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76 Show report | UMEX 2018 Threod Systems chose UMEX to launch its range of turnkey payload gimbals for the KX-4 Titan quadcopter. These include the 1 kg Shark EO/ IR gimbal, the 2.4 kg Dome gimbal featuring the same 30x optical zoom EO sensor but with two IR cameras (one with a narrow FOV and the other a wide FOV), and the 4 kg MWIR gimbal with EO, cooled MWIR, 8000 m laser rangefinder and laser target-tracking pointer. Also available are deployable payloads such as a flashbang canister for security missions, and a lifejacket for maritime search and rescue operations. The Hazeem X1.0 UAV, created through a collaboration between DigiRobotics Technologies, CBRN Protection and Hotzone Solutions Middle East, was on show at the exhibition. The system was developed as the parties sought to provide a solution for aerial chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) operations with a superior range to that of multi-copter UAVs, such missions generally being limited to 30 minutes and by low airspeeds. “Now, with this VTOL-capable UAV, you can fly for up to 150 km and you can also use it in hover mode, up to a maximum of 30 minutes, or usually about 90 minutes in fixed-wing flight mode,” Dieter Rothbacher from CBRN Protection said. The radiation sensor for gamma detection is the RS04/X from GIHMM, an Austrian company. “We can also integrate another highly sensitive sensor – the GSP02 – and another of a similar kind with different detectors inside, which can identify the radionuclide picked up,” Rothbacher added. “We also plan to integrate a chemical sensor in the near future.” The lithium-polymer battery-powered UAV features six horizontal motors – four on the wings and two on the tailplane – all of which can pan upwards to enable VTOL and hover. The tube-shaped payload bay, specifically designed for two cylindrical CBRN sensors at once, can carry up to 8 kg, for an MTOW of 25 kg. Its ground control station (GCS) has two screens, one for the pilot to use mission planning software, and another for the CBRN operator that displays radiation data and dose rate alongside flight and weather data. “The CBRN officer can take screenshots of areas of interest. If we have identified higher radiation levels in flight, we can circle back and hover at 1 or 2 m over the area for closer inspection,” Rothbacher explained. Domo Tactical Communications displayed the Encipher dual-channel IP encoder, which provides live video streaming for surveillance and other applications using HD compression standards. “Encipher works with HD-SDI, HDMI and analogue video inputs; video encoding uses H.264 with a wide range of resolutions and frame rates to suit different applications and link capacities – including very low latency modes,” Shyamsunder Kolala said. “Power requirement is 12 V or via Power over Ethernet. The unit can have two channels, and we can connect composite video, audio and SDI-HD; we can also have HDMI input.” An unmanned vehicle’s camera control link can interface to Encipher through an RS-232 serial port or an RS-485 serial port. In addition, the integrated enclosure has a software-selectable audio source, embedded or analogue audio, for each encoder channel. April/May 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology Threod’s 2.4 kg Dome EO/IR gimbal mounted on a KX-4 Titan quadcopter The Hazeem X1.0 is designed for CBRN roles Encipher dual-channel IP encoder from Domo