Unmanned Systems Technology 002 | Scion SA-400 | Commercial UAV Show report | Vision sensors | Danielson Trident I Security and safety systems | MIRA MACE | Additive manufacturing | Marine UUVs

19 carried out, although Scion UAS CEO Steen Mogensen emphasises that it will be reactivated this summer, once the NRL contract has been completed. The fact that the SA-400 optionally carries a person and that, if suitably qualified, they can become its pilot at the flick of a switch has been very useful for development. Not only can they concentrate on monitoring an autonomous flight, their presence in the cockpit means the FAA considers it as a manned craft from the perspective of its operational regulations, which are much tougher for unmanned craft. Given that a pilot is on board, there isn’t the restriction on the use of commercial airspace that there would be in the case of an unmanned craft. The ability to ‘See and Avoid’ is satisfied by the onboard pilot. Currently the two initial SA-400s are flying under an ‘Experimental’ FAA classification. That is an airworthiness certificate granted for a specific r&d craft, accepting that there hasn’t been the likes of crash testing but acknowledging that there has been an FAA inspection of it. Under an Experimental licence the craft cannot be used for commercial operations. It can be flown for r&d purposes, initially within defined geographic boundaries, but after a certain number of hours have been logged then anywhere nationwide. The capabilities of the SA-400 without a pilot on board were demonstrated in September 2014. This exercise, conducted in restricted airspace, included autonomous take-off and landing using a (truck-towed) mobile platform. The first vehicle was delivered to the NRL immediately after this successful demonstration. Flight trials of the second SA-400 began in early December 2014, the time of UST ’s visit, with delivery scheduled for early 2015. Scion UAS is offering both the SA-400 and the SA-200 on the open market, and in due course it also plans smaller as well as larger rotorcraft in its product line-up. The design brief The SA-400 was designed to meet a certain payload capability requirement of the NRL but was not otherwise tailored to a specific application; it is suitable for multiple uses. The NRL requirement was that it must be capable of carrying a 100 lb payload for four hours’ flying Unmanned Systems Technology | Spring 2015 Scion UAS SA-400 optionally piloted helicopter | Dossier Detail of the SA-400 during assembly, showing the tail rotor drive shaft, the main transmission, pulley with one- way clutch, dual alternators and main (Kevlar) drive belts