Mar. 24, 2014 By Erik Schechter  - FG

New York - Concerned about the emerging threat of unmanned aircraft, the US Army is canvassing American defence contractors for information on systems that can detect, classify and destroy drones of varying sizes.

According to the request for information (RFI), the army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) is open to both “kinetic and non-kinetic options” – the latter referring to lasers.

The US Navy has already placed a laser weapon system demonstrator aboard the destroyer USS Dewey and tested the weapon against target drones in June 2012. The Army has likewise tested a vehicle-mounted Boeing high energy laser mobile demonstrator against mortar rounds and drones. However, there is no programme of record among the services to develop such a directed energy weapon.

Another interest of ARMDEC is that proposed systems be able to operate at both at the brigade-and-above and brigade-and-below echelons, which have their own network connectivity issues and levels of situational awareness.

The RFI, for example, notes that those at the tip of the spear resemble those homeland security operators in terms of the ad hoc nature of their deployment and size of their area of operation.

Indeed, the systems proposed should be designed for both overseas and domestic operations, the RFI states.

Contractors have until April 1 to answer the RFI, with selected respondents invited to two-day workshop starting April 30 at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

The RFI opens the acquisition phase of the army’s pursuit of a capability to defeat unmanned aircraft.

Last year, the army’s armaments research, development and engineering center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal staged an experiment.

The center integrated a fire control radar with existing weapon systems. Using a “novel warhead design”, a gun-launched munition destroyed a small-class unmanned aircraft, according to army documents.

One challenge in the fight against unmanned aircraft is the cost. The army has highly capable air defence batteries, but their cost may seem excessive if used against a small unmanned aircraft.

The ARDEC experiment focused on a “low-cost-per-kill weapon system”, the army says.

March 20th, 2014 By Army News Service - defencetalk.com

“We’re on the tipping point of unmanned aerial systems’ ability to deliver capability to the Soldier,” said Col. Thomas von Eschenbach.

The unmanned aerial/aircraft system, or UAS, is no longer seen by Soldiers as a new system and as the months and years pass, it will “not just be used by a few, but will become integral to the Army fabric and how it fights and is used and understood,” said Eschenbach, who is the UAS capability manager for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Eschenbach and others spoke today at a media roundtable at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., where a celebration was held marking the Army’s milestone of 2 million UAS flight hours.

Col. Timothy Baxter, project manager, UAS, noted that it took 20 years for Army unmanned aircraft systems to reach 1 million flight hours. That milestone came in 2010. With increased use of those systems, it took just a few more years to reach the 2 million flight-hours milestone.

He said what is most impressive is that 90 percent of total UAS flight hours were logged in direct support of combat operations. “Every one of those hours has meant something to a commander on the ground overseas engaged in combat,” Baxter said.

Baxter noted that of the total two million flight hours, Shadow UAS logged 900,000 of those. However, as more Gray Eagles are fielded, he said he expects it to be the system with the most impressive mileage.

Rich Kretzschmar, deputy project manager, UAS, said that reaching three million flight hours may take longer than it did to get from one to two million because the operations tempo in theater has now leveled off.

And, as more UAS systems return to the U.S. from overseas, there could be fewer opportunities to fly them because of restricted airspace flight rules, Baxter added.

But, the UAS will play a crucial part of the Army’s aviation restructure initiative, Eschenbach said.

As brigade combat teams, or BCTs, shrink from four to three per division and as maneuver battalions are reinvested back into other BCTs, three Shadow UAS platoons will be put inside of each attack reconnaissance squadron, he said. That would add a total of 30 platoons of Shadows into the combat aviation brigade structure. Those squadrons will also contain AH-64E Apache helicopters.

FUTURE UAS FLIGHT PATH

Don’t expect to see a lot of new UAS models, Baxter cautioned.

“Our platforms are the platforms we’re going to have for the foreseeable future in the Army,” he explained.

Instead, he said future efforts will be in the area of new technologies for advanced payloads and improvements in man-to-unmanned teaming.

As to unmanned vs manned, Kretzschmar pointed out that UASs are not replacing pilots.

Rather, he said, they are the “extension of the commander’s ability to do things, extend reach, reduce risk and get better situational awareness on the battlefield.”

Also in the cards for UAS is something not too sexy, but important nonetheless to a budget-challenged Army: sustainment costs.

Baxter said the UAS community has moved away from contractor logistics support to “green-suiter” maintainers, as Soldiers get their own military occupational specialty and become more proficient. In the next war, the Army may not have the luxury of setting up forward operating bases teeming with contract support.

Another cost savings, he pointed out, is through applying “performance-based logistics” to contracts, so as to “incorporate better buying power.”

