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

74 Martin, with mission management and redundant flight control computers connected via data links to a ground controller. It uses twin counter-rotating main rotors to eliminate the need for a tail rotor drive system. Without a tail rotor, all engine power goes directly to the main rotors for improved lift performance over traditional helicopters, and this is critical to maintaining power and performance at high altitudes and temperatures. K-MAX is being combined with a battery-powered quadcopter called Indago that is used to fly over a fire area and detect outbreaks. The data from the Indago is fed back to an operator who then directs the K-MAX helicopter to lift and drop more than 10 tonnes (24,000 lb) of water to help extinguish a fire. “Indago has been used for firefighting activities in Australia, disaster assessments following Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, and coastal erosion surveying in Australia,” says Jay McConville, business development director at Lockheed Martin Unmanned Systems. “Now Indago 2, the Elite Pro, will be the full production model. It’s based on the original Indago but it also has some improved design elements, including moulded plastics, more efficient motors, a secure digital data link, improved range, an improved battery and advanced payloads, as well as quieter operation,” he says. The Elite Pro has an endurance of 40- 50 minutes depending on the payload, which can be a 30x zoom 18 megapixel EO camera or a dual EO and infrared camera. It can fly in winds of up to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph at distances up to 2 km and a typical height of 150 m (500 ft). It uses an AES-256 encrypted link in the S band and military frequencies. Mass transport Commercial UAV technology is also being extended to mass-transport applications. Companies such as Volocopter are using systems with multiple rotors, large motors and large batteries to lift one or two people into the air for a few minutes at a time as a taxi service. Another approach is to adapt existing craft such as helicopters for autonomous operation. This has been done by Lockheed Martin, for example, through its subsidiary Sikorski’s Matrix technology programme. Sikorsky has converted a retired UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter for autonomous operation. It has internal as well as external cargo capability, lifting up to 4 tonnes (9000 lb), and the design target is to lose only one craft per 100,000 flight hours. The first flight demonstration was at the end of 2015. Inspection Dutch developer HighEye has updated its HEF30 long-endurance rotary platform, adding a Lidar sensor payload using a Riegl VUX-SYS system, as well as integrating a nautical GPS- based compass, to allow it to fly in very high latitudes such as the polar region without having to rely on a magnetometer. The platform has a flight time of over three hours, and HighEye is also integrating a secondary, non-line of sight-based data link to send payload data back to the ground control station. The company has also added emergency flotation devices to prevent the unit from sinking during an accidental ditch, and three landing pads for landing on snow. Monitoring Rotary systems are also being used for wider monitoring applications. “Apart from firefighting, another thing related to Indago is Project Lifesaver,” says Lockheed Martin’s McConville. “People who suffer from Alzheimer’s, autism or dementia are prone to wander some times, but Project Lifesaver has a system that is used to track and recover them quickly. We’ve therefore teamed up with them to be able to extend this into the air, to help find these vulnerable people as quickly as possible,” he says. Delivery Quadcopters have seen some adoption as delivery systems with Amazon and the Google Wing project, and Amazon has set up a new r&d centre in Graz, Austria, June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Indago Elite Pro quadcopter can be teamed up with the K-MAX autonomous helicopter (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)