Tout En Pagemaker

Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

This publication is produced by Blyenburgh & Co for UVS International and is supplied free-of-charge. It has as purpose to help raise the level of global awareness relative to ongoing research & development, relevant technologies, production and sales, as well as current & future applicatons of unmanned vehicle systems (air, ground & naval). It has a controlled circulation of 6234 nominal addressees, consisting of UVS International members (2011), government (343), military (1142) & diplomatic corp (16) representatives, regulatory authorities (309), stakeholder associations (77) & researchers & academics (2061) in 68 countries involved with unmanned vehicles systems. As many of the defence industry and governmental recipients cannot access web sites from their office computers, this News Flash contains the entire text of the articles & press releases. All recipients of the UVS News Flash are encouraged to supply UVS International with their press releases & announcements and to forward the UVS News Flash to their contacts & relations. Recipients of this publication no longer desiring to receive it are requested to inform UVS International by email indicating «De-subscribe from News Flash» in the object box & indicating their complete name + affiliation + email address in the email text.

MARK YOUR AGENDA

UAS ATM INTEGRATION UAS LAUNCH & RECOVERY EUROCONTROL Workshop ASNE Technical Conference & Exhibition Brussels, Belgium Annapolis, Maryland, USA May 7 & 8, 2008 May 19 & 20, 2008 www.eurocontrol.int/UAS_workshop www.navalengineers.org

ESCO-UAS 2008 UAV DACH European Student Competition on UAS Annual Symposium at ILA ParcAberporth, UK - May 21 & 22, 2008 Berlin, Germany www.hertfordshire-connect.com/ May 30, 2008 default.asp?ContentID=1234 www.uavdach.org

INOUI NAVIRES DE SURFACES AUTONOMES First Requirements Capturing Workshop Focus: Autonomous Surface Vessels DFS, Langen, Germany - June 3 & 4, 2008 Association Technique Maritime & Aéronautique For information contact: Manuela Röcki Paris, France - June 4, 2008 Tel.: 49-6103-707.49.12 - [email protected] www.atma.asso.fr

UAS 2008 10th Annual International Conference & Exhibition All sessions concluded by Panel Discussions Focus : Regulatory Issues , Light UAS (<150 kg), Applications (Military & Non-Military/Commercial) Paris, France - June 10-12, 2008 See conference programme on pages 2 & 3 www.uas2008.org www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com

UVS FORUM at EUROSATORY PARCABERPORTH International Exhibition + UGV Demos UAS Forum & Exhibition & Flight Demos Focus : Tactical UAS & UGVs - See page 4 ParcAberporth, Wales, UK Paris, France - June 16-20, 2008 June 25-26, 2008 www.eurosatory.com & www.uvs-info.com www.parcaberporth.com

EMAV 2008 UVS CANADA 2008 Micro UAS Conference, Competiton & Exhibition National Conference & Exhibition Braunschweig, Germany - July 8-10, 2008 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada www.emav08.org & November 4-7, 2008 www.dgon.de/emav2008.htm www.uvscanada.org

EUROCONTROL UAS TAAC 2008 Innovative Research ATM Workshop & Exhibition Technical Conference & Exhibition Eurocontrol Experimental Centre Santa Ana Pueblo, NM, USA - December 9-10, 2008 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France - December 2-4, 2008 Classified Session (US only) on December 11, 2008 http://inoworkshop.eurocontrol.fr http://psl.nmsu.edu/uav/conference/2008/

UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page:1 1/40 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Issue 2008/08 10-12 June 2008 April 20, 2008 Paris, France Conference Programme

PLENARY 1 - Haussman Hall 10 Jun ‘08 Europe’s Principal Event Regulatory Issues I for the Views on inserting UAS into non-segregated airspace 09.00-09.20 International UAS Community Alex Hendriks, Eurocontrol, Europe Admitting UAS into the NAS: The imperatives 09.20-09.40 70 Expert Speakers from 17 Countries Tony Ferrante, FAA, USA Austria Canada Finland France Four Tool Sets for UAS Access to National Airspace 09.40-10.00 Germany Israel Italy Netherlands Fred Pease, DOD, Policy Board for Federal Aviation, USA Panel Discussion 10.00-10.15 Romania Russia Singapore Slovenia Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area 10.15-11.00 Spain Sweden Switzerland UK USA PLENARY 2 - Haussman Hall Regulatory Issues II Presenting Entities Inserting UAS into non-segregated airspace: The 11.00-11.20 1 International Organization (ICAO) process & the way forward 12 National & Multi-National Military Organizations Vince Galotti, ICAO, Canada 6 Governmental Organizations UAS Programme Office: Report on advances made 11.20-11.40 11 Regulatory Authorities Bruce Tarbert, FAA - UAS Program Office, USA Integration of UAS into the European ATM network 11.40-12.00 2 International Standards Organizations Holger Matthiesen, Eurocontrol, Europe 6 International Stakeholder Organizations Panel Discussion & «UAS Pioneer Award» Presentation 12.00-12.15 30 Industry Representatives from 16 Countries Open Bar & Lunch in the Exhibition Area 12.15-14.00 3 Academic Representatives

Track A1 - Haussman Hall Track B1 - Eiffel Hall UAS Standards Requirements & Contractual Issues Conclusions of the A.NPA Comments Process & 14.00-14.20 UAS Transformation Encore Ongoing UAS Certification General Ken Israel, Lockheed Martin, USA Yves Morier, EASA, Europe EUROCAE WG73 - Activity update 14.20-14.40 Project Noctua: A New Approach by Canada to Deliver a Dan Hawkes, EUROCAE WG73, Europe Highly Capable UAS Capability John Sinkinson, Public Works & Government Services Canada RTCA SC203 - Activity update 14.40-15.00 UK MoD/Industry UAS Capability Investigation John Walker, RTCA SC203, USA LtCol Dick Park, MOD-DPA, UK Coordinated European certification approach for light UAS 15.00-15.20 The VUSIL Project Richard Hermans, IVW, The Netherlands Andreas Udovic, DFS, Germany Panel Discussion 15.20-15.40 Panel Discussion Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area 15.40-16.20 Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area Track A2 - Haussman Hall Track B2 - Eiffel Hall Sense & Avoid UAS - Applications - User Perspective I Update on USAF sense & avoid development 16.20-16.40 Potential of UAS for European border surveillance Col Gary Hopper, USAF Research Lab, USA Erik Berglund, FRONTEX (European Commission), Europe Conclusions of the EDA study on sense & avoid 16.40-17.00 Recent developments in NOAA’s UAS environmental Gérard Mardine, Sagem D&S, France science applications Sara Summers, NOAA, USA Sense & Avoid radar development update 17.00-17.20 Scientific & commercial applications of small UAS Pierre Poitevin, ICx Radar Systems, Canada Dr Mark Patterson, Advanced Ceramics Research, USA The development & deployment of an affordable 17.20-17.40 UAS for security applications collision warning system Gilles Robine, Ministry of Interior, France Urs Rothacher, FLARM Technology, Switzerland Panel Discussion 17.40-18.00 Panel Discussion Cocktails & Award Presentation in the Exhibition Area 18.00-19.30 Cocktails & Award Presentation in the Exhibition Area

Track A3 - Haussman Hall 11 Jun ‘08 Track B3 - Eiffel Hall Communications & Spectrum Light UAS - Certification I High integrity data links 09.00-09.20 Integrating small UAS into the NAS through the FAA’s Brian Gardner, Ultra Electronics, UK Safety Management System Ardyth Williams, FAA, USA UAS Airpsace Integration-The communication challenges 09.20-09.40 Aviation Rulemaking Committee Report on Small UAS Michael Neale, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, USA Bruce Tarbert, FAA, USA Data links enabling advanced UAS missions 09.40-10.00 Update on the certification of a VTOL UAS Bruce Carmichael, L-3 Communications, USA Ron van de Leijgraaf, IVW (CAA), Netherlands Panel Discussion 10.00-10.15 Panel Discussion Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area 10.15-11.00 Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area Track A4 - Haussman Hall Track B4 - Eiffel Hall Aviation Stakeholder Opinions Light UAS - Certification II IFALPA’s views on UAS 11.00-11.20 Update on the certification of the S-100 VTOL UAS Capt Thomas Mildenberger, ECA/IFALPA, Germany Gerhard Lippitsch, Austrocontrol, Austria Model Flying: An Excellent Safety Record Through 11.20-11.40 Safety satellite communications for UAS integration into UVS EffectiveInternational Management: - 86 rue Michel A UK Ange Perspective - 75016 Paris - France non-segregated- Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 airspace - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] Lynn, British Model Flying- www.uvs-international.org Association, UK & www.uvs-info.comCharlotte Neyret &Gigot www.uas2008.org & Axel Klaeyle, Thales - Page: Alenia 2/40 Space, France UAS 2008 Conference Programme - cont’d

Aerial photographyIssue 2008/08 with remote controlled aircraft 11.40-12.00 Conclusions of theApril Canadian 20, Small 2008 UAS Study Group Patrick Egan, Radio Control Aerial Photography Association Manzur Huq, Transport Canada, Canada (RCAPA), USA Panel Discussion 12.00-12.15 Panel Discussion Open Bar & Lunch in the Exhibition Area 12.15-14.00 Open Bar & Lunch in the Exhibition Area Track A5 - Haussman Hall Track B5 - Eiffel Hall Roadmaps & Programmes I UAS - Applications - User Perspective II Study for EDA on the integration of UAS into 14.00-14.20 Potential UAS and WIG applications in the oil industry non-segregated airspace Christer Broman, ConocoPhillips, USA David Kershaw, Air4All Consortium, Europe USAR - STANAG update 14.20-14.40 Recent Earth science research activities with small UAS Richard Grainger, NATO FINAS Brenda Mulac, LJT Associates, USA The Canadian UAS roadmap 14.40-15.00 New applications & Lessons learned LtCol Pat Thauberger, National Defence HQs, Canada Eric Edsall, Insitu Inc, USA View on UAS airworthiness & 15.00-15.20 Recent & Upcoming UAS activities Euro military aviation safety harmonization Justyna Nicinska, NOAA, USA LtCol Heiko Possel, European Defence Agency (EDA) Panel Discussion 15.20-15.40 Panel Discussion Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area 15.40-16.20 Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area Track A6 - Haussman Hall Track B6 - Eiffel Hall Roadmaps & Programmes II Concepts & Training NATO JCG UAV Work (Weaponization & other initiatives) 16.20-16.40 Incorporating tactical, theater, regional UAS into national Maj Alain Gilbert, NATO - JCG UAV security strategy Jerry Tachau, Harvard University, USA NATO UAS capabilities and employment 16.40-17.00 From UAS to system of UAS Commodore Johan van Hoof, NATO - JAPCC Itai Toren, Elbit Systems, Israel UK’s UAS roadmap & Programme updates 17.00-17.20 UAS training Speaker TBA, MoD-DPA, UK Crispin Edmonds & Nigel Breyley, ETPS - QinetiQ, UK ASTRAEA - Opening the airspace for UAS 17.20-17.40 USAF BATMAV Programme: Development & Adoption of MAVs Nick Miller, ASTRAEA Council, UK Dave Hendrickson, AeroVironment, USA Panel Discussion 17.40-18.00 Panel Discussion Cocktails in the Exhibition Area 18.00-19.30 Cocktails in the Exhibition Area

Track A7 - Haussman Hall 12 Jun ‘08 Track B7 - Eiffel Hall Programme Updates I Light UAS Developments I Toward more specific requirements for army tactical UAS 09.00-09.20 VTOL UAS maritime launch & recovery challenges Col Thierry Pouplin, Ministry of Defence, STAT, France Magnus Sethson, CybAero, Sweden Operational experience with Ikhana 09.20-09.40 Mini-UAS as an integrated solution in situational awareness Hernan Posada, NASA DFRC, USA applications Simo Makipaja, Patria Aviation, Finland Predator aircraft series status report 09.40-10.00 Civil Utilization of Small UAS in the NAS: A model for safe Steve May, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, USA operations and regulatory compliance Douglas M. Marshall, University of North Dakota, USA Panel Discussion 10.00-10.15 Panel Discussion Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area 10.15-11.00 Coffee & Tea Break in the Exhibition Area Track A8 - Haussman Hall Track B8 - Eiffel Hall Programme Updates II Light UAS Developments II VTOL UAS programme update 11.00-11.20 Real-time monitoring of maritime traffic using autonomous Jean Caron, EADS MAS, France UAS Christophe Mazel, Mercury Computer, France Serge Versillé, Aeroart, France Advanced UAS programme update 11.20-11.40 S-100: Border patrol applications & Recent demonstration Franz Bucher, EADS MAS, Germany Dr Stefan Vieweg, Schiebel Elektronische Geraete, Austria Delivery of UAV needs of the customer today 11.40-12.00 A dynamic system for remote sensing, aero- Neil M. Hunter, Thales, UK photogrammetry and C4ISR Marko Peljhan, C-ASTRAL, Slovenia Panel Discussion 12.00-12.15 Panel Discussion Open Bar & Lunch in the Exhibition Area 12.15-14.00 Open Bar & Lunch in the Exhibition Area Track A9 - Haussman Hall Track B9 - Eiffel Hall Operational Experience & Evaluation Light UAS Developments III Canadian Forces’ tactical UAS deployment in 14.00-14.20 Advanced research in the field of small flying wing UAS Afghanistan: Lessons learned families Maj Mark Wuennenberg, DND, Canada Mircea Boscoianu, Military Technical Academy, Romania Herti deployment to Afghanistan: Lessons learned 14.20-14.40 Frontiers in Small UAS Martin Rowe-Willcocks, BAE Systems, UK Paolo Marras, Aermatica, Italy INOUI-Integrating UAS into the Single European Sky 14.40-15.00 Development of a low cost UAS powered by wireless Achim Baumann, DFS, Germany energy David Esteban, Boeing R&T Europe, Spain Galder Bengoa et al, Oberon Space, Spain Pipeline infrastructure monitoring with UAS 15.00-15.20 Subsystems for deployment of UA forming a cooperative Alexander Koldaev, Irkut Corp., Russia entity BrigGen Wesly D’Aranjo & Dr David Shriftailik, Quadron, Singapore Panel Discussion 15.20-15.40 Panel Discussion PLENARY 3 - Haussman Hall UVS InternationalConclusions - - 86Closure rue Michel - Farewell Ange -Drinks 75016 Paris15.40-16.00 - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 3/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

UVS FORUM The UAS & UGV Cluster at EUROSATORY 2008

EUROSATORY will this year feature an interior exhibit area, which will be totally dedicated to unmanned vehicle systems (UVS) designated the UVS Forum. The UVS Forum, organized in partnership with UVS International, will focus attention on unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) systems and micro & mini & tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) & related sub-systems. The UVS Forum, will consist of furnished booths additional carpeted bare floor space for exhibiting equipment. The stands will form a rectangle; the interior of this rectangle will contain the UVS Forum Auditorium and the UVS Forum Meeting Area, both of which will be for exclusive use by the UVS Forum exhibitors. Exhibit Package Booth size: 6 m² (3 x 2 m) with 2 or 3 walls & facial board with company name – Felt carpet Exhibit space: 9 m² (3 x 3 m) in front of booth – Felt carpet Total exhibit space: 15 m² Furnishings: lockable store room (1 m²; 1 x 1 m) 1 table, 2 chairs, 1 brochure rack 1 rail with 3 spotlights on the inside of the facial board 1 electrical output (2 sockets) Additional furniture, as well as video monitors, can be rented from the accredited EUROSATORY suppliers (see www.eurosatory.com) UVS Forum Auditorium – UGV & UAS Information Centre The UVS Forum Auditorium will be equipped with a computer, a beamer and a projection screen. This area and its projection equipment can be used by the exhibitors to schedule presentations of their products and/or video projections of their products. The exhibitors will be able to announce their scheduled presentations on an announcement board at the entrance to the presentation area. The UVS Forum Auditorium & Information Centre is managed by UVS International. UVS Forum Discussion Area The UVS Forum Discussion Area will have a hostess and be equipped with tables and chairs, and will be for the exclusive use of the UVS Forum exhibitors and their guests. The Discussion Area will be equipped with a refrigerator for stocking mineral water and soft drinks, and will also have a coffee machine. UGV Demonstration Area The UGV demonstration area will be located adjacent to the UVS Forum. This 200 m² demonstration area will be equipped with an obstacle course, which is being organized in partnership with the DGA (French Ministry of Defence), and which will permit to dynamically demonstrate UGV systems of all types with a weight of less than 150 kg. The obstacles will consist of large & small diameter pipes (straight & angled), rubble, sand & pebble covered surface, a staircase, curb, and up and down slope (45°), a trench, etc. The UGV demonstration area will be have an elevated seating area for the attending audience (80/100 persons). Larger UGV systems (> 150 kg) can be demonstrated on the exhibition’s exterior demonstration terrain. Scheduled UGV Demonstrations Two UGV system demonstrations will be scheduled each day (11.00 & 15.30 hours); they will be commented by the demonstrating companies. These demonstrations will be managed by UVS International. Non-Scheduled UGV Demonstrations Non-scheduled UGV system demonstrations can also take place between 09.30 & 10.30 and between 12.30 & 15.00 on a first come, first go basis. Pricing in Euros (excluding 19,6% VAT) Standard exhibit package € 6000 (including above-mentioned furnishings) Corner exhibit booth: € 290 additional (if available) For additional information contact: Catherine Senez - Tel.: 33-1-44.14.51.55 - [email protected]

MINIATURE SAR TO BE TESTED ON SCANEAGLE By Ben Iannotta C4ISR, USA www.c4isrjournal.com March 19, 2008

Developers of the tiny ScanEagle UAV flown by U.S. and Australian forces in Iraq and Afghanistan report they are in discussions with an unnamed U.S. government customer for a field test of the miniature synthetic aperture radar the companies hope to add to the craft’s lineup of optical and infrared sensors. The demonstration, which might take place this summer or fall, would follow a private flight test in January in which engineers from Boeing, Insitu and ImSAR flew the 2-pound NanoSAR radar over a cross-shaped array of metal reflectors at a test range in Boardman, Ore. «We collected an hour’s worth of data over the target set and processed it on the ground afterwards and generated imagery. The main thing here is that we proved the concept of having SAR on a small UAV,» said Ryan Smith, CEO and president of ImSAR, based in Salem, Utah. The ScanEagle has a 10-foot wingspan and weighs about 40 pounds. The UAVs have flown 75,000 combat hours, mostly for the U.S. Marine Corps but also for the Australian army. So far, the craft has monitored convoys and Iraqi oil and gas platforms using optical and infrared sensors. NanoSAR is light enough that it could be added to the craft without pulling off other sensors, giving it the ability to spy through fog, haze, dust and camouflage. «If someone had a tarp, a camouflaged tarp over an area, it would penetrate through that and you would be able to detect what’s underneath,» Smith said. Officials acknowledged that the potential customer wants to see NanoSAR in action for itself. «This is going to be one of those where you have to take it out and prove. So we’re in discussions about how you take it out to a range and prove the capability, at which point then they’ll make a decision as to what they want to do next,» said John Hearing, Boeing’s senior manager for tactical unmanned aircraft systems.

