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10 Platform one June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology The world’s largest autonomous system has started two years of trials. Called Sea Hunter, it is a 40 m ship for tracking diesel submarines (writes Nick Flaherty). The sensor and autonomous control systems were developed by engineering firm Leidos under contract from US research agency DARPA, and the vessel was commissioned for use in April. It will now undergo two years of testing at San Diego, California, using a removable operator control station and a person on board for safety and reliability testing, but it is intended for fully autonomous use. The vessel is designed to stay at sea for months at a time with up to 40 tonnes of fuel. It can track a submarine at speeds of up to 27 knots in all weather conditions using a hull- mounted modular sonar system from Raytheon that is integrated with the Leidos control system. It costs around $20,000 a day to operate, compared with $700,000 a day for a destroyer, and each ship will cost around $20m. Defence Sea Hunter is designed for submarine tracking at up to 27 knots in all weather conditions Sub tracker begins trials The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA) has been tested by the Royal Navy in the Antarctic to help with navigation (writes Rory Jackson). It marks the most rigorous trial yet for the world’s first 3D-printed UAV since it was unveiled in mid-2011. A Mobius ActionCam in the nose of the craft captured the surroundings of ice patrol ship HMS Protector , from which it was launched, with data recorded to a microSD card. After completing its mission, SULSA was retrieved from the water and later re-launched. “We intend to add video downlink capability in the near future, and future variants may incorporate more thorough waterproofing and design changes to enable recovery to a ship,” said Andrew Lock, enterprise fellow at the university. The 3 kg craft features elliptical wing planforms and a geodetic airframe, printed from Nylon 12 in just five parts over 24 hours. Such a complex design would have been expensive and time- consuming without the combination of CAD and selective laser sintering, and the structure snap-fits together in minutes, requiring no fasteners or tools, even when attaching payloads. This enabled operators to strip SULSA down entirely and re-assemble it after retrieval. “A bayonet fit, which allowed quick access to the avionics, would have been difficult to produce conventionally,” Lock said, “and a hydrophobic coating on the avionics meant most components were re-usable. “We also heated the pitot tube to cut the risk of ice build-up by physically connecting it to the ESC [electronic speed controller].” The consistency of the printing process also allowed previously unflown airframes to be deployed without needing to trim control surfaces or adjust autopilot gains. Navy tests 3D-printed UAV Assisted navigation