Unmanned Systems Technology 003 | UAV Solutions Talon 120 | Cable harnesses | Austro Engine AE50R and AE300 | Autonomous mining | AUVSI 2015 show report | Transponders | Space systems

26 Talon 120 propulsion The 120 propeller and electric motor are both affordable off-the-shelf items – these hobby-type components are well proven across diverse applications over many years. The motor has remained the same since it went into production, the propeller since iteration three. The propeller was originally made from carbon fibre to save weight but that solution was not only more expensive, it meant the item was less forgiving in service. Hence the move to a well proven off-the-shelf item, which is injection moulded in plastic and is more robust, making it far more suited to applications such as the anti-poaching programme in Africa (the mission that triggered the switch). The Talon 120 uses a pull rather than a push propeller arrangement. Davidson explains that the logic is that instead of having air flowing over the forward section of the fuselage en route to it, the pull propeller meets clean air head-on, increasing propeller efficiency. This in turn increases the range of the craft. The Dragon View camera The blossoming market for commercial applications of UAVs revolves around the use of cameras specifically configured for aerial surveillance. Nevertheless, Davidson notes that to keep the Talon 120 within the target price range of $25,000-30,000 as a complete system, UAV Solutions had to develop its own vision sensing system. “We looked at all the available cameras and talked to many gimbal manufacturers, but to meet our cost requirement we had to develop our own vision system and manufacture it in- house. We hadn’t planned on doing that and it was quite a big effort, but we had to do it to get the Talon 120 in the price range where we wanted to be. “Our lightweight Dragon View stabilised, electro-optical/infrared sensors have a slower rate of capture than more expensive alternatives but they suit certain requirements, in particular affordability,” notes Davidson. “Manufactured by us, they are relatively low cost and have mechanically and digitally stabilised gimbals providing day and night (thermal) imaging, video recording, object tracking and geo-location. Operating at 24 W, the low power draw enables more efficient use of the craft’s battery system for longer mission duration.” Talon 120 control The Dragon View camera is operated directly via the 120’s radio. The craft can be flown directly from the ground control station using the camera rather than relying on autonomous operation via the autopilot, which is the normal control mode. Iteration four of the 120 brought in the current autopilot solution, UAV Solutions having experimented with three different autopilot systems. These days the Talon uses the Summer 2015 | Unmanned Systems Technology The 120’s main fuselage is hollow and accepts the hollow tubular main beam The wing (not seen here) closes the top of the main fuselage The autopilot system is open source, which allows us to take out any features we don’t require. Equally, we can add other features if necessary