AERIAL ASSETS By Edward H. Phillips Aviation Week & Space Technology, USA www.aviationweek.com/awst March 24, 2008

France and Russia are preparing to commit additional air transport and reconnaissance assets to buoy the European Union’s U.N.-mandated force in Chad and the Central African Republic. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed an offer to send as many as eight helicopters and crews to bolster the EUFOR mission. France, which already supplies a large contingent of troops and equipment, plans to send three CL-289 long-distance, high-speed UAVs to reinforce reconnaissance capabilities.

RADAR SENSOR TO BE INCORPORATED ONTO NORTHROP GRUMMAN’S MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT Space War, USA www.spacewar.com March 25, 2008

Radar will be incorporated onto Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV). The Navy has decided to commit funds in 2009 to develop a radar capability on Fire Scout. Northrop Grumman first demonstrated radar capability on the RQ-8A Fire Scout in 2003 using a General Atomics Lynx Radar. That demonstration carried both radar and an electro-optical/infrared system. The same demonstration will take place on the MQ-8B Fire Scout this year on a company-owned Fire Scout using a non-developmental Telephonics RDR-1700B maritime surveillance and imaging radar. The purpose of the demonstration is to show enhanced Fire Scout operational utility while confirming the assessment of a need for radar. Radar would not only benefit the U.S. Navy, but would also be beneficial to other services interested in Fire Scout. «We are thrilled to be able to move forward with the implementation of radar on the Fire Scout because it will ultimately bring another capability to the warfighter. Radar will also maximize the use of the Fire Scout’s Modular Payload Architecture that allows true ‘plug and play’ capability,» said Doug Fronius, program director for Northrop Grumman’s Integrated System’s Fire Scout VTUAV program. «The radar demonstration will pave the way for the Navy’s radar program because the Navy will be able to use and leverage information learned from Northrop Grumman’s effort in its program. The radar demonstration program will follow a rigorous systems engineering process to ensure success. Radar integration and installation will take place at Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Systems Development Centers in UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 5/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

San Diego, California and in Moss Point, Miss. Demonstration flights will be conducted at Webster Field, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. or Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Fire Scout is currently in advanced stages of testing at Webster Field, Patuxent River, Md., conducting envelope expansion, software validation, payload integration and data link testing. According to the current U.S. Navy schedule, the Navy will conduct Technical Evaluation on the Fire Scout in the fall of 2008 and Operational Evaluation (OpEval) in the spring of 2009. The Fire Scout will reach Initial Operating Capability soon after OpEval in 2009. ‘CHAMPION’ WANTED House panel seeks Pentagon supporter to carry the day for suggested reforms By John M. Doyle Aviation Week & Space Technology, USA www.aviationweek.com/awst March 31, 2008

In case you missed it, the first shot in the war over the U.S. military’s role in the 21st century was fired in March. A panel of seven not-very-senior members of the House Armed Services Committee issued a preliminary report suggesting that the U.S. defense establishment should rethink national security roles and missions. And Con-gress will need to reconsider how to oversee and pay for any changes, the panel says. The panel’s aim, which could evolve into a long and noisy debate, is to open a national dialogue involving more than policy makers and military leaders about future threats, technology needs and funding alternatives. In its 93-page document, the Roles and Missions Panel urges Congress, the military and the taxpayers to explore such thorny issues as: • Interservice rivalries over UAVs. *The responsibilities of both military and civilian agencies in civil reconstruction and nation-building. • Funding joint-agency missions across congressional jurisdictional lines. •The need for more joint-service acquisitions, particularly in cyberspace. «Hopefully, a senior military advocate will step forward to support the changes,» the study says. It calls for giving the Pen-tagon’s Joint Staff authority for funding all network-centric systems. The individual armed services should retain control of funding their core competencies, but «unless the `joint world’ assumes responsibility for the funding of network-centric systems, the reality of a transformed knowledge-based military will not occur.» For the most part, however, the report only raises issues. It «does not attempt to give full answers - and certainly not legislative ones,» says Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), the panel’s chairman. Instead, he says the Pentagon and Congress need to examine ideas for removing or reducing policy impediments. «Some of [the] ideas in this report deserve strong opposition,» Cooper acknowledges, adding that the panel’s job «was to break some ground and plant a few seeds.» A few of the report’s chapters are actually reprints of congressional testimony or newspaper and magazine articles, including «A Failure in Generalship,» published last year in Armed Forces Journal. This patchwork approach, as well as the lack of recommendations backed by funding alternatives, prompts skepticism among some military analysts. Winslow Wheeler of the Center for Defense Information branded much of the report «fluff.» «Reshuffling the organizational chart for space or UAVs or anything else will achieve nothing other than a transitory sense in Congress and [the Defense Dept.] that something useful has happened and they can all go back to a deeper sleep,» says Wheeler, a former Senate Budget Committee staffer. Another former Senate staffer, Mac-kenzie Eaglen, defense analyst for the Heritage Foundation, calls the study «underwhelming at best.» What lawmakers should be discussing, she says, is the long-term defense budget dilemma, the ongoing strategy resource mismatch and the services’ multibillion dollar unfunded modernization programs. The Fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill requires the Defense Dept. to conduct its own roles and missions study, reporting back to Congress before next year’s military budget request. But law makers are skeptical the services will explore much beyond their core com-petencies and capabilities, so House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) - with the blessing of Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.), the committee’s senior Republican-created the panel as a way of addressing issues such as network-centric warfare that transcend individual services. Skelton notes that the Pentagon’s current mission framework «was established during the Truman administration.» While some problems in joint operations were addressed by the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, problems of stovepiping, service competition for shrinking funding and nonmilitary government preparedness remain, the panel’s study says. The report «does a good job of trying to raise the level of debate,» says Steven Kosiak, the head of budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. «That said, history suggests it’s going to be hard to get significant changes through the Pentagon,» he adds. The other six members of Cooper’s panel are Republican Reps. Phil Gingrey (Ga.), Geoff Davis (Ky.) and Michael Conaway (Tex.); and Democratic Reps. Rick Larsen (Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Joe Sestak (Pa.). Cooper UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 6/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

is serving his ninth term in the House, but most of the panel members have been in Congress for fewer than five years. «In today’s complex and uncertain world, problems cannot be solved with military means alone,» the report states. «All elements of national power must be brought to bear to solve the problem.» The panel didn’t confine itself to defense, saying a rejiggering of roles and missions may involve the National Security Council and other intelligence agencies. Among the issues that need to be resolved, the panel says, is allowing money to flow between Defense and other agencies, such as the State Dept., to fund traditionally nonmilitary functions like civil reconstruction in military areas of operations. Noting that defense spending is overseen by the Armed Services committees while State Dept. funding comes from the Senate Foreign Relations and the House Foreign Affairs committees, the report says that, «at the very least,» Congress needs to find a way to ease the transfer of funds across jurisdictions. The report also says the Pentagon and Congress have to make «hard strategic and budgetary choices now» to optimize UAVs for the future. Each armed service sees a different use for UAVs and feels threatened if another service were to control them, the report says. «With-out a stronger push to force jointness, parochial views will dominate» UAVs, according to the panel.

RIGID ROTORS Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird aims to expand horizons for rotary-wing UA Boeing’s Al 60T Hummingbird aims to expand horizons for rotary-wing UAVs By Guy Norris Aviation Week & Space Technology, USA www.aviationweek.com/awst March 31, 2008

Boeing is poised to attempt a brace of world record endurance flights with its A160T Hummingbird unmanned air vehicle after installing new safeguards to prevent a flight control system failure which led to the loss of a prototype last December. The accident put a three-month hold on an already aggressive test and demonstration schedule earmarked for the A160T through the rest of 2008. Yet Boeing remains confident it can meet its schedules, as well as set records for rotary UAV payload and endurance that it claims others will find difficult to match. The record attempt flights will include a hover out of ground effect at 15,000 ft. and an 18-20-hr. flight with a 300.-lb payload. Together they form the final milestones of the Phase 1 demonstration which began in August 2003. Supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), the tests are intended to prove that a purpose-built, clean-sheet large vertical takeoff and landing unmanned air system (VUAS) can truly go the distance compared to other rotary UAVs that are generally derived from existing manned helicopters. «We think we’ve got something different here,» says Boeing Advanced Systems’ business development director, Grady Eakin. «The range, endurance and payload are unique for a rotary-wing UAV, and we think it can provide a variety of missions all at the same time. We’ve proved we can get there quickly, stay a long time and fly to places that commanders think are important,» he adds. Although the A160T is aimed squarely at standard UAV roles such as reconnaissance, surveillance, communications relay, resupply and target acquisition, Boeing says the broader capabilities of the turbine-powered helicopter make it capable of much more. One of the initial test vehicles has been mocked-up with stub wings to carry up to eight AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, while another has flown with an aerodynamically-shaped pod large enough to evacuate a wounded soldier or transport a small robotic vehicle. With Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout already destined for major VUAS roles with the U.S. Navy and Army, Boeing is seeking new niche opportunities for the A160T beginning with the U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom). Initial operational evaluations of the MQ-8B, a modified Schweizer 333, are planned for 2008, while first flight of the Army’s MQ-8B variant is slated for the end of 2010, with initial operating capability scheduled for 2014. Demonstrations are also planned to the Navy. Op-erational tests of the A160T could, by contrast, begin within the next year or so, says Boeing. Part of the challenge, says Eakin, is making potential users aware of the A160T’s capabilities. «There [are] a variety of military and government users that haven’t thought yet about how far this has flown and what it can do for them. We’ve just recently talked to a couple of potential customers and they are surprised that we can carry a couple of payloads, and fly far away from their basing scheme,» he adds. The 35 ft.-long A160T is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D turboshaft driving a 36-ft.-dia., four-blade rotor. The blades, like the fuselage itself, are made from lightweight carbon fiber composites, while the streamlined fuselage shell is designed for both low drag and reduced radar cross-section. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 7/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

«It’s significantly larger than any other VTOL [UAV], but it is significantly lighter as well,» says Eakin. «We have a fairly high fuel fraction of more than 50%, which is slightly higher than other UAVs and manned helicopters.» Empty weight is 2,500 lb. and the helicopter carries 2,600 lb. of fuel in large tanks clustered around the center of gravity. The forward tank, mounted just ahead of the mostly internally housed rotor mast, occupies almost the whole depth of the fuselage, while a second large tank is sandwiched beneath the engine and transmission housing and the bay in the belly for the retractable gear. Maximum takeoff weight is 6,500 lb. while the largest payload carried to date is around 1,090 lb. However, it is the patented Optimum-Speed Rotor (OSR) concept and its accompanying two-speed transmission that Boeing believes represent the game-changing aspects of the A160T design in terms of performance and low noise. In conventional helicopters, the RPM of the rotors is normally set for a maximum forward speed at a maximum weight at a certain critical altitude. At maximum forward speed, the tip of the advancing blade is traveling at speeds just below Mach 1, which avoids the drag, vibration and noise encountered at higher transonic speeds. But this means that at any other flight conditions, particularly low-speed forward flight, the rotor RPM is higher than needed, creating additional drag and consuming extra fuel. Several ways of getting around this conundrum have been developed successfully and tried in a few vehicles. These include the Lockheed XH-51A compound helicopter, which used both a fixed-wing and propulsive engine to enable rotor RPM to be reduced, and the more recent Bell-Boeing V-22, which tilts the rotor itself. Other attempts have been made to improve helicopter maximum forward speeds by using two-speed gearboxes that allow the rotor to rotate at two RPM values while maintaining a constant engine RPM. However, Boeing believes the OSR goes beyond these attempts because it allows the RPM to be reduced for lower-speed flight conditions, substantially cutting fuel consumption and therefore increasing range and/or payload. The key breakthrough in the OSR concept is the design and construction of the A160T’s rigid, but extremely light composite rotors. These overcome the structural dynamics problems normally associated with significant changes of rotor RPM by having a continuously decreasing flap, lag and torsion stiffness, as well as mass, from the root to the tip. Weighing around 52 lb., each blade is constructed of a carbon-epoxy spar/shank and a leading edge made from the same material. The trailing edge is a lightweight section made of thin carbon-epoxy top and bottom skins and a full-depth honeycomb core. The blades are mounted in a steel, hingeless rotor system and move only in pitch through a beefed-up bearing system designed to resist moments that are substantially greater than those for an articulated rotor system. Due to the blade stiffness and lightness, the OSR is able to operate over a wide RPM range at full rotor lift load, close to the rotor excitation frequencies. This is possible because of the rigidity of the blades in relation to the feathering or pitch axis. Early analysis, conducted for the A160T’s original developer, California-based Frontier Systems, suggested the potential for dramatic performance gains. Much of this has been proven during flight tests by Boeing, which acquired Frontier in 2004. On one flight in October 2007, an A160T flew for 12.1 hr. carrying a 500-lb. payload at an altitude of 5,000 ft., simulating a multi-sensor operational mission. When the helicopter landed, less than 60% of the maximum fuel had been consumed. The reduction in required power levels for specific speeds and payloads also decreases the speed of the rotor and thereby cuts noise. The reduction in tip Mach number, to about 40-50% in some cases, of the advancing blade cuts rotor noise level by several dB. Flyover measurement tests show the A160T is roughly four times quieter than a Bell 407, further adding to its military utility. The design has evolved through several iterations, the latest of which has seen an engine change from a six- cylinder Subaru automotive engine to the turbine. This also necessitated a switch to a two-speed transmission to help the turbine deal with the speed changes. Developed by Boeing’s Philadelphia rotorcraft technology center, the gear uses electrically actuated carbon-carbon clutches to control a 2:1 sun-and-planet gear system and is designed for inflight changes. To date, all testing has been conducted in low gear; high gear tests are set for later this year. There is currently no target date for trials of the inflight switching feature. First priority for the A160T test team is to evaluate the revised flight control system devised as a short-term fix to enable testing to resume, and a longer-term fix to eliminate any chances of a repeat accident caused by single-point control system failure scenarios. «We’re making short-term changes to try and improve the robustness of the current configuration within the limits of the architecture we have,» says A160T Program Manager Jim Martin, who ex-plains this includes the addition of «automated tools and diagnostic software.» Longer-term solutions, stilt being defined, will include a modified flight con-trol system architecture with increased levels of system redundancy. Boeing’s accident investigation board determined the accident occurred when sensor data in the flight computer stopped being updated in mid-flight. As a result, sensor feedback to the control system failed and «it departed controlled flight and impacted the ground at a near-vertical angle,» says Eakin. «The flight computer was not receiving updates for some reason and unfortunately, post-accident, the avionics box was destroyed, so that forensic evidence is not available.» Boeing investigators have «revealed a number of areas that potentially could cause this processing thread to either stop receiving information or to stop processing information. However, because of a lack of forensic UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 8/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

