WWW.UVONLINE.COM VOLUME 21 NUMBER 3 JUNE/JULY 2016 UNMANNED VEHICLES UV View from above UAV insurers talk tactics HARBOUR PATROL THE BOMB SQUAD MATERIAL NEEDS Unmanned port security EOD UGV progress Composites at sea UV-03-16_OFC.indd 1 5/18/2016 4:11:20 PM UV-03-16_IFC.indd 2 5/18/2016 9:59:06 AM CONTENTS Editor Richard Thomas 3 EDITORIAL COMMENT FEATURE [email protected] Risk assessment 26 COMBINED FORCE Tel: +44 (0)20 3179 2591 Maritime exploration has long depended on Asia-Pacific Editor 4 NEWS vessels of impeccable structure and material Gordon Arthur [email protected] • Legacy Black Hawks go unmanned selection to keep sailors alive. While some Staff Reporters • R obotic option for future US Army kit onboard personnel have become redundant Beth Maundrill • Irish navy OPVs poised for MCM AUV capability with the advent of remotely operated [email protected] Grant Turnbull • ACTUV becomes Sea Hunter and autonomous systems, UMVs are still [email protected] • More laser designators for Shadow constrained by the properties of the Contributors • UMS Skeldar gets flight approval across Norway substances used in their construction. Claire Apthorp, Pieter Bastiaans, • India needs more MALEs Angus Batey, Gerrard Cowan, Peter Donaldson, Rory Jackson, FEATURE Neelam Mathews, Jon Rosamond, FEATURE 33 AS-PAC PLAYBACK Andrew White 8 ASSET PROTECTION Fresh from attendance at defence shows in Production and Circulation Manager David Hurst Insuring a UAS can be very similar to getting India, Malaysia and Singapore, UV examines [email protected] cover for any other aviation platform, some new regional designs. Tel: +44 (0)20 3179 2579 depending on what the operator intends to Sub-editors INTERVIEW Adam Wakeling do and the type of policy they require. However, Jenny Wright there are some key areas of difference, not 40 HIGH-FLYING FUNDS Graphic Designer least regarding the perceived growth potential UAVs have become a major media focus over Kam Bains of this burgeoning sector. the last decade, whether through their military Commercial Manager use in Afghanistan or the work being carried out Christian Letessier [email protected] FEATURE by Silicon Valley giants. Now, the sector is +44 (0)20 3179 2577 14 WATCHERS IN THE WATER increasingly attracting the attention of investors. Editor-in-Chief Searching for the Holy Grail of complete Gerrard Cowan talks to Andrew Chanin, CEO of Tony Skinner security for port operations, authorities are industry specialist PureFunds. Head of Publishing Sales turning their gaze to what the unmanned Mike Wild industry can contribute in a layered, Managing Director system-of-systems approach that Darren Lake complements existing capabilities. Chairman Nick Prest Subscriptions FEATURE Annual rates start at £65 20 SAFER STREETS Tel: +44 (0)20 3179 2592 Email: [email protected] Use of IEDs in recent terrorist attacks in Europe Web: shop.shephardmedia.com illustrates the importance of teams and Unmanned Vehicles is published six technology deployed to neutralise this threat. times per year – by The Shephard Press Ltd, Saville Mews, 30 Saville Road, Top of the list of critical equipment for such London, W4 5HG, UK. Subscription rates missions is the UGV, which can be deployed to start at £65. Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent. Articles and information find, fix and neutralise suspect devices while contained in this publication are the operators remain at a safe tactical distance. Page 14 copyright of the Shephard Press Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. No responsibility can be accepted for loss of or damage to uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts. Print by Buxton Press, Derbyshire, UK Front cover: A UAV’s-eye view of the streets of San Francisco. (Photo: UV picture library) © The Shephard Press Ltd, 2016. ISSN 1351-3478 The Shephard Press Ltd SUBSCRIPTIONS Saville Mews, 30 Saville Road, London, W4 5HG, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 3179 2570 9 industry-specific magazines (print and digital) 12 definitive data sets/handbooks (print and digital) Shephard Plus online – in-depth news, analysis and intelligence. To subscribe to our print and online services visit www.shephardmedia.com WWW.UVONLINE.COM VOLUME 21 NUMBER 3 JUNE/JULY 2016 UNMANNED VEHICLES WWW.UVONLINE.COM 1 UV-03-16_p01_Contents.indd 1 5/18/2016 4:27:16 PM Visit us at EUROSATORY 2016 Israel Pavilion, Booth D-567 Performance. Over and Above. Elbit Systems’ comprehensive range of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) offers unprecedented mission flexibility - from man-portable mini-UAS, through versatile tactical UAS and up to medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAS. High operational versatility renders Elbit Systems' UAS ideal THE