Unmanned Ground Vehicles Unmanned Surface Vehicles Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned space vehicles | Insight

The Kounotori 8 mission was the latest to use the Japanese space agency’s autonomous cargo , the H-II Transfer Vehicle. It carried a 5.3 t payload to the ISS (Courtesy of NASA) Ed deadline: 24th January 2020 Ed deadline: 13th March 2020 Ed deadline: 8th May 2020 Ed deadline: 10th July 2020 Ad deadline: 5th February 2020 Ad deadline: 25th March 2020 Ad deadline: 20th May 2020 Ad deadline: 22nd July 2020 Publication date: 24th February 2020 Publication date: 13th April 2020 Publication date: 8th June 2020 Publication date: 10th August 2020 Bonus distribution: Bonus distribution: Bonus distribution: Bonus distribution: The latest Soyuz resupply mission to the ISS was used to trial a humanoid FEDOR robot in the unmanned capsule and a modified launch-abort system on the Planet gear Soyuz-2.1a booster rocket (Courtesy of NASA) BAPCO, Coventry, UK AUVSI Xponential, Boston, USA Farnborough Air Show, UK Interdrone, Dallas, Texas The race is on for developers of unmanned The HTV is arguably the largest such Earlier in September, an unmanned and reporting on conditions at the space systems to stake their claims in Earth’s vessel in existence so far, among others Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft returned from commander’s seat. such as SpaceX’s Dragon and Northrop the ISS, having been launched from the The FEDOR is about 180 cm tall when neighbourhood, reports Rory Jackson Grumman’s . It is about 9.8 m Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan standing upright, weighs 160 kg and long and 4.4 m in diameter, with an and flown autonomously with a payload operates on a 20 hp power output. empty weight of 10.5 t and a payload of about 658 kg of cargo for the The 660 kg MS-14 was also used to Oceanology International, London Eurosatory, Paris AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense, USA UAV Bordeaux, France hile programmes Orbital logistics food and water, equipment for carrying capacity of 6 t. It will be followed up by onboard crew. test a Soyuz-2.1a booster rocket with a aimed at studying the As research and tourism in Earth’s out experiments, and six lithium-ion orbital a Kounotori 9, which will carry similar The craft also housed a humanoid modification to its launch-abort system. outer Solar System increase in scale and ambition, replacement unit (ORU) batteries to replace supplies and the next ORU batteries. FEDOR (Final Experimental The booster will be used from next year are ongoing, recent so the need to conduct orbital resupply the ISS’s nickel-hydrogen battery packs. One of its payload bays is outside the Demonstration Object Research) robot, to transport crews to the ISS. months have seen operations reliably and consistently The mission was launched on hull, which after docking is accessed by developed by the Russian Foundation Worganisations around the world surging is greater than ever. More and more September 24 from the Japan a that transfers supplies into for Advanced Research Projects in Orbital research and LiDaR Mapping Forum, Washington DC Unmanned Maritime Systems Tech, London UAS Summit & Expo, Grandforks, USA Interaerial Solutions & Intergeo, Berlin forward with plans for consolidating organisations are using autonomous Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) the Kibo module. The HTV uses the MDA the Defense Industry, in collaboration exploration their places in the near-Earth regions. In spacecraft that are capable of precise Tanegashima Space Center off the Space Missions Canadarm2 to do this, with non-profit organisation The US Air Force Research Laboratory particular, the Earth’s orbit, the Moon and navigation and calculations for docking south-eastern coast of Japan. The name with the robotic arm also serving as a Technologies. It was commissioned by (AFRL) has launched 24 experimental Mars will host a range of new orbital and with provisions, removing the risk to ‘Kounotori 8’ was designated for the 8th grappler to assist during docking. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. unmanned orbital craft, as part of the ground systems within the next couple human during lift-off or return. iteration of JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle The HTV’s four main thrusters are The FEDORs have been created as all- Department of Defense’s Space Test of years. In one of the latest prove-outs of such (HTV), designed and built to supply the powered by monomethylhydrazine fuel purpose stand-ins for humans operating Program mission. Japan Drone, Chiba Unmanned Systems, Australia iVT Expo, Cologne, Germany Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Las Vegas Many fully autonomous and capabilities, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kibo Japanese Experiment Module as and mixed oxides of nitrogen as oxidiser in high-risk mission vehicles, conducting A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket was partially automated vehicles are under has sent an unmanned spacecraft to well as the rest of the ISS. to produce 500 N each for orbital rescue work and other hazardous tasks used for the launch. It was that craft’s development, as scientists and engineers the International (ISS), to After it has delivered its supplies, it is manoeuvring. The fuel and oxidiser are requiring leverage and hands. first ever night flight and third launch seek to lay the groundwork for the supply onboard astronauts with about intended that astronauts will offload their also used by the HTV’s 28 attitude control As the robot can work amid radiation, overall, as well as its first flight using anticipated off-world industrial and 5.3 t of provisions. waste and refuse onto the HTV, before thrusters, each of which produces 110 N, chemical contamination and in the reused boosters. colonial work expected to play a part in The supplies, carried by the Kounotori 8 it returns to the Earth to be destroyed with roughly 2.4 t of propellant carried absence of oxygen, it spent the MS-14’s Included in the rocket’s payload of ILA Berlin, ExpoCenter Airport humanity’s near future. robotic cargo spacecraft, included fresh upon re-entry. onboard across four tanks. launch and return missions monitoring experimental spacecraft was the 46 October/November 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Unmanned Systems Technology | October/November 2019 47 MOVE Asia, Singapore