information we’ve been attacking all of those areas,» says Martin. «The good news is we were able to recreate the aircraft response we saw by freezing this processing thread.» Once the Phase 1 milestone flights are completed in civil airspace around Boeing’s flight test site at Victorville, California, demonstrations involving various advanced sensors for Darpa are planned to be conducted in restricted airspace. These are expected to begin with the agency’s Forester foliage-penetration radar and later move on to the Argus-IS (autonomous real-time ground ubiquitous surveillance imaging system) wide-area video sensor. Another projected Darpa- A160T payload is the Adaptive Conformal ESA Radar (Aacer). The agency adds that, «although the Aacer objective system is designed for operation on board the A160, the current plan is to conduct demonstration flight tests using a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Those flight tests are planned for this summer.» Other tasks will include demonstrations of a 1,000-lb.-payload cargo pod for Socom, plus Hellfire missile firings. Despite the holdup caused by the accident, Eakin says «all of the demos we’d planned are still on track, and there are no demonstrations delayed out of this year.» Developed by Darpa’s Information Exploitation Office, the Forester (Foliage Penetration Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar) is due to enter tests sometime in July or August under the revised schedule. Already tested in prototype form beneath a UH-60 Black Hawk, the large 21.5-ft.-long UHF synthetic aperture radar sensor is designed to detect and track moving dismounted soldiers and vehicles at a range of 20 mi. The ground moving target indicator element of the radar is designed to track people at a range of at least 30 mi. Suspended beneath a hovering A160T, the sensor is supposed to provide stand-off and persistent wide-area surveillance, and both warn of actual ambushes and identify possible sites. Darpa says a 90-deg. total scan from a typical A160T hovering at 20,000-ft. will, for example, cover a 155-mi. area at an update rate of once per 20- 80 sec. The agency adds that on the A160T specifically, it will «provide detection of dismounts under foliage ranges out to more than 12 mi.» Working with prime contractor Syracuse Research Corp., Boeing and the Army have done fit checks for ground clearance for takeoff and landing. Ground tests of the transmitter, antenna and software for the radar have already been successfully demonstrated, says Darpa. «The Forester is a rather large payload, is relatively heavy and has to be carried on a rotary-wing platform,» says Eakin, who adds the A160T’s retractable gear is a key enabler. «We have to be able to car-ry it an angle and if we had skids [instead of retractable legs] it wouldn’t be a good fit for us.» Argus-IS tests on the A160T are scheduled «for the first half of calendar year 2010,» says Darpa. Argus-IS consists of steerable sensor «beams» to simultaneously enable real-time monitoring and tracking. Carried in a 500-lb. pod, the stabilized gigapixel sensor will image an area with a radius of 1.6 naut. mi. from 13,000 ft. with a beam resolution of around 0.5 ft. and frame rate of at least 10 Hz. The sensor will provide a field of view of at least 45 deg., possibly through the use of four commercial complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) high-density focal plane arrays sharing a single set of optics and forming a mosaic image. Socom plans to evaluate the A160T for a range of missions, including carrying payloads and sensors for long-range electro-optics and 3D laser radar. Future roles could even include «psych-ops» missions such as radio and television broadcasting and leaflet drops. Boeing plans to signal its intent to participate in these future Socom tests by displaying an all-black-painted A160T in the static park at this year’s Farnborough air show.

SIXTH GEN EMERGES Advanced aircraft that may rival the JSF is taking shape By David A. Fulghum Aviation Week & Space Technology, USA www.aviationweek.com/awst March 31, 2008

Designs to follow the stealthy F-35 are already being defined and to some extent described by Lockheed Martin’s competitors. Boeing was first out of the gate in February in discussing a follow-on fighter with wider- spectrum stealth. The company simultaneously floated to potential customers the idea of buying fewer Joint Strike Fighters and skipping to an even more advanced sixth-generation combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman is following the U.S. Navy’s rough criteria for a sixth-genera-tion F/A-XX design, but the advances are being put into a «first-generation unmanned combat air system» based on the company’s X- 47B UCAS, says Scott Win-ship, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and program manager of Navy UCAS. The aircraft would incorporate «marinized low-observability,» air-to-air refueling, and integrated propulsion as well as advanced sensors, targeting and weapons, he says. However, Winship contends that a mix of fifth-generation F-35s and UCAS would be a far more powerful combination than a Super Hornet teamed with UCAS because of the F-35’s ability to penetrate with the unmanned aircraft. Lockheed Martin is working with Northrop Grumman to provide the aircraft’s critical low-observable edges and control surfaces. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 9/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

With surprising candor, Winship identified important new capabilities for the unmanned strike aircraft, including boost-phase intercept (BPI) of enemy ballistic missiles soon after launch and the carriage of new, compact, directed-energy weapons. He says both laser and high-power microwave (HPM) weapons could be used. Lasers are seen as a key BPI weapon, while HPM is critical to electronic attack. The U.S. Air Force has seemingly failed to come up with a new EA capa-bility for the near term and, by 2012, the U.S. Navy will retire the EA-6B Prowlers that now provide that capability to the expeditionary air forces. «The Navy is going to be out of the EA-6B business,» says Capt. Steve Kochman, manager of the EA-6B program. «There are ways the [Air Force need] can be filled, [but] I’m not endorsing any of them.» So, for now the program of record has the Navy stepping out of the Air Force mission, and a replace-ment capability has not been approved. «Something will have to be worked out,» Kochman says. Meanwhile, the longer-term solution may actually be closer than expected, at least conceptually. «Broadband, all-aspect stealth is next-generation,» which is reflected in the cranked-kite, tailless X -47B design, Winship says. «It is also sensors-signals and electronic intelligence-and directed energy.» Conformal antenna arrays-eight on the top side of the aircraft and eight below-will also contribute to low-observability and provide 360-deg. coverage. «We can see a way for this [unmanned combat] airplane to incorporate those [advanced sensors and weapons] where other [manned] airplanes can’t,» Winship says. «UCAS lends itself to really stressing missions including boost-phase intercept [which fills the geed] to be there and see a missile at its launch. When you can [rotate] aircraft and stay over a high threat area, you can do all sorts of things. You can see threats emerge.» Advanced air-to-air missiles are being studied as part of the BPI mission as are directed-energy and rechargeable weapons that could be carried as palletized units sized for the weapons bays’ 4,500-lb.- payload carrying capabil-ity. Alternative weapons bay doors would be fitted with apertures for the directed- energy weapons. Asked if Northrop Grum-man is designing a system that can be adapted to a number of airframes, Winship says, «Sure, that’s exactly right. And this [unmanned aircraft] may be better at [these missions] because it can stay longer.» That would be particularly true for ballistic missile defense, since launch sites and times are unpredictable. Aircraft would have to stay in an orbit for days at a time to provide the necessary seamless

surveillance. Northrop Grumman designers are looking at 50-100-hr. missions for the aircraft that can go into the toughest, fourth zone of enemy air defenses. Navy and Marine Corps requirements officials later described the mission as «stand-in [jamming, electronic attack or strike] within a surface-to-air missile’s no-escape zone.» The unmanned aircraft won’t necessarily be cheaper, but company planners expect great savings from less fuel use, elimination of aircrew training, flight trainers and carrier qualifications as well as a dramatic reduction in peace-time flying hours, Winship says. Operators would use the same computers for simulators and aircraft in the air. Northrop Grumman’s aircraft is expected to start ground-testing at Edwards AFB, Calif., in 2009 and to land on an aircraft carrier in 2011. MACROSWISS Armada International, Switzerland www.armadainternational.com April/May 2008

Macroswiss has been selected as a provider of remote controlled robots by the US Army for use in combat by the Airborne Expeditionary Force and the Rapid Equipping Force. The contract, for an undisclosed amount, covers the supply of its Micro Spyrobot 6 X 6 with a soldier-worn control system.

MODULAR ADVANCED UAV By Eric H. Biass Armada International, Switzerland www.armadainternational.com April/May 2008

As its name implies, the purpose of this design is its adaptability to mission requirement. However, this does not merely involve a palletised belly-mounted sensor bay, but as the illuminated modules show, also nose and ‘cockpit’ sensors (the ‘seat’ of which is now usually occupied by the satellite communications dish aerial), as well as wings. In other words, only the basic frame of the centre and front fuselage, followed by the tail cone and rear shoulder-mounted engines and tail would constitute the block-building platform. The idea is to almost have plug-and-play modules so that an aircraft can be tailored for its mission in about 90 minutes. The wide- span wing is however deceptive in a way, as it suggests that HALE-category missions would be part of the package which a company spokesman quickly denied to emphasise that there is a «below-HALE» category that needs to be filled. This, as a matter of fact, confirms -a growing tendency in the international drone community to slightly down-play the magnificence of the HALE role.

GOODBYE DUBAI The Dubai Air Show held its past promises to become a high-quality leading international aviation exhibition whilst retaining an atmosphere of what used to be termed an ‘air fair’. Between 11 and 15 November 2007 it was all business in the halls and chalets - and superb displays in the skies. By Eric H. Biass Armada International, Switzerland www.armadainternational.com April/May 2008

One can only hope that future events in Dubai shall retain the current magic, as they will take place at Dubai’s new international airport at Jebel Ali some 40 kilometres further south of the present location. Poised to eventually become the world’s largest airport upon completion in 2020 with a new ‘city’ surrounding it, it will be known as the Dubai World Central International Airport and will comprise no less that four 4500-metre long paral-lel runways. In the Sky

The Dubai Air Show hitherto offered a unique facility to watch the aircraft taxiing, taking off, slicing up the skies and landing, in that one simply needed to walk through the static display on the tarmac (being careful not to knock one’s head against a wing whilst passing under the parked aircraft), until a yellow line on the edge of the taxiway was reached. No fence, no barrier - all very dignified. The start of the daily air display was signalled at 2 p.m. by the Patrouille de France’s Alpha Jets while the curtain was brought down some two hours later by the equally graceful British Red Arrows and their Hawks. While the most spectacular display was provided by the Russian MiG-290VT in its resplendent colour scheme, other aircraft had a significant role to play for their companies (which are discussed below), but one which will no longer be seen so often - the F-117 - gently closed the door on a by-gone era by sweeping its wings over the airfield. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 11/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

The Russian Aircraft Corporation, which manufactures the MiG-29, has experienced a recovery that many other fighter aircraft would envy, with sales soaring from a mere 2.6 billion dollars to over four in one year. The company is expecting to deliver up to 350 MiG29K/ KUB, MiG29M/M2 and MiG-35s by 2020, representing a dollar value of up to twelve billion The Alenia-Lockheed Martin C-27J, with a bold air demonstration, marked its spot both in the sky and in people’s minds. The twin-turboprop transport aircraft is being dynamically pushed by its manufacturers who advertise the advantages of the air-craft’s systems commonality with what could be termed its big stepbrother, the four-engined Hercules C-130J. Aermacchi’s M-346 and the Korean T-50 Golden Eagle, while flying separately, were performing a fierce dogfight as indeed, the United Arab Emirates Air Force had announced shortly before the opening of the exhibition that it had rejected the British Hawk from its advanced trainer aircraft requirement shortlist. This opened the door to high speculation that a choice between the two was imminent (i.e. announced during the show). As we know, this did not happen and there is every reason to believe that the UAE Air Force wants to give itself more time to weigh the pros and cons (mainly the twin- versus single-engine aspect, with the latter oddly enough being the heavier at over five tonnes) and perhaps to also let the two very new aircraft have more time to mature (and obviously their respective manufacturers to hone their offers). For instance, the third M-346 prototype, which was still being assembled at Venegono (Northern Italy) at show-time, is to incorporate a number of improvements resulting from extensive flight trials, including by UAE Air Force pilots. One such change entails the replacement of the current landing gear borrowed from the AMX in favour of a proprietary suite, which together with more composite materials would substantially reduce empty weight (a factor that can take major proportions in a hot country) and thereby increase range. For space reasons we shall not dwell here on the lengthy (but perfectly justified) list of advantages given by both manufacturers of their newborns during their respective presentations, other than to say that both incorporate a very high degree of safety features - the M-346 featur-ing no less than quadraplex channel controls, for example. At stake is an order for between 15 to 24 aircraft. Other ‘hot’ markets for advanced training aircraft, as Aermacchi boss Carmero Cosentino revealed, are Greece, Singapore and Qatar. On the Tarmac

Not flying but with a clear physical predominance on ‘the static’ were two airborne surveillance aircraft, the Northrop Grumman Hawkeye and the Turkish AEW&C Boeing 737. The Hawkeye displayed was of the E-2C Group II variety, which highlighted the fact that the latest in the Northrop Grumman stable, the E-2D, had had its maiden flight a few months earlier. Slated to enter its initial operational capability in 2011, the ‘D’ is pretty much a new bird under the skin. Its radome houses an ADS-18 electronically scanned array UHF radar, which enables the craft to simultaneously scan the air and the ground (with thus no switching time between the two modes) operating in conjunction with high-speed processor of cots origin. State-of-the-art navigation, electronic support measures, communications and workstations go without saying, but for the export market the aircraft now sees an auxiliary power unit mounted within one of the engine nacelles to provide it with a self-starting capability. The UAE issued a request for information in 2006 (the exact content of which is secret) in late 2006, and it appears that Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Saab are the main contenders in this early warning and control aircraft competition. Almost dwarfed by larger aircraft, the BAE Systems Herti drone, which began life as a ‘black programme’, was parked on the front edge of the static display for everyone to admire. A BAE Systems spokesman explained that the essential aim of the programme was to provide an aircraft able to perform covert missions and remain covert as long as possible during the mission which, when thinking of it, is indeed easier said than done. Some six types of drones had been examined, «and we ended up with a powered glider and acquired the rights [from J & AS Aero Design in Poland]; it has a Rotax 914 engine and is a proven airframe». In fact the Herti is pretty much a unique system, which brings the word ‘unmanned’, somewhat abusively used in the drone community, slightly closer to a certain truth. Indeed, the BAE Systems spokesman explained, «It has the flexibility to fly off-the-tether [because] it is a task-driven system. The system will work out its mission and [which are] the best sensors to use, decide which are the points of interest and twist the turret or manoeuvre to take a better look, all on its own.» Essentially the only manned ‘bit’ in a Herti mission is a click on a mouse signalling the beginning of the mission. Amazingly, BAE Systems explained that a Herti was (at the time of the show) already being put through its paces in Afghanistan as part of a programme called Project Morrigan jointly conducted by BAE Systems and the Royal Air Force Air Warfare Centre, which had previously conducted initial flights in Australia. There are now two developmental aircraft flying. The Herti is in full-scale development and a certifiable example, with an endurance of about 20 hours, is expected to be ready by the end of 2008.

Drones Scorpio 6 Scorpio 30 Airframe length 1.70 metres 2 metres Turning to the indoor displays, and in terms of Main rotor diameter 1.80 metres 2.20 metres novelties, drones largely took the lion’s share. One Maximum take-off wt 13 kg 38 kg stand that couldn’t go unnoticed was EADS’, its Payload capacity up to 6 kg up to 15 kg centrepiece being a split-up model of its ‘Modular Speed 35 km/h 50 km/h Advanced UAV’ lit up by colour-changing diodes. Altitude > 6000 ft 6000 ft In fact, and perhaps except for its Airbus section, Endurance up to 1 hour up to 2 hours much of EADS’ stand was devoted to drone Datalink range 10 km 10 km activities. (real-time imagery) Asked about the status of the Modular Advanced Engine 2-stroke 23 cc undisclosed UAV, a company spokesman said that it still was in concept study phase but that it had won the «ink battle», meaning that an agreement between France, Germany and Spain will push the project one step further into a study phase. However ‘light’ this may appear at first stage, it is far more serious than what one may be led to imagine, as the same spokesman told the author, «in the reconnaissance role, it [the Modular Advanced UAV] would replace the recce Tornadoes [in] 2015».

Sharc

The Sharc is still a company-funded project. While the first prototype had its maid-en flight in Friedrichshafen in June 2007, testing of several types of engines was still underway at Dubai-time. Contrary to what the dark patches on early mock-ups suggested, the Sharc is not intended to incorporate skin-embedded sensors but belly-mounted payloads (including a maritime radar). The contra-rotating-rotor aircraft is intended to pro-vide smaller frigates with a maritime surveillance capability, although border, power line and pipeline surveillance are other possible missions. It has a four-hour endurance, a 60-kg payload and a 9000-ft ceiling. Another interesting EADS development is the Scorpio, of which there are two types, the 6 and the 30, basic characteristics of which are given in a table above. The Scorpio 6 has already been demonstrated to the French and British armies during dedicated urban warfare exercises. EADS says that the machine has been sold, but declined to disclose the customer’s (or customers’) identities. The intention of the Scorpio 30 programme is to obtain an easily deployable (typically from a 4 X 4) imagery (Imint) and communication intelligence (Comint) platform with, for the former segment of the mission, simultaneous infrared and CCD camera capability and, for the latter, incorporation of a direction finder. Data transmission to the ground station is done in real-time and over a maximum range of ten kilometres. Another rotor-drone project that drew attention is the Saab Skeldar M, in which designation the suffix reflects the new maritime role of the original Skeldar. While no mock-up of this new version was displayed, Saab explained that it would be equipped with a mission-specific laser or radar-based automatic ship-landing system, stronger landing skids and a deck gridlock system. Saab says that the M has drawn interest not only from navies but also from coast guards operating «patrol-sized boats» . While the M will be marinised to make it impervious to salt spray and humid operating conditions, it will obviously draw on solutions being devised for its land-based counterpart. This has been updated and is «moving away from the AR55» , says Saab (the AR 55 Apid being the original, basic design); this not only concerns rotor design aspects but also the avionics package. According to Saab, the Swedish Army is particularly interested in this concept for the urban warfare mission performed by its Battle Group. Saab is hoping to perform customer demonstrations in the second half of 2008. The Skeldar M, for its part, is looking at an in-serv-ice date of around 2010. While the Cidas 100 entry-level system comprising only electro-optical systems to protect smaller platforms against manpads, the Cidas 300 is integrated with no less than 32 dispensers and can be configured to offer multiple spectral radar detection, laser and missile approach detection. Key to the design requirement was the retention of the earlier Idas modularity with all functions centred and a reduced number of boxes.