POWER OF VISION for numerous missions around the clock. www.elbitsystems.com/elop UV-03-16_p02_Elbit.indd 2 5/18/2016 10:01:06 AM COMMENT Richard Thomas, Editor Risk assessment You know an industry has hit the big time If you’re flying a expansive of unmanned shows is headed. and is being taken seriously when the nice $5,000 UAS If anyone managed to catch the intro insurers move in and start competing and outro videos on our show news site to quote a price to cover your little over an event at www.shephardmedia.com, or indeed commercial UAS business. (one that you have been the general theme of the content, one It marks the transition from prospective paid to cover, I might add) could not help but notice the emphasis opportunity to an established market place being placed on commercial operations and the point at which operators have to it might pay to provide some and businesses. start taking into account the (perceived) sort of insurable and legal more mundane administrative tasks that coverage. Commercial opportunity come with the job. Whether in the guise of manufacturers, It is perhaps a journalistically less operators, maintenance, training, testing, explored aspect of the immense boom in the vast majority of discussion for better commercial operations, but the need for and worse was civil (in both senses of the lawyers and insurers to properly cover physical damage to persons or property, the word). What is interesting to note is how aerial platforms and their operators in the only the foolhardy would ignore the risks. If some normally defence-focused OEMs are event of a mishap is clear and present. you’re looking to take your nice new work creating commercial business units, solely Speaking to one vendor at AUVSI’s van out on its first job, or indeed, a new focused on non-military functions and Xponential in New Orleans, I learned how the biplane out to dust some crops, it is part applications. UAS law firms found themselves both in and parcel of the game in making sure It might also be worth a mention of just great demand from the myriad of start-ups, that the paperwork is all in order. how many of these commercial operators but also slightly perplexed as to why the And as with many other forms of will be back for the show, and others like interest in obtaining a little bit of insurance insurance for manned transport it, in 2017. Although the potential size of wasn’t totally universal. There are apparently (commercial or otherwise) a quote isn’t the market has been measured in the operators out there that just don’t think they simply a number pulled out of fresh air, billions of dollars, likely future costs (either need it, or else just looking to wing it. but the result of determining risk based of a financial or administrative nature), on background information on the and the sheer number of NewCos could Winging it? operator, company or typical uses, to well push some to the wall. Put it this way, if you’re flying a nice $5,000 name but a few. ▪ UAS over an event (one that you have been Fortunately, UV has written about this paid to cover, I might add, none of this very topic just a few pages from here so, In the next issue rogue operator stuff) it might pay to provide given that this is the beginning, middle some sort of insurable and legal coverage and end when it comes to publications for • Maritime UAS in the event of a gimbal dropping off onto a the unmanned world, claiming ignorance • Navigation systems parked Bentley or some other suitably of the fact is longer an option. • Tactical UAS precious target. And while we are talking about All joking aside, operating a UAS in an Xponential, it might be an opportune • Payloads area where an accident could result in time to talk about where this most WWW.UVONLINE.COM VOLUME 21 NUMBER 3 JUNE/JULY 2016 UNMANNED VEHICLES 3 UV-03-16_p03_Comment.indd 3 5/18/2016 4:33:51 PM NEWS Legacy Black Hawks go unmanned integrated onto ‘Alpha’ variants or the sharing with different Black Hawk current UH-60M. customers what is possible and how this Roll-out of the first optionally piloted technology can, pretty easily, be inserted UH-60A prototype – which Sikorsky into the aircraft,’ he explained to UV. bought from the US Army as an excess ‘The army is interested in improving the defence article – will be followed by safety of the platform, addressing first flight and a test programme obsolescence issues that keep the starting next year, said Chris Van platform relevant in the future fight all the Buiten, VP of technology and way to 2070,’ said Van Buiten. ‘They want innovation at the company. to do more with less, and this falls in line ‘We have shifted our focus to with that.’ making a prototype of the real Supporting the technology development, product,’ he continued.