Since Eschenbach is with TRADOC it’s not surprising he sees doctrine as well as the operational environment dictating the vision of where UASs are headed.

Eschenbach thinks UASs have capabilities that go far beyond the current state of reconnaissance, surveillance, security and precision strikes.

His team of planners is already looking at UAS employment in “Force 2025,” where UAS will vastly extend the network, meaning the reach that commanders have on the ground.

As this takes place over the coming years, he said Army leaders will need to better understand the capabilities of UASs and what they can do for them.

“We’re asking warfighters in a smaller, leaner Army to be more expeditionary, lethal and survivable, focused on the next thing our nation asks us to do,” Eschenbach concluded. In that environment, there’s “plenty of future for UAS.”

Mar 12, 2014 ASDNews By  Justin Eimers, CECOM US Army

The Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy have named Tobyhanna Army Depot as the Depot Source of Repair for the Gray Eagle (MQ-1C) Unmanned Aircraft System Ground Control Stations.

The decision by the four services' Maintenance Inter-service Support Management Offices recognizes the depot as the installation best suited for these repairs.

"Through the acquisition process, there is a lot of assessment that takes place, including core logistics analyses that look at our capabilities," said Nick Caprioli, chief of the Business Development Division. "Tobyhanna was selected based on infrastructure, training and technical expertise for this type of work."

Repairs for the new workload will begin in fiscal year 2016, with 19 Ground Control Stations, or GCSs, scheduled per year, totaling more than 75 systems through fiscal year 2018.

The Gray Eagle system is a long-range, high-altitude Unmanned Aircraft System, or UAS, that provides the capability to perform wide-area reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. It is also capable of relaying communications and can be equipped for attack missions. The system consists of the aircraft, GCS, data terminals and data links. Each GCS controls one Gray Eagle aircraft and is used by the operator to perform command and control, payload control and weapon launch operations.

Due to their complexity, Gray Eagle systems and components are currently replaced rather than repaired, exhausting money and resources. Depot personnel are developing cost-effective solutions to repair GCSs and increase capability. Tobyhanna recognizes that the assignment of this Depot Source of Repair, or DSOR, will enable the depot to be selected for additional DSORs for UAS equipment.

Katlin Edmunds, business development specialist, noted that revamping the DSOR decision process will also help substantially reduce costs and bring more UAS work to the depot.

"DSOR selection helps ensure effective use of commercial and organic depot maintenance resources," she said. "We have been aggressively trying to streamline processes, find inefficiencies and figure out the best way to accommodate new UAS workloads."

Based on trends in the market, business management analysts anticipate that UAS will be the depot's largest commodity in the future. As the only Army depot involved in the Integrated Product Team, or IPT, for Air Force and Army UAS, Tobyhanna is well positioned to receive workloads for additional UAS component repairs. The IPT is working with Tobyhanna to identify the need for any new test equipment, facilitation or training necessary for additional UAS work.

"Part of the planning process to bring in this workload is to have our engineers work with the program offices to make sure our capabilities are sufficient to provide the best solution for everybody involved," said Caprioli. "The depot's all-hands-on-deck approach to secure this DSOR selection has helped increase our marketability and should open doors for future UAS workloads."

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, also known as C4ISR, Systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna's Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C4ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners. Tobyhanna's unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, technology insertion, modification, and global field support to warfighters.

About 3,500 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.

Friday 31 January 2014 BAE Systems

Following today’s announcement by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, and French President, Francois Hollande regarding the two year unmanned systems feasibility study, worth £120M

Our CEO Ian King commented: “Together with Dassault we welcome the further support from our Governments for our joint work in developing this important defence capability for the United Kingdom and France.

“Given the strong research and development investment and progress in technology that has already been made, continuing work in unmanned air systems will also ensure we maintain the core knowledge and key skills necessary to make a make a long term contribution to both our national economies.”

The Company has recently completed a joint study for the UK and French governments with Dassault Aviation, known as the Future Combat Air System Demonstration Programme Preparation Phase study.

Today’s news builds further on the investment and technological capabilities we have already developed in unmanned air systems (UAS) over the past decade through a number of prototypes and demonstrators. Most recently the Company and the UK Ministry of Defence invested in designing and building the Taranis Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator. Technologies from Taranis will make an important contribution to this next UAS development programme.

SAN DIEGO – Jan. 6, 2014 – Northrop Grumman Corporation

Testing Validates Aircraft Performance Before Surveillance Sensors are Installed

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Navy have completed nine initial flight tests of the Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS), marking the half-way point in a process called envelope expansion. 