THE NANOSAR IS WATCHING Armada International, Switzerland www.armadainternational.com April/May 2008

Touted as the world’s smallest synthetic aperture radar (SAR), the Nanosar, developed by Insitu and Imsar, has been flight-tested on Boeing’s ScanEagle drone. The Nanosar weighs-in at 0.9 kg, which includes the navigation system, antennas, cabling, real-time processor and RF front end, yet provides the sensing capabilities that were hitherto the domain of larger, high-end unmanned air vehicles (with Sar payloads between 22 and 90 kg). The ScanEagle flew the Nanosar for 1.5 hours, completing several passes over the target range. The data was UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 13/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

collected onboard the drone, but subsequent flights will test the system’s ability to create imagery onboard during flight in real-time. With the development of the Nanosar the ScanEagle could carry both an electro- optical or infrared and a Sar payload simultaneously. It weighs two kilos and at only 35 cm is small enough for ground vehicle or drone application.

EDA TURNS FOCUS TO OUTSOURCING MILITARY LOGISTICS Jane’s International Defence Review, UK www.idr.janes.com April 2008

Outsourcing Europe’s military logistics to the private sector is set to be the European Defence Agency’s (EDA’s) next large project, writes Brooks Tigner. EDA chief executive Alexander Weis told government and industry officials during a 27 February 2008 conference on commercialising logistics that «it seems necessary to develop EU standards for services that could be outsourced and to try to achieve shared logistics» among EDA countries. «Private-public partnerships [PPPs] were announced in France seven or eight years ago, but we have not seen many of them, even though a lot of companies have entered the field with that intention;» Julien Porcher, EADS Air Services chief executive officer, said. The result so far has been «to fragment the field»; he said. «My recommendation is that EDA should pursue [a European model for commercialised logistics]!’ The EDA will additionally have to overcome reluctance within Europe’s national militaries, which worry about the lack of supplier continuity as well as relinquishing direct control over their operational logistics. Unlike the UK and the Netherlands, where commercialisation has been pushed to the limits in many areas, most EU countries have made minimal use of the PPP concept in the military sphere or have restricted it to a narrow range of activities. «We must not lose national independence of control over the operational support area. Even if... we could save lots of money, our independence is important,» declared Brigadier General Gunter Schwarz, chief of the Competence Centre for Modernisation of the German Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Force). «One of the main aims of our modernisation effort is to stabilise the running costs of our defence budget,» he continued. «We don’t need quick deals based on the cheapest services with constantly changing providers. Long- term contracts are the preference, with a minimal change of partners.»

WARS STRAIN SUPPLY OF PREDATOR PILOTS Military Times, USA www.militarytimes.com April 1, 2008

Most Predator pilots are stuck in their jobs. The need to more than double the number of aircrews flying the Air Force’s growing fleet of remote-controlled aircraft has spurred the Air Force to freeze their assignments. Driving the action is the incessant push for more reconnaissance aircraft over Iraq, Afghanistan and other regions. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Air Force to increase its Predator patrols to 24 orbits by June 1, a 25 percent boost over what the service flew last year. Even 24 orbits don’t meet the requirements of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. The head of Special Operations Command, Navy Adm. Eric Olson, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 4 that the two commands need 30 orbits over Iraq alone. Today, about 350 active-duty pilots fly the MQ-1 Predator, its bigger brother the MQ-9 Reaper, and the high-flying RQ-4 Global Hawk, said Col. Mike McKinney, who oversees aircrew training issues at the Air Staff. By 2013, the Air Force will need 800 active-duty unmanned aerial vehicle pilots and almost a like number of enlisted sensor operators. The Guard and Reserve will provide additional aircrews. The fleet of UAVs is projected to grow from about 125 aircraft to around 300 by then, according to Air Force budget documents. Flying a Predator requires a minimum crew of two - a pilot and an enlisted sensor operator. Maintaining a single round-the-clock orbit requires at least seven crews sharing duties, said McKinney, who was the Predator operations group commander before taking the Air Staff post. Most of the aircrews work from Creech Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Additional crews are needed at bases in the theater of operations to handle takeoffs and landings, portions of a Predator’s flight too demanding to be flown from bases in the U.S.

Assigned for Two or Three Years

Since the Air Force began flying Predator combat missions in the 1990s, pilots have been assigned to the drones for a two- or three-year tour - a temporary break from piloting bombers, fighters or airlift planes. At the end of their tour, most pilots went back to their old aircraft or moved to staff positions. But the immediate need for experienced Predator pilots to fly 24 orbits has forced the service to take two unusual UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 14/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

steps. Sixteen pilots who had moved on to other assignments after a tour with Predators were summoned back to Predator duty, said Maj. Matt Martin, Predator branch chief at ACC headquarters. The Air Force also temporarily froze most permanent change-of-station moves by aircrew members scheduled to leave the Predator program, Martin said. The freeze allows the Predator school house, the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Creech, to focus on increasing the number of pilots instead of training replacements. Some pilots could see their Predator tours extended to five years. «We’re still not sure yet how many people are going to have to stick around for the long term, but it will be a portion of the force,» Martin said. Airmen with scheduled PCS moves to professional education assignments were among those exempted from having to stay, McKinney said. The Predator pilots on extended tours will help the Air Force meet a pilot and sensor operator training requirement that is doubling the number of Predator graduates. The Air Force is also set to open the Predator Weapons School course in July. «We’re planning on extending our training capacity as rapidly as possible,» Martin said. The number of aircrews trained annually has gone from 120 in recent years to 160 in 2008. With the opening of a new formal training unit later this year, that number will rise to 200 in 2009 and 240 by 2010. To help handle the growth, the California Air National Guard is also standing up a new school house at March Air Reserve Base. For the time being, the pilots arriving at Predator courses are coming out of their Air Force cockpits. While the Air Force can order pilots into UAV assignments, Martin said, about two-thirds of the students asked for the postings. «Our high volunteer rate is a result of the great mission of providing direct combat support to Iraq and Afghanistan,» Martin said. In a couple of years, the Air Force is expected to send pilots to UAVs as their first assignments. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley has spoken in favor of sending first-assignment pilots to UAV assignments but wants to let them go to other aircraft assignments at the end of their initial Predator tour.

Possibility of Career Track

Gen. John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, sees the advantage of first-assignment pilots staying with UAVs and related staff positions for their entire careers. In this scenario, a first-assignment Predator pilot could go to Reapers on his second tour and then fill a staff position before coming back to UAVs as a major. The pilots could also fill air liaison officer slots with Army units and work at air operations centers, the same as other pilots. Under Moseley’s or Corley’s scenario, UAV pilots would be rated officers who went through the same yearlong specialized undergraduate pilot training course as pilots heading other aircraft.

SCANEAGLE SUPPORT HEADED TO AFGHANISTAN Defense Industry Daily, USA www.defenseindustrydaily.com April 7, 2008

Boeing has had field representatives in theater for a couple of years now to support and operate the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle UAV from ships and ashore, receiving high praise and a fairly regular stream of contracts like this one from the USA and Australia. ScanEagle was developed to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, but its characteristics (low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, long endurance, automated flight patterns) have turned out to be very good for battlefield surveillance. ScanEagles have flown more than 4,600 sorties and 50,000 flight hours, including 34,000 hours with the MEF. It has also been adapted to a number of specialty roles from sniper locator, to bio-warfgare agent detection. March 28/08: The Boeing Co. in St. Louis, MO received an $8.4 million modification to a previously awarded, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-05-C-0045) to provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) services supporting the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Operation Enduring Freedom surge detachment. Work will be performed in Afghanistan (90%) and St. Louis, MO (10%) and is expected to be complete in October 2008. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD issued the contract. ··

PRESS RELEASE

First Army I-GNAT ER UAS Achieves 10,000 Flight Hours Performance of I-GNAT ER Aircraft Attests to Reliability and Durability of Predator Series AAAA Annual Convention, National Harbor, USA April 7, 2008

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical reconnaissance radars, today announced that a U.S. Army UAS has reached a record 10,000 flight hours on a single aircraft. The milestone was achieved by two different Army I-GNAT® ER aircraft, AI-001 and AI- 1005, within days of each other while performing combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. «The I-GNAT ER/Sky Warrior® Alpha aircraft that we deliver to the U.S. Army offer tremendous support to combat forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan on a daily basis and continue to boast the highest full-mission capability rates of any operational Army UAS,» said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. «I don’t believe that any other all-electric, composite aircraft can lay claim to this remarkable achievement. This is truly a testament to the reliability and durability, as well as the operational flexibility, of this UAS series.» Currently flying 2,500 hours a month at some five deployment sites, the U.S. Army’s family of I-GNAT ER/Sky Warrior Alpha UAS was first deployed in March 2004, only six months after contract award. Today the family has grown to more than 15 aircraft and has accumulated over 52,000 flight hours, with 97-percent of those hours spent in combat. In 2006, new additions to the original I-GNAT ER family were named Sky Warrior Alpha and SATCOM capability was incorporated to allow for beyond line-of-sight control. The aircraft have most recently been enhanced with weapons capabilities and can now carry Hellfire missiles.

For Additional Information Contact: Kimberly Kasitz General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. +1 (858) 312-2294 [email protected]

SEGWAY UNVEILS SIDEWAYS RMP MOVER FOR WAREHOUSE WORK AT BOT SHOW By Erik Sofge Popular Mechanics, USA www.popularmechanics.com April 8, 2008

The news that Segway had been added to the list of exhibitors at the two-day RoboBusiness conference here wasn’t exactly explosive. Robots do a fine job of embarrassing themselves without having to be strapped to one of those highly-advanced, self-balancing laughing stocks. But one of the only true unveilings we’ve seen at this event has been from Segway, and it’s precisely as interesting as the Segway isn’t. With no official name, Segway is calling it the RMP-400 Mecanum. It’s based on the company’s existing RMP- 400, but the four standard wheels have been swapped out for omni-directional «mecanum» wheels. Named after the Swedish company that introduced the design, these wheels are covered with rollers, allowing for holonomic movement - the robot can essentially glide across the floor sideways and diagonally, and rotate in place. The Navy has used devices with similar wheels to transport cargo on ships, but seeing a mecanum wheel in the wild is rare, and weirdly thrilling. It also fits the robot’s most likely job, which is to work in a warehouse. It can haul up to 400 pounds, allowing it to serve as a courier, with packages loaded onto its back, or as a more functional employee, if arms or other hardware were installed. Other qualifications for warehouse grunt work include an ability to maneuver in tight spaces, and a drop in performance when those mecanum wheels take on surfaces that aren’t completely smooth and level. Also, if you don’t own a warehouse, this robot is out of your price range - according to Will Pong, Director of Robotics at Segway, the Mecanum could cost $50,000. That’s not much more expensive than the model it’s based on, which runs $41,000. The smaller robots incorporate the company’s signature two-wheeled mobility, and start at around $10,000. And yet, Pong says that the demand for the Mecanum hastaken Segway by surprise, and the robot could go into early production later this year.

COALITION AIR ASSETS PLAY KEY ROLE IN BASRA BATTLE By Tim Ripley Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 9, 2008

US and UK intelligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets were at the forefront of a six-day battle (starting 25 March) between government and militia forces in Iraq’s city of Basra, which left more than 100 civilians, troops and rebels dead, according to a coalition spokesman. Although cleric Moqtada Sadr called on his supporters to down arms on 31 March, UK Secretary of State for Defence Des Browne announced on 1 April that plans to drop UK troop numbers to 2,500 were on hold. «At this stage we intend to keep our forces at their current levels of around 4,000 as we work with our coalition partners and with the Iraqis to assess future requirements,» he told the UK parliament. The street battles between militia forces loyal to Sadr and Iraqi troops directed by Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki pulled in US and UK forces to provide specialist ISTAR and air support for the government side. US Air Force (USAF) General Atomics MQ-1 B Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and British Army Elbit Hermes 450 UAVs operated over the city continuously during the battles, according to a coalition military spokesman. US and UK special forces detachments working alongside the Iraqi military command in Basra were able to view imagery of militia activity from the UAVs on L-3 Communications ROVER III (remotely operated video enhanced receiver) terminals. US special forces joint terminal attack coordination (JTAC) teams working with frontline government troops also used the terminals to direct a series of air strikes on mili-tia positions, according to the US military command in Iraq. Throughout the six days, US and UK fighter aircraft were overhead to provide shows of force to deter militia fighters. RAF Panavia Tornado GR.4s from 13 Squadron conducted a strafing attack with their 27 mm cannon against militia fighters in Basra on 25 March, the opening day of the battle. On 27 March US Navy Boeing F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E Super Hornets carried out more strafing attacks in Basra. On 28 March a USAF MQ-IB destroyed a militia motar emplacement with a Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missile. A day later a US JTAC working with Iraqi Special Operations Forces troops in street battles in Basra called down an air strike that killed 16 militia fighters, reports the coalition. This coincided with an engagement by Royal Artillery BAE Systems 105 mm Light Guns based at the UK Contingency Operating Base (COB) at Basra International Airport. Ericsson Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Radar (MAMBA) operated by K (Hondeghem) Battery of 5 Regiment Royal Artillery was used to monitor militia mortar attacks on government troops. The fighting continued on 30 March when USAF Lockheed Martin F-l6s and US Navy F/A-18Es dropped Boeing GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) on militia mortar teams, machine gun emplacements and occupied buildings. Although militia commanders called a ceasefire in Basra on 31 March, US and UK air operations continued with a Predator strike on a militia roadblock on that day. On 1 April an RAF Tornado dropped a Raytheon Enhanced Paveway II 1,000 lb GPS-guided bomb on a militia rocket launcher.

QINETÎQ ON TARGET TO PROVIDE UK TRAINING FACILITY By Garreth Jennings Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 9, 2008

QinetiQ has announced that it began implementing two important elements of the GBP308 million (USD610 million) Combined Aerial Target Service (CATS) for the UK’s armed forces on 1 April. After having completed what the company has described as «a series of complex verification and evaluation trials», both the BTT-3 Banshee basic aerial target and the ground-based pop-up helicopter target, manufactured and supplied by Meggitt Defence Systems, are now available via CATS with immediate effect. Critical programme milestones have included delivery of the envi-ronmental impact assessments, proving airworthiness for the tar-gets and ensuring compliance with flying regulations. According to QinetiQ, validation work will continue so that the intermediate Meggitt Voodoo aerial target will enter into service at the start of 2009. The Galileo Mirach advanced aerial target, which QinetiQ currently operates at Aberporth in south Wales as part of the 25-year Long-Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) for Test and Evaluation and Training Support services, is also on track to come into service under the global CATS provision contract in June 2009. Through the contract, which was awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 14 December 2006, QinetiQ will provide a service to the MoD’s unmanned subsonic aerial target requirements, including ground-based air- defence training, aerial target services for the Royal Navy (RN) and an air-to-air service for the Royal Air Force UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 17/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

(RAF). QinetiQ will deliver the first operational deployment under CATS in April, with targets shipped to the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic where they will be used to train British Army ground-based air-defence units stationed there. This will then be followed by deployments to Manorbier Royal Artillery Range in Wales later in the month and at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada in May.