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Forward features

UST 34 UST 2020 Publishing schedule overview October/November 2020 No. Issue Ed deadline Ad deadline On sale Key features

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS: Operating Systems A wide range of autonomous platforms are 30 February/March ’20 24th January 5th February 24th February Tech Focus: LiDaR – sense & avoid using mainstream operating systems on high Product Focus: Thermal Sensors performance hardware for their control systems. Insight: Unmanned Underwater Vehicles We will consider the emerging use of such operating systems alongside the development of the Robot Operating System (ROS) as well as the latest developments in real time operating systems to provide deterministic control. 31 April/May ’20 13th March 25th March 13th April Tech Focus: Personal Information Systems Product Focus: Ancillary Engine Systems PRODUCT FOCUS: Solar Power Insight: Unmanned Ground Vehicles As more unmanned vehicle operators seek to increase the endurances of their platforms, new thin-film solar technologies are making the integration of PV cells increasingly 32 June/July ’20 8th May 20th May 8th June Tech Focus: Artificial Intelligence (AI) profitable. They are also allowing a new level of customisability to meet exact requirements Product Focus: Cable Harnesses in terms of operating altitude, power density, Insight: Unmanned Surface Vehicles and manufacturing ease.

INSIGHT: Unmanned Space Vehicles 33 August/September ’20 10th July 22nd July 10th August Tech Focus: Radio & Telemetry Ed deadline: 25th September 2020 Product Focus: Servo Actuators Ad deadline: 7th October 2020 Insight: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Publication date: 26th October 2020 Bonus distribution: Bahrain Airshow, Bahrain Commercial UAV Show, London Commercial UAV Expo, Amsterdam 34 October/November ’20 25th September 7th October 26th October Tech Focus: Operating Systems Advanced Engineering, UK Product Focus: Solar Power Commercial UAV Expo. Americas Insight: Unmanned Space Vehicles

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Circulation Where in the world Core circulation – individually mailed copies USA 6,000 48% UK Readership 17% (average 3 readers per copy) 19% Rest of Europe 18,000 Rest of World • Chief / Head / Lead / Principal Engineer (UAV, UGV, USV, UUV) 16% • Aerospace Engineer • Airworthiness Engineer • Autonomous Systems Engineer • Chief Scientist • Development Engineer • Director of Design We distribute UST to: • Electronic Design Engineer • Embedded Software Engineer • Argentina • Australia • Austria • Azerbaijan • Bahrain • Belarus • Belgium • Brazil • Bulgaria • Hardware Engineer • Head of Innovation • Lead Engineer • Canada • Chile • China • Colombia • Croatia • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Ecuador • Materials Manager • Mechatronics Engineer • Mechanical Engineer • Egypt • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hong Kong • Hungary • Iceland • India • Program Manager • Project Engineer • R&D Engineer • Robotics • Indonesia • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Japan • Jordan • Kuwait • Latvia • Lebanon • Lithuania • Researcher • Research Scientist • Senior UAV Technician • Luxembourg • Malaysia • Mexico • Monaco • Nepal • New Zealand • Nigeria • Norway • Pakistan • Software Developer • System Integration Engineer • Peru • Philippines • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • Saudi Arabia • Singapore • Slovakia • Technology Researcher • UAS Logistics Analyst • Slovenia • South Africa • South Korea • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Taiwan • Tanzania • UAV / UAS Operator • UAV / UAS Pilot • UV Specialist • Thailand • The Netherlands • Tunisia • Turkey • UAE • UK • Ukraine • USA • Vietnam

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