During envelope expansion, the test team validates the aircraft's ability to operate at a range of altitudes, speeds and weights. The flights are taking place at the company's manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif.

"Completion of envelope expansion will allow the test team to prepare for installation and further testing of Triton's surveillance sensors," said Mike Mackey, Northrop Grumman's Triton program director.

The Triton test team accomplished endurance flights up to 9.4-hours at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. The aircraft also performed doublets, a maneuver that tests the aircraft's ability to recover from small perturbations in its flight path caused by turbulence.

Triton carries a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor payloads that allow military commanders to gather high-resolution imagery, use radar to detect targets, and provide airborne communications and information-sharing capabilities to military units across long distances.

The Navy plans to field 68 Triton UAS and will be used with the manned P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to conduct surveillance missions.

Triton completed its first flight May 22.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

December 18, 2013 By: John Ingham - express.co.uk

The Royal Navy [Dec. 17, 2013] launched its first drone in an operational theatre as it stepped up its campaign against Somali pirates.

Nov. 26, 2013 defense-unmanned.com

(Source: Israel Aerospace Industries; issued Nov. 25, 2013)

Israel Aerospace Industries' Unmanned Aerial Systems Surpass One Million Operational Flight Hours - an Unprecedented Accomplishment

Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have accumulated over one million operational flight hours worldwide – an unprecedented accomplishment.

IAI will present its UAS and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) at the AUS&R 2013 Expo of Autonomous, Unmanned Systems & Robotics, which will be held tomorrow, Tuesday November 26, 2013, in Reshon Lezion, Israel.

Regarding the AUS&R Expo, Joseph Weiss, IAI's president & CEO said: "IAI has long been a leading pioneer in the field of unmanned aerial systems. With over forty years of operational experience and fifty customers worldwide, I am proud to announce that IAI's unmanned aerial systems have accumulated over one million flight hours.

“The Heron UAS has been the leading system in its class in the international markets for over a decade and has been sold to 20 customers worldwide. Heron has accumulated over 200,000 operational flight hours with extensive use in combat in Afghanistan and in other hot spots around the world.

“As a result of the lessons learned from the Heron’s exceptional history and extensive experience, we continue to refine and upgrade the Heron and our UAS's design."

Nov. 21, 2013 by Craig Hoyle – FG

Dubai - Multinational collaboration was the key to Tekever’s pitch at the Dubai air show, with the Portuguese company’s new UK unit inviting discussion with Gulf-based industry.

“We’re looking for a local partner for production and support,” says business development director Robert Whitehouse, who showcased the firm’s AR4 Light Ray unmanned air system on the UK Trade & Investment stand.

Now used by the Portuguese police, the hand-launched design has a 2h flight endurance and an operating range of 10.8nm (20km). “It’s a very intuitive system, and can be controlled from an iPad, PC laptop or Android phone,” says Whitehouse. Applications range from traffic and infrastructure monitoring to supporting disaster relief activities, with its 5kg (11lb) maximum take-off weight including a payload of 2kg.

"Attendance at the Dubai air show is central to Tekever's strategy in developing its presence and partnerships in the United Arab Emirates and Middle East," the company says. "The engagement opportunity will allow new relationships to be formed between Tekever and local partners."

Whitehouse says this ambition has been met, with strong local interest having been shown in the Evolution-version AR4 Light Ray UAS positioned on the stand. “People have asked us to come back and fly,” he says, identifying one potential customer as being in the UAE.

Should it reach a local agreement, Whitehouse says Tekever would seek to maintain responsibility for the system's datalink and flight control software, with an in-country partner to produce the air vehicles and deliver in-service support.

A British Army Hermes 450 in flight (Picture Sergeant Steve Blake, UK MoD)

19 September 2013 Ministry of Defence

The British Army's Hermes 450 (H-450) unmanned air systems have completed over 70,000 hours of surveillance support in Afghanistan.

This is the equivalent of 8 years of non-stop flying.

Operated by the Theatre Integrated Unmanned Air Systems (ThIUAS) Battery at Camp Bastion, UK forces have clocked up more flying hours than any other nation with H-450 in Afghanistan.

The system provides headquarters staff with persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance via electro-optical and infrared sensors out to a range of 150 kilometres.

H-450 can be used for a wide range of tasks such as reconnaissance of an area prior to operations, and maintaining watch over troops on the ground.

Major Jonathan Buxton, ThIUAS Battery Commander, said:

It is a great achievement to have reached over 70,000 hours of flying with Hermes 450 which shows not only the importance of the benefits it provides but also the dedication of all those involved in operating them out here in difficult conditions.

H-450 has been a vital tool for operations in Helmand over the years and continues to provide persistent surveillance protecting UK and Afghan troops today.