NON-ANSWER ON ARMED ROBOT PULLOUT FROM IRAQ REVEALS FRAGILE BOT INDUSTRY By Erik Sofge Popular Mechanics, USA www.popularmechanics.com April 9, 2008

We already knew that iRobot CEO Colin Angle was running the only successful business in the home robotics game, so it was fitting that he closed his keynote at the RoboBusiness Conference here today by asking if there’s really a robot industry in the first place: «Are we sure we’re not just an adjunct to another industry?» After all, Disney stopped buying its animatronic actors years ago, and started building them. What’s to stop retail chains from adding a robotics division, or an upright vacuum-maker from hiring its own team of roboticists? This is not, we can assume, what audience wanted to hear. This conference, whose founder and biggest sponsor is iRobot, is a place for deals to be made, and an industry to be cultivated. But as the public continues to devour news of Asimo’s latest sprint or stumble, and schools across the country vie for scholarships in national robotics competitions, the industry itself is barely out of the incubator. For proof, take a walk through the RoboBusiness exhibit hall. One presenter claimed that his company’s booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was bigger than all of the booths here combined. We believe him. The roughly 40 exhibitors are clustered together in the center of a sprawling room. Microsoft’s booth is the size of a cubicle, and many companies show up with little more than brochures for the impressive-looking robots that couldn’t make the trip. iRobot’s booth is the biggest by far, with the new, bright orange ConnectR video- conferencing bot circling your feet, and the Looj tossing leaves out of a makeshift gutter. I search around for the Warrior, a bulked-up Packbot that’s being tested for use as an armed robot. But it isn’t even here, one rep explains, because it’s too heavy. This is how fragile the robotics industry is: Last year, three armed ground bots were deployed to Iraq. But the remote-operated SWORDS units were almost immediately pulled off the battlefield, before firing a single shot at the enemy. Here at the conference, the Army’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Forces, Kevin Fahey, was asked what happened to SWORDS. After all, no specific reason for the 11th-hour withdrawal ever came from the military or its contractors at Foster-Miller. Fahey’s answer was vague, but he confirmed that the robots never opened fire when they weren’t supposed to. His understanding is that «the gun started moving when it was not intended to move.» In other words, the SWORDS swung around in the wrong direction, and the plug got pulled fast. No humans were hurt, but as Fahey pointed out, «once you’ve done something that’s really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again.» So SWORDS was yanked because it made people nervous. Meanwhile, the V-22 Osprey program has killed 30 people during test flights, but the tiltrotor aircraft is currently in active service. Fahey expects another armed ground bot to be deployed within the year, but the point has been made: For robots, there is no margin for error. Suffice it to say, this is not a welcoming environment for startups. During a roundtable discussion at CES in January, Angle was the first to point out that one company - his - doesn’t make an industry. iRobot has thrived because it sells what are possibly the only useful consumer robots in the world, as well as unmanned vehicles for use by the military. But for anyone looking to enter the industry, Angle described the experience as «nightmarish.» The risk for new companies is incredibly high, since it involves either competing with highly entrenched contractors for defense money - including global powerhouses like Boeing and Lockheed Martin - or finding a consumer niche that’s been waiting for a robot’s firm hand. «The killer app that will drive the industry hasn’t yet emerged,» Angle said during his keynote here. Although 5 percent of last year’s new vacuum sales were iRobot products, and millions of the maid bots have been sold to date, even the Roomba doesn’t constitute a killer app. Angle isn’t sure what that app might be, but he suspects that as today’s increasingly robo-friendly populations ages, the demand for domestic bots will take off. «When I’m old, I want robots to make my bed and clean my house.» Angle said. «I want to live in my own house, until death comes and jumps on me in my sleep.» If Angle is right, then robotics could indeed become a healthy, viable industry right when we most need it. That is, if it can survive for another 30 years.

PRESS RELEASE

EU Governments Ask EDA For Armaments Strategy, Agree Steps For More Defence Collaboration European Defence Agency Brussels, Belgium April 9, 2008

EU governments today asked the European Defence Agency to produce an Armaments Strategy to help meet future military needs, ensure interoperability and standardization, and share the ever-increasing costs of developing and procuring high-technology defence equipment. A two-day meeting of the EDA Steering Board also agreed a number of specific measures to intensify defence collaboration, including work on key technologies and industrial capabilities to be retained or developed in Europe, rules to help greater sharing of testing facilities, actions to encourage more cross-border bids for defence equipment contracts, and further investments in the Agency’s work on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs). «The Agency and its shareholders have done a great job so far in developing strategies and policies, and significant progress is visible in R&T and the defence market,» said Eero Lavonen, who chaired the meeting’s second day with National Armaments Directors. «It is high time to boost armaments cooperation under EDA’s auspices. We have a tool at our disposal and we must use it fully.» Jan-Olof Lind, who chaired meeting of R&T Directors on the first day, was satisfied that good progress has been made in implementing the Framework for a Joint European Strategy in Defence R&T, adopted by the Steering Board last November. He also stressed the need for the Agency’s 26 participating Member States (all EU members except Denmark) to share information on specific initiatives they were planning or developing. «This can only enhance transparency and increase potential for cooperation – which is part of the Agency’s overall objective. It is time to see new and more significant cooperative projects and programmes under the Agency,» he said. The Armaments Strategy, which will focus in particular on how to convert agreed defence capability needs into collaborative programmes, will be presented in November to a ministerial meeting of the Steering Board, the Agency’s highest decision-making body on which governments and the European Commission are represented. Among the other steps agreed during the meeting were rules and procedures for governments to share test and evaluation facilities for military equipment, which have traditionally been developed and operated on a purely national basis. Lavonen welcomed the fact that France had last week announced plans for a test programme for integrated equipment on aircraft and encouraged other governments to share information about future testing projects. The meeting heard a report on the first full year of operation of the Code of Conduct to encourage cross-border defence procurement and the associated online portals (see Appendix 1 for highlights). The Steering Board said the overall implementation had been positive, with subscribing Member States adapting their practices to conform with the Code. The Code had brought real change to the way procurement happens. The volume of government contract opportunities posted on the EDA’s Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) had steadily grown, with 18 of the 24 subscribing governments publishing more than 260 contract opportunities. In 2007, 60 contracts worth €616 million were already awarded as a result of competition and 16 of them were cross-border, although there was still only limited cross-border bidding by industry. The largest opportunity published had an estimated value of €1 billion. The report said the parallel Code of Best Practice to encourage greater competition in the supply chain and the online portal were now recognized by a number of the most active companies as beneficial tools allowing them to easily reach out to potential new suppliers in Europe. Together with the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), whose President Åke Svensson addressed the Steering Board meeting, the Agency plans a series of initiatives and marketing actions to increase awareness of the EBB to more defence-related companies in Europe to develop a critical mass of users. Svensson told the Steering Board that industry fully supported the defence procurement regime, but to make the initiative reach its full potential required continued effective leadership starting at the highest levels in governments and industry. «From an industry perspective we also need more common requirements that lead to more common development and procurement, especially of complex and advanced systems,» he said. On the subject of UAVs, the Steering Board noted with satisfaction the work already done by the Agency for a Road Map to integrate the unmanned craft into conventional airspace and asked it to come up with further proposals in four areas: integration and coordination; standardisation and harmonisation; R&T projects into high- priority technology areas where immediate investment is needed; and initial areas for demonstration and validation. In response to a proposal by the United Kingdom about the general issues raised by the need for every country to certify the airworthiness of new military UAVs, the Agency was tasked to start investigating the idea of an EU- wide forum on military Airworthiness to save time and money. The meeting also heard a presentation on the MIDCAS project involving Sweden and France on collision-avoidance UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 19/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

systems for UAVs and encouraged other Member States to share relevant R&T initiatives in this way. «I am delighted to see Member States bringing suggestions for collaboration to the Steering Board,» said EDA Chief Executive Alexander Weis. «The Agency wants to see many more joint projects but we need inputs and support from governments so we can make a difference,» he added.

For Additional Information Contact: Malgorzata Alterman - Head of Media and Communications Direct line: +32 (0)2 504 28 10 mobile : +32 (0) 478 96 30 97 [email protected] www.eda.europa.eu

FCS CAN’T GET ANY LOVE Defense Tech, USA www.defensetech.org April 10, 2008

In the key areas of defining and developing FCS capabilities, requirements definition is still fluid, critical technologies are immature, software development is in its early stages, the information network is still years from being demonstrated, and complementary programs are at risk for not meeting the FCS schedule. Ouch... Read the latest in a series of critical GAO reports on the progress of the Army’s FCS program. Even though the development of FCS will finish late in its schedule, commitments to production will come early. Production funding for the first spinout of FCS technologies and the early version of the FCS cannon begin in fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Why? Because the Oklahoma congressional delegations insist on it for Ft. Sill’s sake. Production money for the core FCS systems will be requested beginning in February 2010, with the DOD fiscal year 2011 budget request - just months after the go/no-go review and before the stability of the design is determined at the critical design review. In fact, by the time of the FCS production decision in 2013, a total of about $39 billion, which comprises research and development and production costs, will already have been appropriated for the program, with another $8 billion requested. Doesn’t this seem a little backwards? Of course it does. If you’re smart, get the money first - before you’ve determined if the system really works, right? Can you imagine if we were saying the same thing about missile defense? Also, the Army plans to contract with its lead system integrator for the initial FCS production, a change from the Army’s original rationale for using an integrator. This increases the burden of oversight faced by the Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. No way...make it too confusing for anyone else to make sure you’re executing the contract in the most efficient manner? Nobody would ever do that! Competing demands from within the Army and DOD limits the ability to fund higher FCS costs. Thus, the Army will likely continue to reduce FCS capabilities in order to stay within available funding limits. Again...ouch... Can we please just call the FCS program what it really is: a technology incubator program, a giant R&D effort for the ground pounders, please? I worry that the Army could begin slipping into the Air Force trap by defining its future by a specific program.

RUSSIA DEMOS NEW STRIKE UAV Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Virginia, USA Sky Control, UK www.skycontrol.net April 10, 2008

The Federation of Russia demonstrated for the first time this week a full-size model and accompanying ground equipment for its new Dan-BARUK unmanned aerial vehicle. Designed for reconnaissance and strike, the system comprises a vehicle along with mobile ground control, launch and repair elements. Designers intend the system to perform battlefield reconnaissance, target spotting and strike. Strikes against targets spotted during reconnaissance may be executed by either the drone or other weapons after the UAV transmits information via highly-secure communications. With a wingspan of 5.63 meters and a fuselage length of 4.6 meters, the UAV weighs less than 500 kilograms with a flight radius of 150 kilometers and an altitude of 50 meters to six kilometers. The craft also carries an emergency parachute should landing in tough terrain prove too risky.

RAYTHEON WINS CONTRACT FOR RADAR-JAMMING VARIANT OF IT’S MINIATURE AIR LAUNCHED DECOY Space War, USA www.spacewar.com April 11, 2008

Raytheon was awarded an $80 million U.S. Air Force contract March 31 for Phase II risk reduction of a radar- jamming variant of its Miniature Air Launched Decoy. MALD is a state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs fewer than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles). The new variant, known as the MALD-J, recently completed developmental flight testing and adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform. «MALD-J is a key component in a system of systems that will fill a critical capability in the airborne electronic attack arena,» said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air Warfare Systems product line. «Like the baseline MALD, the J variant is modular and designed with growth in mind.» The two-year contract calls for Raytheon to further develop, integrate and test the new MALD-J variant. Raytheon will conduct free-flight testing to ensure that MALD-J’s hardware and software perform under representative conditions the system would face during operational missions. The contract also calls for Raytheon to conduct a system critical design review. This sets the stage for a final system design and development that will focus on free-flight testing and, ultimately, low rate initial production, before becoming a weapon in the warfighter’s arsenal. A milestone C decision - the decision to go into production - is expected in early 2011. The Miniature Air Launched Decoy is a low-cost, air-launched programmable craft that accurately duplicates the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft. In addition to protecting valuable aircraft, MALD offers counter air operations to neutralize air defense systems that pose a threat to U.S. and allied pilots. It has successfully completed 35 of 37 flight tests.

APRIL 10 AIRPOWER SUMMARY: PREDATOR FIRES MISSILES ON ENEMY MORTAR TEAM Air Force Link, USA www.af.mil April 11, 2008

Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations April 10, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, a Royal Air Force GR-9 Harrier dropped an Enhanced Paveway II munition onto an enemy position in Zaranj. The mission was declared successful by an on-scene joint terminal attack controller. In Qalat, an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fired cannon rounds onto an enemy combatant on a motorcycle successfully destroying the target. Furthermore, an A-10 conducted a show of force to deter enemy activities in the area. A JTAC confirmed the missions as a success. In total, 41 close-air-support missions were flown as part of the ISAF and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols. Seven Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Afghanistan. Additionally, two RAF aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance. In Iraq, a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet performed a show of force in order to deter enemy activities against coalition forces in the vicinity of Basrah. The mission was reported as a success by a JTAC. An Air Force MQ-1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile onto enemy combatants in the vicinity of Baghdad. A JTAC declared the mission a success. An MQ-1 fired Hellfire missiles onto an enemy mortar team in Basrah. The mission was confirmed as successful by a JTAC. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons conducted shows of force in Basrah and Baqubah in order to deter enemy activities in the areas. A JTAC reported the missions as a success. In total, coalition aircraft flew 72 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided overwatch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. Twenty-four Air Force and Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, eight Air Force, Navy and RAF aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance. Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. Approximately 164 airlift sorties were flown, 702 tons of cargo delivered and 3,762 passengers were transported. This included approximately 19,800 pounds of troop resupply air-dropped in Afghanistan. Coalition C-130 crews from Australia and Japan flew as part of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 21/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

On April 9, Air Force and RAF tanker crews flew 46 sorties and off-loaded approximately 3 million pounds of fuel to 253 receiving aircraft. UAV DESTROYS MORTAR POSITION, KILLS 6 Air Force Link, USA www.af.mil April 11, 2008

Basra, Iraq - An air strike by a coalition forces’ unmanned aerial vehicle killed six enemy combatants and injured one who were firing mortars at around 2:30 a.m. April 11 at Iraqi security forces in Basra. The enemy combatants were observed in the Hyanniyah district by a coalition aircraft and positively identified as an active mortar team. An air strike was called in to attack their position and neutralize the weapon. This is part of the ongoing support provided by coalition forces to Iraqi security forces to assist in combating the destabilizing criminal elements in Basra, which seek to undermine the authority of the Iraqi government.

UAV KILLS 6 HEAVILY ARMED ENEMY COMBATANTS IN IRAQ Air Force Link, USA www.af.mil April 11, 2008

Baghdad, Iraq (AFPN) - An unmanned aerial vehicle fired a Hellfire missile killing six heavily armed enemy combatants at approximately 9:45 p.m. April 10 in Baghdad, Iraq. Coalition forces from Multinational Division - Baghdad operating the UAV observed a large group of enemy combatants with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and a mortar tube in northeast Baghdad at approximately 9:30 p.m. «U.S. Soldiers and their Iraqi partners are always vigilant in our efforts to protect the Iraqi people from enemy combatants,» said Lt. Col. Steve Stover from the Multinational Division - Baghdad. «We remain committed to their safety, welfare and well-being.»

AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 12: PREDATORS PATROL IRAQI SKIES Air Force Link, USA www.af.mil April 13, 2008

Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations April 12, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs dropped guided bomb unit-12s onto an enemy compound in the vicinity of Uruzgan. The joint terminal attack controller declared the mission a success. In Bagram, A-10s fired cannon rounds and dropped general-purpose 500-pound bombs onto enemy locations. The mission was reported as successful by the JTAC. Shows of force were conducted by A-10s in Uruzgan and Orgune in order to deter enemy activities in those areas. The JTAC confirmed the missions as a success. An Air Force B-1B Lancer performed a show of force in Gereshk in order to deter enemy activities against a Coalition forces convoy. The mission was declared successful by the JTAC. Shows of force were performed in Sangin by an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle and a Royal Air Force GR.7 Harrier. The JTAC reported the missions as a success. In Khowst, a show of force was conducted by a French Air Force Mirage-2000 in order to deter enemy activities in the area. The mission was confirmed as successful by the JTAC. In total, 45 close-air-support missions were flown as part of the ISAF and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols. Twelve Air Force surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Afghanistan. Additionally, two RAF aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance. In Iraq, a Navy F/A-18C Hornet dropped a GBU-12 onto enemy artillery in the vicinity of Basrah. The JTAC declared the mission a success. An Air Force MQ-1B Predator fired a hellfire missile onto an enemy combatant in the vicinity of Basrah. The mission was reported as successful by the JTAC. In total, coalition aircraft flew 65 close air support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided over watch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. Twenty-five Air Force, Navy and Royal Australian Air Force surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, four Air Force and RAF aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 22/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

Air Force C-130s and C-17s provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. Approximately 159 airlift sorties were flown, 580 tons of cargo were delivered, and 2,973 passengers were transported. This included approximately 14,000 pounds of troop re-supply air-dropped in Afghanistan. Coalition C-130 crews from Australia, Canada and New Zealand flew as part of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq. On April 11, Air Force, French and RAF aerial tankers flew 51 sorties and off-loaded approximately 3.1 million pounds of fuel to 271 receiving aircraft.

WARRIOR UAV LIKELY TO REPLACE PREDATOR By Erik Holmes Air Force Times, USA www.airforcetimes.com April 14, 2008

The Air Force will likely transition during the next few years from its MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle to the Army’s MQ-1C Sky Warrior, the Air Force’s top uniformed acquisition officer said Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, military deputy to the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s airland subcommittee that the Air Force is buying two Sky Warriors and will put them through the test and evaluation process. «We will probably transition from the Predator B to the [Warrior] once it’s proven,» Hoffman said. He did not give a timeline for the testing or the transition. Both the Predator B and Warrior are manufactured by General Atomics and are similar aircraft, but the Warrior is larger, flies higher and can carry a heavier payload. Most importantly, the Warrior can carry four laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, compared with two for the Predator. The Warrior also has automatic takeoff and landing capability, which the Predator lacks. The Army plans to buy 132 Warriors in the first batch. The first operational Warriors will be delivered to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., in August 2009.

