Unmanned Systems Technology 006 | ECA Inspector Mk2 USV | Antenna systems | Northwest UAV NW-44 | Unmanned ground vehicles | Navigation systems | Lunar X challenge

32 Dossier | ECA Inspector Mk2 USV the K-Ster C, the 1.58 m, 52 kg Seascan Mk2, and the 99 kg H800-INS inspection and light-work class ROV, all of which it is capable of launching, operating and recovering, although not all at once. The Inspector Mk2 can also work with much larger vehicles that would be launched and recovered separately by the mother ship, including the PAP Mk6 mine warfare ROV, the 370 kg A18-M mine detection, classification and localisation AUV, the 950 kg A27-M MCM and sea bed survey AUV as well as the IT180. This is where the value of the common data links and HMI comes in, Clavier says. ECA proposes the Inspector Mk2 for operations in very shallow waters and for delivery of the K-Sters for close inspection and/or disposal, plus small, medium or large AUVs for detection, classification and localisation duties in shallow-to-deep water. It also provides a complete mission management system for the full set of vehicles, a system that also supervises all phases of the MCM operation from preparation to target database management. Launch and recovery Naturally, the system involves launch and recovery of the USV by the mother ship, and the company has engineered a number of systems to make this process safe and easy. The strength, rigidity and design flexibility of the removable aluminium roof allows a lifting eye for a single- point crane to be incorporated without a spider sling, and ECA also offers an interface that works with the anti- pendulum devices found increasingly on modern ships that enable them to lift and lower boats using standard boat davits without the risks associated with swinging. Another solution to the launch and recovery problem is a docking frame developed for the Inspector Mk2 in partnership with another company. The frame takes the form of a cage that is lowered into the water so that the boat can drive into it and lock into place automatically, eliminating the need for a manual hook-up. Once lifted back aboard the ship, the frame also serves as a support cradle for the USV. This is what Clavier means when he talks of offering complete capabilities. “Sometimes USV manufacturers want to sell only an unmanned surface vehicle; we however aim to offer an unmanned surface system – a complete system of systems.” February/March 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Hull: in-house and Orion Naval Engineering Engines: Steyr Motors or others Water jets: Doen Sonar processing and mission software: Triton Imaging Side-scan sonar and bathymetry system: Edgetech Swath bathymetric sonar: Edgetech Radar: Simrad or others Environmental sensors: Maretron or others Electro-optical surveillance: DST Control, FLIR Systems or others Subsystems suppliers ECA’s IT180-3EL-1 coaxial VTOL mini UAV is offered with the Inspector Mk2 as part of a port and coastal security system The Seascan Mk2 is another ROV that the Inspector Mk2 can deploy, for remotely controlled underwater inspection operations at long range