The ThIUAS Battery operates 5 surveillance windows of H-450 in support of UK and Afghan troops in Helmand province – an increase from 2 when H-450 was introduced in 2007. Since that time, integration with ground forces has been developed significantly as has the training for H-450 operators.

Major Buxton added:

The UAS trade offers something different for the more technically minded recruits joining the Army today.

The H-450 operators’ course is extremely challenging, with junior soldiers taking on a lot of responsibility at an early stage, especially when looking after the equipment and being responsible for captaincy of the aircraft.

Sept. 11, 2013 by Craig Hoyle – FG

London - The UK Royal Navy expects to conduct its first contractor-supported operations with the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned air system from late this year, although its timetable for the type's introduction has been affected by a lack of manpower.

Operations with the ScanEagle will occur under a contractor-owned and operated deal awarded to Boeing Defence UK earlier in June 2013 worth £30 million ($47 million). This will see the equipment launched from and recovered aboard some RN and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

Urgent operational requirement acquisitions such as the ScanEagle deal are routinely expected to see equipment enter use within six months of a contract award, but the RN process is likely to require at least nine months, says Wg Cdr Dave Postlethwaite, commander of the UK Air Warfare Centre's UAS test and evaluation squadron.

Speaking at a pre-DSEi UAS conference in London on 9 September, RN Lt Cdr Pete Whitehead attributed the additional time requirement to the challenge of sourcing sufficient naval personnel to support the ScanEagle's introduction. This includes the service's need to have at least one person trained to fly the type, to serve as a safety officer.

Around three RN staff will be required per ScanEagle detachment, with this having been reduced from an earlier objective of up to eight. "We simply can't find the people at the moment" to achieve the latter figure, Whitehead says.

While the contractor will be responsible for flying the UAS in support of RN operations, Postlethwaite notes: "Whoever is looking at the [camera] picture will be trained, and will be military."

While the UAS will be flown by a contractor-hired operator, the Ministry of Defence must issue a release to service clearance before ScanEagle operations can commence, as activities will be conducted from a military vessel.

"We expect the capability to start becoming available from the end of 2013 onwards," minister for defence equipment, support and technology Philip Dunne said on 5 September.

July 11, 2013 by Craig Hoyle – FG

London - Saab has secured a first customer for its Skeldar vertical take-off and landing unmanned air system, with the type to be employed in a maritime surveillance role.

Announcing its receipt of the contract on 11 July, the Swedish company says the "Skeldar UAS will be operationally deployed with the customer before the end of this year and will be used in naval operations where the benefits of a vertical take-off and landing UAS are most prominent".

Further details about the launch user and number of systems to be supplied have not been disclosed. "The industry's nature is such that information regarding the customer will not be announced," the company says.

Saab's head of aeronautics, Lennart Sindahl, cites the Skeldar's "flight performance, heavy fuel engine and easy-to-maintain design" as key factors in securing the sale. According to company information, the unmanned rotorcraft has a maximum take-off weight of more than 200kg (440lb), including a sensor payload totalling up to 40kg, and offers a 5h flight endurance.

Developed and tested during the last several years, the maritime version of the Skeldar can carry a range of payloads, including an electro-optical/infrared sensor and automatic identification system equipment to monitor the activities of surface ships.

16 May 2013 army-technology.com

Saab has successfully conducted flight testing of the Skeldar V-200 vertical lift unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in an effort to demonstrate its critical capabilities at various sites across Sweden and the US.

Carried out primarily to demonstrate land and sea-based operations of the UAS during both day and night conditions, the flight testing fully validated its convoy shadowing, use of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, as well as precision landing capabilities.

As well as highlighting the platform's ability to perform long-range operations using tactical hand-over between ground control stations (GCS), the fully autonomous flights also verified a heavy fuel engine for the UAS.

The upgraded next-generation variant of the original design aviation fuel engine has been delivered and cleared for flight testing, according to the company, which also conducted several customer demonstration flights of the UAS.

Saab Tactical UAS product area director Mikael Franzen said: "The combination of two alternative engine types, a modular payload design, and the ability to incorporate and utilise a variety of data link systems, provides a true multi-mission capability for the Skeldar V-200 and a flexibility that enables the customer to successfully meet their mission objectives on land or at sea," Franzen said.

The built-in safety functionality of the Skeldar V-200 system confirmed contingency behaviours in an event of link loss, including autonomous navigation in accordance to predefined parameters, as well as auto landing and shutdown during flight tests.

Featuring two air vehicles and a mobile UAS control station, the Skeldar V-200 is a medium range vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA), light cargo transportation and electronic warfare missions.