THE INSIDE STORY OF THE SWORDS ARMED ROBOT «PULLOUT» IN IRAQ: UPDATE By Erik Sofge Popular Mechanics www.popularmechanics.com April 15, 2008

Last Wednesday, we ran an analysis from the 2008 RoboBusiness Conference in Pittsburgh that included a comment from an Army Program Manager, Kevin Fahey, about the SWORDS armed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) system. This program, which resulted in the first armed UGVs to be deployed - specifically, three were deployed in Iraq in June 2007 - has been the subject of considerable online rumors, after reports surfaced that the program was in trouble. It’s a hot topic for tech bloggers and anyone interested in the future of military robots. Which is probably why our story traveled so fast online - and a big reason why we put SWORDS on the cover of Popular Mechanics earlier this year. It might also explain why our story was taken so blatantly out of context. What began as a straightforward update about the state of the SWORDS system was repurposed and sensationalized as breaking news about the sudden withdrawal of those three armed robots deployed in Iraq - and as several breaking follow-up reports. Qinetiq, the UK-based company that owns SWORDS-maker Foster-Miller, is disturbed about coverage of our piece, particularly because it appears to be fueling the urban legend of a rogue SWORDS suddenly aiming at hapless humans. But it’s not Popular Mechanics that is stoking the fire. Fahey’s comments about SWORDS, particularly his quoted statement that «the gun started moving when it was not intended to move» was not pulled from a sit-down interview with Popular Mechanics. PM’s requests for interviews to find out why SWORDS has never fired a shot at a hostile target, despite being in Iraq since last summer, have all been denied by Qinetiq and Foster-Miller. Fahey was answering a question following his keynote UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 23/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

presentation at the RoboBusiness Conference, which other members of the press attended. When an audience member asked what happened to SWORDS, Fahey’s response was vague, and there was no indication of a timeline in his comments. So the unintended movement he mentioned could have occurred before or after the robot’s deployment in Iraq. Still, any answer regarding SWORDS is worth noting, which is why we were suddenly glad to be at an otherwise uneventful robotics conference in western Pennsylvania. The other Fahey comment we quoted - «once you’ve done something that’s really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again» - appeared to be in the context of why he believes the military has treaded so lightly with armed ground robots. Let’s be clear: Fahey was not stating that a SWORDS unit made a blunder that it will take 10 or 20 years to recover from. If anything, Fahey was trying to express the exact opposite: The goal is to avoid an incident that could set military robotics back a decade or more. Rather than rehashing the history of the SWORDS program and its apparent difficulties, we treated this story as a minor update to the ongoing saga of armed military ground bots. We said that SWORDS was «yanked,» and that the three robots were «pulled off the battlefield.» Without additional clarification, those sentences were picked up by bloggers looking for a more solid update, and the story took on a mutated life all its own. Officially, the three SWORDS units deployed to Iraq are still there. While working on that cover story about armed UGVs for PM’s March issue, we spoke to sources about the decision not to use the weapons capabilities of those SWORDS units, but no one was willing to be quoted. This is a sensitive issue for the entire industry. When we stated that the robots were pulled off the battlefield, we were talking about their potential use as armed participants in firefights. Qinetiq had no comment about reports that SWORDS units were no longer intended to be used to engage the enemy, and Foster-Miller directed us to the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office. Duane Gotvald, deputy project manager at that office, sent this statement via e-mail: The Special Weapons Observation Remote Direct-Action System (SWORDS) capability is in theater. The SWORDS robot represents a new technological concept currently in the developmental stage. Three robots have been built so far; and while there has been considerable interest in fielding the system, some technical issues still remain and SWORDS is not currently funded. The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division has used the robots for surveillance and peacekeeping/guard operations. The robot is armed with Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), M249 Light Machine Gun, and has not yet been used with this weapon in combat. The fact that SWORDS lost its funding after just three units were deployed is, to us, the definition of a program that was «yanked.» Some bloggers used our shorthand to drum up a new SWORDS-related event. In addition, we did not state that SWORDS had pointed a gun at anyone, but that’s how some commentators have recast the story. Every UGV maker we’ve spoken to has stressed the importance of having a «man in the loop» when dealing with armed robots. As Predator drones have proven, an unmanned vehicle is capable of friendly fire, but the decision to engage will always be made by a human operator. When Qinetiq contacted us about the article, we asked for an official statement to post about the status of SWORDS. It’s essentially the same information that has been released previously about SWORDS, and recently posted by Danger Room, but here it is, in the company’s words: • SWORDS is currently deployed in Iraq, and has been there uninterrupted for almost a year. • There have been no instances of uncommanded or unexpected movements by SWORDS during this period, whether in-theatre or elsewhere. A few years ago during the robot’s development, there were three minor movement issues that were expected, identified and addressed during rigorous stateside testing - prior to the Army’s Safety Confirmation back in 2006. Here is what actually happened: - One uncommanded movement was caused by a loose wire (result: redundant wiring on every circuit). - One was caused by a solder break (result: double solder). - The third, which may not even count, was a test of the robot sitting on a 45-degree incline in 90-degree heat to see how long it would last. After about two hours and 30 minutes, the motor started to overheat and shut down so it wouldn’t burn out. That caused SWORDS to start to slide backward down the incline. The operator stopped it. Any comments made after this timeframe about setbacks related to the robotics industry were hypothetical; never in response to some nonexistent SWORDS incident after the Safety Confirmation. Although others have used our story to generate a false online rumor about these armed UGVs, the nature of those «technical issues» that Gotvald mentioned in his statement, and that Qinetiq and Foster-Miller have yet to address directly, remains a mystery. Until someone can explain why SWORDS lost its funding, and what exactly it is - and isn’t - being used for in Iraq, the rumors are likely to continue. If this is the dawn of the era of robotic infantry, things are off to a decidedly rocky start.

PRESS RELEASE

Camcopter S-100 - Continued Success in Shipboard Trials Schiebel, Vienna, Austria April 14, 2008

On 16th March the CAMCOPTER(r) S-100 UAV System successfully completed flights from a Type 21 Frigate of the Pakistan Navy in the Arabian Sea. As part of a series of shipboard flight tests, Schiebel’s unmanned VTOL UAV System CAMCOPTER(r) S-100 recently again demonstrated its unrivalled shipboard launch and recovery capabilities from a Pakistan Navy Frigate. Launch was made from the heli deck of the Type 21 Frigate at the designated trial site off the coast of Karachi. Equipped with a day/night-capable EOIR gimbal, the S-100’s takeoffs were done both manually and autonomously from the deck. Landings generally are flown autonomously to a waypoint relative to the ship and at a distance of about 50 feet above and 100 feet behind the ship’s heli deck. From this waypoint the final approach and landings were executed. The weather conditions allowed takeoffs and landings at a maximum ship speed of 13 knots and the Frigate’s speed at no time less than 10 knots, with wind from West-Southwest at up to 15 knots at moderate Sea State. After a first system check day flight, a 4-hour mission was carried out where the CAMCOPTER(r) S-100 took off from the ship’s heli deck by day and landed at night. The tests were concluded by another night flight with a total flight time that day of about 6 hours at a maximum altitude of 6000 ft. During all flights, the CAMCOPTER(r) S-100 successfully completed all given reconnaissance tasks, which included location of objects at sea and at land. The exact location of the detected objects and their characteristics were also successfully communicated by the team. The subject shipboard trials were held in coordination with the Pakistan Navy and Schiebel’s local partners in Pakistan. For additional information contact: Schiebel Elektronische Geraete GmbH Irene Schiebel, Eva Raidl Tel: +43 (1) 546 26-44, Fax: +43 (1) 545 23 39 E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected] www.schiebel.net

PRESS RELEASE

DARPA Selects Aurora for Vulture Program Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, Manassas, Virginia, USA April 14, 2008

Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that it has been awarded a contract to develop a radical new aircraft that can stay aloft for up to five years. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) made the award under a program known as «Vulture.» The objective of the Vulture program is to develop an aircraft capable of remaining on-station uninterrupted for over five years to perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and communication missions over an area of interest. The technology challenges include development of energy management and reliability technologies capable of allowing the aircraft to operate continuously for such extended durations. Vulture, in effect, will be a retaskable, persistent pseudo-satellite capability, in an aircraft package. Aurora’s design is called «Odysseus.» The concept uses solar energy to power the aircraft during daylight, and stored solar energy to power the aircraft at night. The aircraft is designed to fly in the stratosphere throughout its mission.

PRESS RELEASE

MetaVR - Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) MetaVR Defense File, USA www.defensefile.com April 14, 2008

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) is an important component of Future Combat Systems (FCS). While its uniqueness offers a tactical advantage, that same uniqueness presents a series of training complexities. How will operators be trained effectively and efficiently? How will a UGV interact with the terrain and its environment? What unique information can the UGV platform provide? How will other systems communicate or control the UGV and its sensors? Distributed mission training using immersive simulation of the UGV is a critical and cost- effective first step to answering these questions. A typical sensor payload for UGVs is an E/O or IR camera used for navigation, reconnaissance, and forward observation. Part of the complexity in simulating UGV missions, such as for training driver/operator navigation and control tasks, is their size. With a short wheelbase (1-3m), realistic training using a UGV payload simulator requires accurate and extremely high-fidelity terrain to reconstruct the motion and dynamics that the sensor payload would experience in the real world. MetaVR has developed a visual database with 0.3m geospecific imagery and 1m elevation information encoded into the terrain representation to support FCS experiments at General Dynamics Land Systems. The visual database, compiled with MetaVR’s WorldPerfect database generation system, is rendered in an interactive (60Hz) simulator using the MetaVR VRSG image generator to drive the visual display. The simulator provides the realism for both the visual cueing required in navigation training and the terrain relief needed for dynamic physics modeling of the vehicle as it traverses the terrain. This simulator/database combination is a point of departure for the distributed mission experiments envisioned in the FCS training. Because the terrain database encodes real geography, experiments will be able to mix virtual and live entities, establish positions of friendly and opposing force troops, vehicles, and emplacements, and dynamically update the terrain and environment according to live sensors. On the virtual side, the networked perspective of the experiment provides a 3D environment to facilitate decision-making from unit-level tactics to command-level strategy. UGVs will be training in the same space as UAVs, special operations forces, close-air- support platforms, and ISR assets. On the live side, the GPS instrumented players not only coexist in the virtual environment but also provide a data collection mechanism for improving the virtual terrain database. As UGVs or instrumented troops traverse the real terrain, elevation data and georegistered images can be recorded and transmitted back to the terrain creation process, which in turn updates the terrain database. Likewise, as real UAV or ISR assets are included in mixed experiments, any downward looking high-resolution imagery could be recorded and fed back into the terrain creation process to continually refine and improve this «living» terrain database. In anticipation of the micro-UAV and micro-UGV components of FCS, the updated sections of virtual terrain, given sufficient bandwidth, can be retransmitted to the virtual components of the experiment. A typical scenario might center on a MOUT operation with a first wave of UGVs hosting on-board micro-UAVs that can be deployed by special forces for reconnaissance to aid maneuvering and establishing support placements. As special forces (or in the future, Objective Force Warriors) enter the area, they can provide better coordination with close-air-support by leveraging the UAV/UGV sensors via direct communication.

PRESS RELEASE

Wind River VxWorks 653 has been selected for nEUROn Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle demonstrator Multi-vendor COTS approach to safety-certified software enables future of unmanned air combat Wind River Systems, Inc. San Jose, California, USA April 14, 2008

Wind River Systems, Inc., the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO), announced today that the nEUROn European Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator will be standardized on Wind River’s VxWorks 653® operating system. The computer core system complies with the ARINC 653-1 avionics standard and can be supplied with complete RTCA DO-178B / EUROCAE ED-12B up to Level A certification documentation. The objective of the nEUROn project is not to perform military missions, but to demonstrate maturity and effectiveness of technical and cooperation solutions. This technology demonstrator will have the following goals: - Performing an Air to Ground mission, inserted in a Network Centric Warfare; UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 26/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

- Designing a stealth platform (Radar cross section and Infrared); - Weapon delivery from an internal bay with stringent tempo constraint. The nEUROn UCAV demonstrator is being developed with the intention of demonstrating a modular and reliable avionics system, using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based modular on-board computers, and high-productivity and high-quality critical real-time software. The nEUROn technological demonstrator project is organized with a unique Prime Contractor, Dassault Aviation, which is in charge of the main contract implementation, and five European partners: - Alenia (Italy) which, among others, contributes with a new concept of an internal weapon bay (Smart Weapon Bay), the bay doors and their mechanisms, as well as by the design and development of the electrical power and distribution system, the air data system and the ground and flight tests; - Saab (Sweden), which is entrusted with the general design, the equipped fuselage, the avionics, the fuel system and part of the flight testing; - Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) is responsible for the rear fuselage, the exhaust pipe and the test rig; - EADS (Spain) will bring its experience for the wings, the ground station, and the data link integration; - RUAG (Switzerland) is responsible for the wind tunnel tests and the weapon interface. Andi Pabinger, Vice President of EMEA Sales for Wind River, reveals: «We are seeing more unmanned systems developed internationally by disparate teams to meet increasingly diverse mission requirements. This growing complexity is driving the need for COTS components – including the software at the heart of unmanned vehicles.» Pabinger continues: «European Systems integrators are choosing Wind River’s validated solutions, backed up by award-winning support to reduce risk and certification costs. This allows them to concentrate on added functionality and flexibility for world-class projects like the nEUROn. VxWorks 653 inherently supports supplier separation per DO-297, enabling the asynchronous systems integration of ARINC 653 platform providers and application software suppliers, reducing certification complexity.» About Wind River Wind River is the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO). Wind River enables companies to develop, run and manage device software faster, better, at lower cost and more reliably. Wind River platforms are pre- integrated, fully standardized, enterprise-wide development solutions. They reduce effort, cost and risk and optimize quality and reliability at all phases of the device software development process, from concept to deployed product. Founded in 1981, Wind River is headquartered in Alameda, California, with operations worldwide. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com

INVENTOR CLAIMS GIANT VISION PRIZE Rapid city journal www.rapidcityjournal.com By Dan Daly April 14, 2008

Art Heitz Jr. of Nemo, inventor of a hay bale accumulation system built around two machines, the Bale Caddie and the Bale Grabber, was the winner of the recent Governor’s Giant Vision Business Award. The award program, hosted by the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry, came with something every entrepreneur needs - cash. In Heitz’ case, $20,000. The Bale Caddie, produced by Heitz’s Lifetime Enterprises, is a machine that catches hay bales as they come out of the baler, then automatically moves them into place and stacks them into groups of 12. The Bale Grabber picks up the 12-packs and moves them to storage. With the system, baling hay is a one-man operation. Meanwhile, West River South Dakota was well-represented in the competition. Jody Sperlich of DakotaFire Systems in Rapid City took the $10,000, second-place prize. His product, a gel- based fire suppression and protection system, is designed to coat buildings and other structures with a fire- retardant gel that protects structures from wildfires. In the student category, Rapid Citians Chris Flack of Kristal Klear Kart Bodies and D.J. Kjar of Valde Robotics each won $2,500 prizes. Krystal Klear Kart Bodies is a new company, with a design for clear go-kart bodies. It will be the first of its kind in the go-kart racing industry. A co-polyester plastic will be used to give the body a clear appearance with excellent durability. Valde Robotics specializes in designing and manufacturing urban environment unmanned aerial vehicles. Valde’s product is a four-rotor aircraft capable of indoor and outdoor flight. The vehicle has three main abilities: loitering in an area without GPS data, choosing the best path by identifying and avoiding collisions, and searching indoor areas. But the big winner at this week’s competition in Sioux Falls was Heitz and Lifetime Enterprises. «I was absolutely blown away,» Heitz said of winning the award. «The competition was unbelievable.» He said there were a number of good ideas presented, Internet startups, a wind generation project and other ingenious products. UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 27/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

But the judges chose Heitz’ baling system as the winner of the $20,000 prize. In addition, he gets a chance to compete at the national level during a competition next year in Arlington, Texas. Heitz, 66, and his wife, Jeanne, live in Nemo. But for most of his adult life, Heitz farmed east of Vale. He grew beans, onions, potatoes and alfalfa. He also designed irrigation systems, and tinkered with the idea of a bale handling system Square bales are less common these days. Large-scale farmers have moved toward big round bales, and a whole network of equipment has been developed to automate the process of handling the big bales. But Heitz said there’s still a large market for smaller square bales, especially among small farmers and people who raise and ride horses. On Christmas Eve 2005, he got serious about developing such a system. By last year, Lifetime Enterprises had a prototype good enough to show at the Farm Progress Show inventors challenge. The system made the top 10 - encouraging enough to keep working on improvements. «Here we are today,» he said. As automation for square bales improved - New Holland came out with a model of 575 balers, which produce bales very quickly - the systems for stacking and moving those bales wasn’t keeping up. «Our machine - no problem - as fast as you want to bale, it’ll accumulate them and put them in a nice 12-pack,» he said. The company also has a smaller bale Caddie that will process six bales of hay at a time. A four-bale accumulator is in development. A key innovation is a rubber roller with studs, which can move bales faster than the baler kicks them out. Heitz said he’s excited about the prospect of keeping production of the Bale Caddie and the Bale Grabber in South Dakota. He and his partner, Steve Watkins, are in talks with an in-state manufacturer to produce the equipment. He hopes the product will produce electrical and welding jobs for the state’s young people. He thanked the state chamber and Gov. Mike Rounds for the award. He also thanked New Holland, the ag equipment manufacturer, for working with him through the development and marketing process. Heitz especially appreciated the help of Tim Crawford and the staff at the Small Business Development Center in Rapid City for helping to develop a business plan for Lifetime Enterprises. Founders of the Giant Vision program are Gov. Rounds and the State of South Dakota; Black Hills Corp., Rapid City; Christiansen Land & Cattle Ltd., Kimball; Dacotah Banks, Aberdeen; Daktronics, Inc., Brookings; First National Bank SD, Yankton; Home Federal Bank, Sioux Falls; Toshiba America, Mitchell; US Bank, Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Rapid City; and Wheeler Manufacturing, Lemmon. «The goal of this program is to encourage people to explore being a business owner and to create an exciting future while also expanding South Dakota’s economy,» said David Owen, president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE MARKET TO EXCEED $13 BILLION BY 2014 Military & Aerospace Electronics, USA http://mae.pennnet.com April 15, 2008

The global war on terrorism has prompted the United States to pump significant amounts of money into its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs, asserts Forecast International analyst Larry Dickerson. Dickerson says the market for UAV Reconnaissance Systems, including air vehicles, ground control equipment, and payloads, is expected to be worth $13.6 billion through 2014. «Although the popularity of UAVs continues to grow worldwide, the United States is by far the largest single market,» says Dickerson. «American firms have a value share of more than 50 percent of this market and could gain control of a further 5 to 10 percent over the next decade.» The dominance of these American companies can be attributed in part to the large U.S. requirement and the high cost of certain systems it is currently acquiring such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV. «The value of Global Hawk production over the next 10 years could reach $3.5 billion,» Dickerson says. Northrop Grumman believes that sales of the Global Hawk air vehicles could exceed 200 units.

