Unmanned Systems Technology 008 | Alti Transition UAS | Ground control systems | Xponential 2016 report | Insitu Orbital N20 | UAVs | Solar power | Oceanology International 2016 report

52 explained that each payload contains an EPROM chip that identifies it when it is connected so that the UAV knows how to configure and fly with it. Available payloads from partner Sentera include a dual EO/IR camera, a 10x zoom EO camera and a new 30x zoom EO camera. It can also carry an antenna for Project Lifesaver, which provides people with Alzheimer’s or autism who are likely to wander away from safe locations with wrist-band transmitters. In this application, the Indago 2 flies with the tracking antenna to obtain an approximate location from long range, then the operator would swap to a thermal camera to pinpoint the missing person. Indago 2’s structure is fibre-reinforced plastic with Kevlar on the top and bottom for toughness and transparency to radio signals, with the rest formed of CFRP or plastic. The fold-out landing struts and rotors are CFRP. Under the top cover, the GNSS unit feeds both GPS and GLONASS signals to the Kestrel autopilot, which manages individual speed controllers for the four motors. Next to this is the data link for the hand controller and video/stills feed. Under this is the board that provides all the signal flow and connects to payloads, which attach underneath. With its new Aviator UAV 200 system, Cobham Satcom is offering Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satcom connectivity in a 1.45 kg one- box package for tactical UAVs. As SwiftBroadband is currently in use for safety-critical ATC comms, the 200 system could pave the way for possible future integration into controlled airspace for beyond line-of-sight UAV operations, Cobham’s Andrew Legg told UST . The system provides up to 200 kbps background data and 32 kbps streaming. Measuring 24 x 16 x 16 cm, the 200 system features a phased array antenna that allows use within the full SwiftBroadband coverage footprint as the beam steers down to 5° elevation, enabling for very high/low-latitude operations. Normally phased array antennae need contact with a substantial ground plane, say 30-50 cm of conductive surface around the transmitting structure, to pull the beam down that far, but Cobham’s little phased array is completely independent of the ground plane, said Legg, which means it could fit in the confined spaces in the narrow fuselages of tactical UAVs of the size of Insitu’s Integrator or the smaller airframes from Textron or Elbit Systems, for example. The company intends to go on air with Inmarsat in June and offer the 200 system to the market in November or December this year. VectorNav used the show to introduce its Tactical Series, described as a “next-generation family of high- performance inertial navigation systems”. Jakub Maslikowski told us that it is built on a common tactical-grade proprietary MEMS inertial sensing core. The family initially comprises the VN-110 IMU and attitude heading reference system, the VN-210 GPS-aided INS and the VN-310 dual-antenna GPS/INS. Maslikowski explained that the tactical grade of IMU has far higher performance than that of consumer-grade units used in the likes of cellphones or industrial- grade units. Having previously exploited industrial-grade IMUs, VectorNav has now combined tactical IMU technology with its own navigation algorithms to make the Tactical Series suitable for a higher class of marine, land and air unmanned vehicle applications. Maslikowski added, “The new units take advantage of the latest developments in solid-state MEMS technology to incorporate a three-axis gyro with less than 1°/h in-run bias stability, leading to an attitude accuracy of 1-2 mrad.” Plus, he emphasised, this all comes June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Show report | AUVSI’s Xponential Cobham’s one-box SwiftBroadband connectivity system for tactical UAVs