PRESS RELEASE

First Sly Warrior Aircraft for Army ER/MP Program Takes To The Air Next-Gen Army UAS Offers Increased Range, Altitude, Endurance & Payload Flexibility General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. San Diego, California, USA April 15, 2008

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical reconnaissance radars, today announced the successful flight of the first Sky Warrior® Block 1 aircraft for the U.S. Army’s Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS Program on March 31 from the company’s El UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 28/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto, Calif. «Army tactical commanders at the division level and below are now one step closer to having the RSTA [Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition] information they need to offer increased protection to their troops on the ground,» said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. «This milestone event was a collaborative effort between GA-ASI and our PM-UAS customer. Jointly, this team planned and executed a methodical approach to first flight success.» The first flight of the Sky Warrior Block 1 aircraft marks continued progress towards the successful implementation of the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of GA-ASI’s multi-year contract for the ER/MP UAS Program, which calls for 17 Sky Warrior aircraft and seven One System Ground Control Stations (OSGCS). The total program, including follow-on production, is estimated to be worth over $2 billion. Other key «Team Sky Warrior» partners include AAI Corporation (OSGCS), SPARTA, Inc. (logistics support services), and L-3 Com/ Communications Systems-West (TCDL and SATCOM communications). A derivative of the combat-proven Predator®, the innovative and technologically sophisticated Sky Warrior aircraft provides the U.S. Army with a reliable, affordable and compelling solution to meet challenging Army requirements for persistent RSTA and attack operations. The aircraft will perform long-endurance, surveillance, communications relay, and weapons delivery missions with double the weapons capacity of Predator. Featuring a Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) for increased supportability in the field, Sky Warrior can fly above 25,000 feet on jet or diesel fuel with increased horsepower and significantly improved fuel efficiency. The HFE power plant also reduces maintenance costs, offers increased service life, and greatly simplifies logistics by ensuring a more readily available fuel source. The aircraft is also equipped with triple redundant avionics, redundant flight controls/surfaces, and electro- optical/infrared (EO/IR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.

For Additional Information Contact: Kimberly Kasitz General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Tel.: 1-858-312.22.94 [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

Simlat advanced UAV/UAS training systems in the service of over 10 customers worldwide MetaVR Defense File, USA www.defensefile.com April 15, 2008

Simlat has announced that it has sold and delivered its advanced simulation systems to over ten (10) customers worldwide. Simlat also mentioned that at least five (5) of those customers are from NATO member countries. The revolutionary ST1 Technology which was developed by Simlat, supports its diverse simulation products for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Systems (UAV/UAS) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The ST1 technology also supports Computer Self Training (CST) and advanced Analyzers that allow the trainee to independently train, receive automatic feedback and comprehensive interactive briefing and debriefing. The ST1 Technology provides high fidelity mission simulation capabilities for entry-level as well as experienced trainees by determining and planning the relevant scenarios for the specific trainee. Simlat’s systems based on the ST1 Technology can be easily customized for every platform, payload or mission. «Simlat is very pleased to continue to provide its advanced systems to new clients around the globe. In a relatively short time, Simlat has established an impressive base of satisfied clients who use our system on a regular basis. This indicates that our systems are highly regarded as professional and unique, providing great benefit to UAV/ISR users», said Amit Larom, Simlat’s VP M&S. Simlat Ltd., an Israeli-based private company located in Herzelia, is a leading provider of next generation mission- training solutions for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/System (UAV/UAS) and the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) industry.

FIRST SKY WARRIOR BLOCK 1 UAV TAKES FLIGHT FOR MILITARY PROGRAM Army UAS Offers Increased Range, Altitude, Endurance & Payload Flexibility The Aero-News Network, USA www.aero-news.net April 16, 2008

Unmanned aerial systems manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. told ANN this week about the successful March 31 flight of the first Sky Warrior Block 1 aircraft for the US Army’s Extended Range/Multi- UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 29/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

Purpose (ER/MP) UAS Program from the company’s El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto, CA. «Army tactical commanders at the division level and below are now one step closer to having the RSTA [Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition] information they need to offer increased protection to their troops on the ground,» said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. «This milestone event was a collaborative effort between GA- ASI and our PM-UAS customer. Jointly, this team planned and executed a methodical approach to first flight success.» The first flight of the Sky Warrior Block 1 aircraft marks continued progress towards the successful implementation of the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of GA-ASI’s multi-year contract for the ER/MP UAS Program, which calls for 17 Sky Warrior aircraft and seven One System Ground Control Stations (OSGCS). The total program, including follow-on production, is estimated to be worth over $2 billion. Other key «Team Sky Warrior» partners include AAI Corporation (OSGCS), SPARTA, Inc. (logistics support services), and L-3 Com/ Communications Systems-West (TCDL and SATCOM communications). A derivative of the combat-proven Predator UAV, the sophisticated Sky Warrior aircraft provides the US Army with a reliable and affordable solution to meet challenging Army requirements for persistent RSTA and attack operations. The aircraft will perform long-endurance, surveillance, communications relay, and weapons delivery missions with double the weapons capacity of Predator. Featuring a Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) for increased supportability in the field, Sky Warrior can fly above 25,000 feet on jet or diesel fuel with increased horsepower and significantly improved fuel efficiency. The HFE powerplant also reduces maintenance costs, offers increased service life, and greatly simplifies logistics by ensuring a more readily available fuel source. The aircraft is also equipped with triple redundant avionics, redundant flight controls/surfaces, and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.

GERMANY’S DEFENCE PROCUREMENT AGENCY OPENS UAV CONTEST By Sebastian Schulte Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 16, 2008

The German defence procurement agency Bundesamt III Wehrfechnik and Beschaffung (BWB) has launched a competitive hid for five medium-attitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The MALE LIAV will form part of the System zur abbildenden Aufklärung in der Tiefe des Einsatzgebietes (SAATEG) programme, which aims to provide the Luftwaffe with signals intelligence (SIGINT) and real-time reconnaissance capability for theatre operations by 2010. The SIGINT component will be provided by five Eurohawk high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems, which are already under contract. The Eurohawk is based on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk. However, SAATEG is currently in its project phase. It is not yet clear whether SAATEG will include a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) component. General Dynamics’ Predator B and Israel Aerospace Industries’ Heron TP are the only candidates for the MALE part of the programme as the BWB formulated its requirements around the specifications of those two systems. «We have sighted the market and since the Predator B and the Heron TP systems are pretty much along our line of requirements, we are disregarding other available systems at this time,» a BWB spokesman told Jane’s. The Luftwaffe currently has no real-time surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and its Tornado reconnaissance aircraft deployed in Afghanistan only provide still pictures. This makes SAATEG an immediate operational requirement, so the BWB is aiming to award a procurement contract during 2008 so that the system is operational by 2010.

MANNED AIRCRAFT MAKES FIRST FUEL CELL-POWERED FLIGHT By Caitlin Harrington Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 16, 2008

Boeing has announced that it recently completed the first ever flight tests of a manned aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells. A two-seat Dimona motor glider was successfully powered by hydrogen fuel cells during three flight tests that took place over Spain in February and March, according to Boeing officials. The tests - a culmination of five years of research and development by the company’s Phantom Works - could generate some interest from the US Air Force (USAF), which is aggressively seeking alternatives to the service’s politi-cally risky and expensive dependence on foreign oil. Boeing officials say the hydrogen fuel cells could potentially power small manned and unmanned vehicles, which are in high demand by the US armed forces for use in both reconnaissance and strike missions. The Dimona glider was powered by a hybrid system consisting of both a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell and lithium-ion battery. These two propulsion systems powered an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller. The flight tests took place from an airfield in Ocana, south of Madrid. The Dimona aircraft climbed to an altitude of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. On reaching the cruise altitude the batteries were disconnected and the aircraft was flown straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 km/h for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells.

US ARMY SEEKS ACCELERATED FIELDING OF SKY WARRIOR UAV By Nathan Hodge Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 16, 2008

The US Army intends to accelerate the fielding of the Sky Warrior armed derivative of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Brigadier General Stephen Mundt, director of army aviation, said on 9 April that the Sky Warrior push was part of a plan to deploy greater reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) assets overseas. «It is about the quick-reaction capability we are pushing forward; that will pull the fielding of Sky Warrior to the left by 10 months or better,» Brig Gen Mundt said. «We will put an additional eight vehicles over there to develop this process.» US Army aviation programme executive officer Paul Bogosian said the new capability was «endorsed by the secretary of defence to support expanded operations, particularly in the ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and RSTA environment». Early deployment of Sky Warrior will allow the service to expand an overwatch mission that has become an integral part of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Army already operates another Predator variant - the Warrior Alpha - as part of Task Force ODIN (observe, detect, identify and neutralise): a unique formation dedicated to countering the threat from road- side bombs. Task Force ODIN combines both manned and unmanned aerial surveillance platforms; it also operates specially modified aircraft such as Constant Hawk - a converted Shorts 360-300 Sherpa cargo aircraft that carries a video surveillance payload that can record and play back suspi-cious activity. Brig Gen Mundt said a «similar capability» to Task Force ODIN would be sent to Afghanistan, although he provided few additional details. US Army officials have generally been reluctant to disclose specific details about Task Force ODIN, but it has provided something of a template for UAV operations. The service is in the proc-ess of trying to integrate UAVs more fully within its command structure and plans to eventually structure units around the Sky Warrior, with a company of 12 aircraft located within each combat aviation brigade. UAVs originally began as intelligence assets, but as the aircraft and their payloads have increased in sophistication, much of the mission has been given over to the aviation branch. Major General Virgil Packett, commanding general of the US Army’s Aviation Warfighting Center Fort Rucker, Alabama, said: «It is clear that we need a command-and-control mecha-nism and it appears that it would be necessary, would be right and would be appropriate to put that under the aviation [because of the] maturity and experience and expertise in a combat aviation brigade. We will need to really design that and grow that to the appropriate size with the appro-priate structure.»

USAF LOOSES SECOND PREDATOR IN ONE WEEK By Gareth Jennings Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK www.jdw.janes.com April 16, 2008

The US Air Force (USAF) has lost two General Atomics Aeronautics Systems MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Iraq in less than a week. An armed MQ-1, operating out of Ali Air Base in the south of the country, crashed on 9 April approximately 80 km north of Baghdad, just six days after another Predator crashed while landing at Balad Air Base in northern Iraq. The US military has launched an investigation into both accidents, although preliminary reports suggest that mechanical failure may be to blame. The USAF has lost six Predator aircraft in the past 15 months. On 17 December 2007 an MQ-1 crashed near Al Muqdadiya in Iraq and in late July 2007 two Predators were lost in separate incidents in Iraq within the space of two days. None of these acci-dents are believed to have been caused by ground fire. A USAF investigation into a 20 March 2007 Predator crash in Iraq concluded that pilot error was the cause - the pilot had mistakenly turned off the aircraft’s stability augmentation system pitch and roll axes. This caused the aircraft to go into a steep dive, thereby losing its satellite communication link. Once the link was lost, the pilot was unable to regain control of the aircraft and it subsequently crashed. The cause of a 17 January 2007 Predator crash, also over Iraq, was found to be engine failure: a crack in the crankshaft caused the failure of a connecting rod in the aircraft’s engine. When the rod failed, it wedged itself in the opposing engine cylinder, caus-ing the crankshaft to stop and the engine to seize.

PREDATOR KILL-MACHINE PILOTS SUFFERING ‘CHRONIC BURNOUT’ Vegas-based droid jockeys asleep at the stick By Lewis Page The Register, UK www.theregister.co.uk April 16, 2008

A US military report says pilots operating the well-known Predator drone aircraft suffer far higher levels of mental stress than flyboys who are physically present aboard their planes. According to the report’s authors, a group of US officers, «crewmembers in a MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system (UAS) squadron had significantly increased fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and burnout relative to traditional aircrew». The study allowed for the present very high level of demand for Predator flights by comparing the drone operators against similarly hard-worked aircrews aboard AWACS airborne radar planes. The revelation that safe, remote drone operations seem to tire pilots and sensor-operators out faster than being airborne above warzones comes in the snappily-titled A Resurvey of Shift Work-Related Fatigue in MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aircraft System Crewmembers, flagged up at Flight International’s DEW Line blog. The authors say changes to shift patterns worked by the drone jockeys haven’t really helped: their work is just extra tiring and stressful compared to flying airborne missions. According to the report, survey results «indicated a pervasive problem with chronic fatigue... Nearly 50 per cent of surveyed crewmembers met the diagnostic threshold for levels of daily sleepiness which can be expected to adversely impact job performance and safety». Worrying stuff, when speaking of people handling deadly aerial kill machines packing smart bombs and laser- guided Hellfire missiles. It seemed that the weary remote-control warriors even suffered «impaired domestic relationships». Of course, there could be other factors in play here. Predator pilots in the US air force have typically been reassigned from normal airborne flight duties, and given the ordinary military flyboy mindset* this probably isn’t seen as a step up. The droneboys may be suffering from sleepiness on the job, burnout, failed relationships, etc, because their macho self-image has been destroyed. Conceivably, the real fighter pilots taunt them, snap towels in the locker room, etc. Alternatively, some might point out the location from which the Predator is handled during missions: Nellis Air Force Base. Which is right next to Las Vegas, a place long known for disrupted sleep patterns, burnout, and impaired domestic relationships.

AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES REVEAL DETAILS OF SOLAR-POWERED AIRPLANE Military & Aerospace Electronics, USA http://mae.pennnet.com April 17, 2008

On April 23, 2008, at the Boston Museum of Science, Aurora Flight Sciences will reveal details about its new solar-powered airplane called Odysseus. Aurora and its partners BAE Systems, Draper Laboratory, and Sierra Nevada were awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the development of radical new unmanned aircraft able to stay aloft for up to five years. Aurora has chosen the Boston Museum of Science for this event because of the connections between Odysseus and Daedalus human-powered aircraft, which made its historic flight from Crete on April 23, 1988, and today hangs in the Museum. PRESS RELEASE

Camcopter® S-100 Shipboard Trials With Guadia Civil South of Gran Canaria Schiebel Elektronische Geraete April 18, 2008

Madrid, Spain - Only weeks after the successful trials on frigates, the Camcopter® S-100 continued to prove its naval capabilities on 14th April south of Gran Canaria from a vessel of the Spanish Guardia Civil. The Camcopter® S-100 demonstrated its outstanding capabilities as well as its naval versatility for the first time from a small vessel. The Rio Miño of the Spanish Guardia Civil is only 51 meters long, has a gross weight of 605 tons and is based in the harbour of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria. Having been converted from a tuna trawler into one of the largest patrol vessels of the Guardia Civil, its mission is to patrol the coasts of the Canary Islands and nearby Africa. The Rio Miño’s small helicopter deck at the stern is intended for emergency use by manned helicopters only. It is 10,5 by 8,5 meters in size and has no NATO landing grid that would allow the use of the S-100’s harpoon decking aid. This very limited size of the helicopter deck in combination with the ship’s sharp movements UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 33/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

presented a new challenge in the operation of the Camcopter® S-100. With the control station installed on the ship’s bridge, the Camcopter® S-100 took off for a one-hour flight over the Atlantic and continuously provided reconnaissance data to the crew and spectators. The Camcopter® S-100 was equipped with a day/night- capable EOIR gimbal. While in infrared mode, it allowed detection of other vessels such as a Frigate of the Spanish Navy at distances of up to a few ten nautical miles away from the aircraft and subsequent approach and inspection in daylight mode. Landings generally are conducted autonomously to a relative waypoint above the landing deck at the stern of the vessel. There the S-100 showed its unique capability to hover close above the heli deck and automatically follow the ship’s movements, with a subsequent smooth touch down. The demonstration has been conducted in close cooperation and with the support of the Spanish Guardia Civil and Schiebel’s local partner in Spain, the Paukner Group.

Aircraft developments leave pilots grounded for dangerous work European Design Engineer, UK www.engineerlive.com April 20, 2008

Three aircraft have dominated the news pages more than any others in recent years, namely the AirbusA380, the Boeing787 Deamliner and the EurofighterTyphoon. All of these have cost many millions of Euros to get to where they are today, and all three have been designed for their specific target markets. But there is an altogether different class of aircraft that has seen considerable investment in recent years, albeit without the same level of publicity. Unmanned aerial vehicles – or UAVs – come in various formats and sizes, depending on the roles for which they are intended. In the main, they are aimed at tasks that are deemed to be ‘too dull, dirty or dangerous’ for humans. UAVs are being developed around the world, with the USA being the clear leader in terms of the number of aircraft in development, production and operation. It has been reported that Europe’s market share is less than five per cent but, as this present article will show, there is plenty of work in progress. One of the most active European organisations in this field is EADS Defence and Security. Towards the end of 2007, the German Ministry of Defence named EADS Defence and Security as the prime contractor role for the research and technology programme known as Agile UAV within Network-Centric Environments (Fig.1). The Agile UAV-NCE programme aims to analyse and refine enabling technologies and operational concepts for unmanned agile reconnaissance operations using UAVs. EADS Defence and Security is the lead partner for the tri-national Advanced UAV study in France, Germany and Spain. The company’s prime objectives are to study system-of-systems approaches and the network-centric operations context for its UAV portfolio. As the Finnish Defence Forces see similar technological and operational requirements, they are also contributing to the Agile UAV-NCE programme via their established national Finnish Unmanned Vehicle Systems (FinUVS) project and its recently launched follow-up UAV Data Link technology programmes. The Finnish industrial participants are Patria as national prime contractor and Insta as co-contractor, both funded by the Finnish Defence Forces. The contribution of the Nordic partners centres on secure networking data links. RUAG Aerospace of Switzerland will also be involved. The Agile UAV-NCE programme is intended to be executed in subsequent phases and to run until 2013, covering demonstrations by simulation as well as by real flight tests. The main features will be risk-reduction processes, the evaluation of key technologies and the generation of operational concepts for future UAV systems. As a consequence, the most prominent tasks are the definition and simulation of missions, of communication links and of platform control under NCE conditions. Flight trials will focus on verification and validation of the Agile UAV- NCE concept by performing reconnaissance and sensor-to-shooter missions.

Technology Demonstrator

EADS Defence and Security is responsible for the complete system design and will contribute to the programme with its Barracuda technology demonstrator. This vehicle is seen as a decisive step towards the next generation of interoperable modular Advanced UAV systems. While Barracuda is a fixed-wing aircraft, EADS is also developing a coaxial dual-rotor unmanned helicopter, known as Sharc, which commenced test flights in 2007. This UAV demonstrator, which is approximately 2.5m UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 34/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

long, has a maximum take-off weight of 190kg and can accommodate 60kg of mission equipment in its payload compartments. Sharc is equipped with a redundant flight control unit, a laser altimeter, and control and data links. The modular design of the avionics facilitates the integration of a broad range of different mission equipment. For example, tests will be conducted on electro-optical and infrared sensors, and Sharc can also accommodate a compact synthetic aperture radar system. With its autonomous vertical take-off and landing capability, together with its substantial payload capacity, EADS believes the Sharc UAV will be attractive to navies for unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as aerial target designation and damage control missions. Its dual-rotor configuration is said to make the Sharc especially suitable for ship-based missions, as it provides thirty per cent more lift at equal weight than conventional helicopters with tail booms. This enables a heavier payload to be carried with comparable flight performance. The dual-rotor design also provides greater attitude stability, which makes it easier to compensate for the rolling movement of the ship – a prerequisite for autonomous deck landings. Dual counter-rotating rotors are mutually torque-compensating and therefore negate the need for a tail rotor. This, in turn, has a favourable effect on the overall dimensions of the UAV. The innovative overall design of the UAV is also said to present new technical possibilities, such as the integration of antenna in the outer skin. While navies are clearly an important target market for EADS, the company also states that the Sharc has potential applications in industrial monitoring.

Good All-Rounder

Saab has already developed an unmanned helicopter, the Skeldar V-150, which is designed for military and civil applications, national and international missions, and day and night operations (Fig.3). Viewed as a complete system, the Skeldar V-150 can form part of a command and control system, and would readily operate as a component within a network-based defence structure. Anders Carp, the deputy programme manager for UAV operations at Saab, comments: «Skeldar V-150 can, for example, be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and designation, and electronic warfare. The system is incredibly flexible; it is the sensors used that shape the mission.» A basic system might contain two UAVs, a control station and electro-optics and infrared (EO/IR) payloads, but the Skeldar V-150 is designed to carry a range of payloads, such as high-performance synthetic aperture radar sensors combining radar and target indicator capabilities, as well as an advanced electronic warfare suite.

Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Helicopter-based UAVs are certainly very useful, but there is a huge amount of research ongoing into fixed-wing autonomous UAVs. One example of this is the BAE Systems Herti aircraft, which is being developed for military and civilian surveillance and reconnaissance operations. According to BAE Systems, Herti is cost-effective and flexible, providing high-quality imagery using a safe, reliable platform that can integrate seamlessly with current and future information networks. Herti is a highly adaptable, fully autonomous, platform-based system providing robust, cost-effective surveillance and reconnaissance capability to support a range of military and civil requirements. High-quality images can be captured, processed and relayed to ground stations, forward deployed units and command centres in a variety of operational environments with very low network bandwidth demand. The aircraft has already completed performance flight test missions, plus the autonomous ICE (image collection and exploitation) mission system has successfully completed autonomous target searches. At the larger end of the scale, BAE Systems is also leading the E166million (£124million) Taranis UAV technology demonstrator programme. Taranis will be the largest UAV yet built in the UK and, as part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (Experiment) (SUAV(E)) programme, the project will explore and demonstrate how emerging technologies and systems can deliver battle-winning capabilities for the UK armed forces. BAE Systems is the industry lead and prime contractor, with Qinetiq, Rolls-Royce and Smiths Aerospace being the other industry partners.

European Neuron

Another unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator under development in Europe is the Neuron, led by Dassault Aviation at the prime contractor, with Alenia Aeronautica, Saab, EADS CASA, HAI and RUAG Aerospace as other industrial partners. So far the Neuron project has reached the stage where a 1:16 scale model is being wind tunnel tested by Saab at facilities belonging to the Forces Research Institute (FOI:s) in Stockholm. The Neuron’s first flight is planned for 2011. As well as its involvement with the Neuron project, Alenia Aeronautica is investing heavily in the Male (medium altitude long endurance) class of UAV. Indeed, towards the end of 2007, its Sky-Y surveillance aircraft completed UVS International - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-46.51.88.65 - Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 [email protected] - www.uvs-international.org & www.uvs-info.com & www.uas2008.org - Page: 35/40 Issue 2008/08 April 20, 2008

a flight of eight hours duration in Vidsel, Sweden, thereby setting the continental endurance record for aircraft of this class weighing over one tonne. This flight, which was aimed at checking the full payload performance and operational procedures of both the aircraft and ground station, was one of a series to check the aircraft’s performance and behaviour at altitude and at full payload, and to test its diesel propulsion system, all on-board systems, self- pilot and self-navigation systems, as well as automatic take-off and landing functions.

Solar Power

Little progress has so far been made towards air-to-air refuelling of UAVs, which could ultimately restrict their flight duration capabilities. However, the Zephyr UAV is an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre aircraft, weighing just 30kg, that uses solar power generated by paper-thin amorphous silicon arrays covering the wings (Fig.4). The brainchild of Qinetiq, the hand-launched Zephyr carries lithium-sulphur batteries that are recharged during the day using solar power, then used to power the aircraft at night. The aircraft features a bespoke autopilot system to navigate between waypoints and to remove the requirement for permanent manual operation. Already Zephyr has secured a place in the history of UAV development by exceeding the world record for the longest duration unmanned flight. The high-altitude long-endurance (Hale) aircraft achieved a 54-hour flight and reached an altitude of 58,355feet (17786m) in August 2007, though the record is not official, as there was no FAI observer present. A second flight lasted for 33 hours 43 minutes, with the aircraft climbing to 52,247feet (15925m).

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2008 UVS NEWS FLASH ADVERTISING RATES

Rates Cost per in Euro insert in Euro Applied Positions: excl. VAT excl. VAT Discount 2nd & following pages only (cover page is not available for advertising) Full page advertisement in - 4 consecutive issues 1 000 250 - 8 consecutive issues 1 800 225 -10% - 12 consecutive issues 2 544 212 -15% - 24 consecutive issues 4 800 200 -20% - 48 consecutive issues 8 976 187 -25% Half page advertisement in - 4 consecutive issues 548 137 - 8 consecutive issues 984 123 -10% - 12 consecutive issues 1 404 117 -15% - 24 consecutive issues 2 640 110 -20% - 48 consecutive issues 4 944 103 -25% Note: Orders for less than 4 consecutive insertions will not be accepted. 19,6% VAT will be due by companies established in France. Euro 1 = US$ 1,50 (for indicational purposes only; the exchange rate may vary from day-to-day)

Agency Commissions Indicated advertising rates do not include any commissions for agencies. If an agency commission is required, such commission should be added to the indicated prices. Invoice Currency All invoices will be issued & must be paid in Euro. Advertisement Booking In order to be valid, advertisement bookings must be made by completing and signing the News Flash Advertisement Booking Form. The completed form is to be transmitted by post or fax to Blyenburgh & Co. Bookings will be legally binding after written booking confirmation by means of an official invoice sent by the Publisher. Payment Deadline A booked advertisement will only be published after receipt of payment. Publication Dates The UVS International News Flash is published & emailed out Saturday or Sunday every two weeks. Copy deadline The advertisement copy is to be received by Blyenburgh & Co on the Tuesday preceeding the Saturday on which the News Flash in which the advertisement is to be placed will be published. ADVERTISEMENT COPY INSTRUCTIONS z The advertisements can be submitted in JPEG, Photoshop, Illustrator or PDF format. Please note that we operate in a PC environment. z The advertisements should have the following sizes: - Full page advertisements : 238 x 164 mm (height x width); - Half page advertisements : 119 x 164 mm (height & width). z The advertisement file should should have the lowest possible resolution acceptable for screen reading & printing; 72 dpi is suggested. z Advertising copy files are to be sent to Blyenburgh & Co by email at [email protected] & [email protected]. z The advertising copy for each insertion may be different. z For further questions relating to the supply of your advertising artwork, please contact Blyenburgh & Co.

ADVERTISING CONTACT Russ Curry Tel.: 33-1-47.43.01.98 - Cell: 33-6-07.16.72.02 - [email protected]

2008 ADVERTISEMENT BOOKING FORM

Advertiser’s Order Number: ......

COMPANY INFORMATION Company ...... Company Contact Ms/Mr ...... Company Address ...... City ...... State/Province ...... Postal/Zip Code ...... Country ...... Tel ...... Fax ...... Email ...... VAT Identification Nr ...... (Obligatory for companies in EU countries) ADVERTISING AGENCY INFORMATION (if applicable) Agency ...... Agency Contact Ms/Mr ...... Agency Address ...... City ...... State/Province ...... Postal/Zip Code ...... Country ...... Tel ...... Fax ...... Email ...... VAT Identification Nr ...... (Obligatory for companies in EU countries) ORDERS Advertisement Advert Location For half page advertisements Top side of page Bottom side of page Advert Size Full page, full colour Half page, full colour Frequency 4 consecutive issues 8 consecutive issues 12 consecutive issues 24 consecutive issues 48 consecutive issues Advert Rate Euro ...... Order confirmation is to be sent to Company Agency Payment Method Bank transfer Credit Card (VISA, CB, Eurocard, Mastercard, AMEX) Invoicing Invoice Company Invoice Agency For attention of: ...... News Flash copy Send to Company Send to Agency For attention of: ......

I have read, understood and accept the Publisher’s Terms & Conditions. By signing this document, I confirm that I am an authorized signatory for my company.

Signature: Date: ......

NOTE: On receipt by email, fax or letter of this form, duly completed and signed, an official invoice will be sent by email & airmail.

FAX COMPLETED FORM TO: 33-1-46.51.05.22

ADVERTISING IN THE 2008 UVS NEWS FLASH - TERMS & CONDITIONS

In these Terms & Conditions «the Publisher» means Blyenburgh 15 The Advertiser indemnifies the Publisher in respect of any & Co; «the Advertiser» means the advertiser or its agent, loss, expense, cost or damage incurred or suffered by the whichever is the principal; and «Advertisement» means the Publisher as a result of any claim made against the Publisher advertising space booked by the Advertiser. arising from the Advertisement. The Publisher will consult 01 The receipt of the signed advertisement booking form by the with the Advertiser as to the way in which any such Publisher constitutes a binding contract. complaints are to be handled. 02 Unless otherwise stated, fees payable to the Publisher for 16 The Publisher is not responsible for any loss howsoever Advertisements are stated exclusive of VAT (which shall be occasioned, as a result of delay or failure to publish this payable in addition). VAT will only be charged to Advertisers publication. established in France. 17 The Advertiser hereby warrants to the Publisher that its 03 Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, all invoices Advertisements are in no way whatsoever a violation of any will be issued in Euro and will be payable in accordance existing copyright and that they contain nothing illegal, with the payment instructions indicated on the invoice. defamatory, objectionable, indecent or libellous, and hereby 04 All cheques must be in Euro and be made payable in France indemnifies the Publisher against any loss, injury or damage to the Publisher and sent to the Publisher at the address which may be occasioned to the Publisher in consequence appearing on the invoice. of any breach of this warranty arising from the placing of its 05 The Advertiser shall submit to the Publisher suitable Advertisement in the Publisher’s publication. Advertisement copy by the due date notified by the Publisher. 18 The Advertiser must notify the Publisher in writing of any If such copy has not been received by such date, the complaints it has or receives regarding the Advertisement Publishers may refuse the Advertisement and may reproduce within twenty eight (28) days of the relevant publication date. material already held from the Advertiser, or may print the 19 Each invoice rendered by the Publisher to the Advertiser or name and address of the Advertiser in place of the its agency shall be paid within 30 days of the date of the Advertisement, and the Publisher shall not be responsible invoice. Should any invoice remain unpaid after the expiry of for any mistake, error, or omission in such copy. 30 days, then the Publisher reserves the right to charge 06 The Advertiser shall supply to the Publisher all necessary interest on the outstanding invoice at the rate of 1,5% per artwork to reproduce the Advertisement. Supplementary month or part of the month from the date when the invoice processing costs incurred by the Publisher will be charged shall have been due for payment, until payment is actually to the Advertiser where artwork is not supplied in the specified received by the Publisher. form. The Publisher may stipulate special charges and 20 Notwithstanding aforementioned §19, if notification of receipt conditions for special Advertiser requirements. of payment of an advertisement booked has not been received 07 Cancellations can be accepted only if received in writing not by the Publisher from his bank 3 days prior to the publication later than 7 days prior to the publication date. Cancellations date, the relevant advertisement will not be published. received after this date are subject to a 50% adjustment fee. 21 The Advertiser will receive an electronic copy by email of the 08 Special positions are given only if agreed to in writing by the publication in which the advertisement appears on the Publisher. An additional charge may be levied. publication date of the publication. 09 All production work handled by the Publisher, including 22 Should the Advertiser or its agency fail to supply Advertisement reproduction from complete artwork, will be charged at cost material of an acceptable standard or instructions by the to the Advertiser. specified copy deadline, then the Publisher reserves the right 10 The Publisher reserves the right to refuse or cancel any to charge the full cost of the Advertisement booked. Advertisement without any reason or notice, (returning any 23 The Publisher may charge to the Advertisers’ or its agency’s money paid). account the cost of enforcing any of its rights against the 11 Advertising copy that may be mistaken for non-advertising customer for non-payment of outstanding debts in accordance material (Advertorials) must be clearly marked with the Publisher’s terms, including any expenses incurred «Advertisement». by reason of the customer’s breach of these conditions. 12 The Publisher reserves the right to alter or postpone the Should the Publisher refer an outstanding account to either a publication date. debt collection agency or solicitors for collection, then any 13 The Publisher cannot take any responsibility for the accuracy possible future business to be transacted with that customer of copy given verbally to the Publisher. Publisher is not will be entirely at the discretion of the Publisher. responsible for any misspellings or other errors in 24 These terms and conditions contain all the terms of the order advertisements. and no other terms will be incorporated into the order. The 14 Advertisers’ material or the material supplied by their agents order is in respect of the Advertisement only, and is not is held by the Publisher at the owner’s risk. The Publisher will dependent on any other terms. retain such material for up to 12 months and reserves the 25 Orders are bound by the Laws of France and subject to the right to destroy them thereafter if their return is not requested jurisdiction of the French courts. in writing by the Advertiser within six (6) months of the date of the publication of the Advertisement.

Blyenburgh & Co - 86 rue Michel Ange - 75016 Paris - France - Tel.: 33-1-40.71.83.43 - Fax: 33-1-40.71.83.44 [email protected] - www.uvs-info.com RCS Paris B420 126 344 - Nr Siret 420 126 344 00027 - Code APE 741E - European VAT Nr: FR38.420.126.344 UVS InternationalBankers: - Banque 86 rue Michel Espirito Ange Santo - 75016 et de Parisla Vénétie - France - Bank - Tel.:Identifier 33-1-46.51.88.65 Code (BIC): - BESV Fax: 33-1-46.51.05.22 FRPP [email protected] - Bank www.uvs-international.org Account Number (IBAN): & www.uvs-info.com FR76.4365.9100.0000.0182.8400.176 & www.uas2008.org - Page: 40/40