used, which consists of a layer of micro- pyramids about 5 microns high. As Gochermann explains it, any light not absorbed by the surface of one pyramid will be reflected and hit a facet on a pyramid opposite, and be almost entirely absorbed. Even when sunlight strikes a conventional smooth solar panel at right angles, about 4% is reflected, but according to Gochermann the pyramid layer reduces this to a negligible 0.3%. At narrower angles of incidence, the efficiency of all solar panels drops as reflection increases, but Gochermann maintains that the pyramid surface limits this reflection to 4%, the same as a smooth panel at 90° to the light source. Additional sensors Operating at 12 V but with 12/24 V conversion capability, the electrical system can deliver up to 30 W for mission payloads, of which the company has tested a wide variety. “We’ve worked with current profilers, CTD sensors, acoustic modems, hydrophones and various other sensor sets,” Childress says. Payloads can be accommodated in three removable bays, and the bays can have openings in them to let water in and out for CTD sensors, for example. The ability to tow various payloads has also been tested. Above-surface sensors are also under consideration, with testing with gimballed cameras planned. A fixed camera system that fits on the masthead below the anemometer has already been developed, and enables the vessel to take images for 360° around it. Future variants Even more capable vessels are also planned, with the S200 (so named for its ability to submerge to 200 m) set to be available in the first quarter of 2017. Besides its greater depth capability, the S200 will also be able to travel and manoeuvre underwater, both as a buoyancy-driven glider and, thanks to its thruster, horizontally as a UUV. Ocean Aero is also working on a 40 ft variant with two wing sails, under a contract for the US Navy. It is to accommodate an undisclosed payload that will account for about a quarter of the vessel’s total mass, which it must be capable of jettisoning while underwater. “Dropping that much weight and keeping it from just going like that,” says Childress, gesturing to indicate something leaping towards the surface, “is quite an engineering trick.” With the fundamental issues of endurance, submergence and resurfacing now solved, Ocean Aero is focusing on expanding the capabilities of this new class of vehicle in areas such as scalability and the variety of payloads it can support and the missions it can undertake. Selection of lengths and diameters Short lead times! Fact not fiction. Science not speculation. On Land. At Sea. In Flight. 2017 UK £ media kit Backatbase Focusonground control systems Come to light Solar power’s day is dawning Upabove Alti TransitionVTOL hybrid UST 08 : JUNE/JULY 2016 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Datastorage The solid stateofmemorymedia Simulation& testing Models of cost-effective power SubmaranS10 Unique surface/subsurface concept UST 09 :AUG/SEPT 2016 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Launch& recovery Options for release and retrieval Electricmotors Reliable, efficient propulsion www.unmannedsystemste chnology.com www.ust-media.com NavyaARMA 100% autonomous, driverless & electric UST 07 :APRIL/MAY 2016 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Headingyourway Navigation technologies assessed Antennasystems Design options for every task www.unmannedsystemste chnology.com www.ust-media.com InspectorMk2 Multi-missionUSV gives up its secrets UST 06 : FEB/MARCH 2016 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Fuelcellpropulsion Is this the unmannedway ahead? Senseandavoid Analysing a key technology FalcoUAVdossier Investigating a hawk-eyed Italian UST 05 :DEC 2015/JAN 2016 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 www.unmannedsystemste chnology.com www.ust-media.com Autopilotsystems Leading theway Batteriesandchargers Developments in portable power USV technology Under the skin of surface craft Delair-TechDT18 Flying beyond the line of sight UST 04 :AUTUMN/FALL 2015 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Spacesystems TheExoMars autonomousmission Ultralight rotarypower AustroEngine’s aero solution Cableassembly Advancedwiring analysed Autonomousmining What’s driving the technology? UST 02 :SPRING 2015 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Theall-seeingeye State-of-the-art vision sensors for unmanned craft Driverless4WD MIRA’s autonomous LandRover Danielsondiesel Inside the new generation Scion SA-400 Autonomous helicopter technology www.highpowermedia.com www.unmannedsystemste chnology.com LAUNCH ISSUE :NOVEMBER 2014 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Hirth’s two-strokemagic Inside a hi-techUAV powerplant Real-timeoperatingsystems Analysing the development issues Penguin UAVDossier Secrets of a record-breaking platform revealed www.ust-media.com www.unmannedsystemste chnology.com 01USTCover 2.indd 3 01/10/2014 20:53 Planning your ads for 2017? Enclosed you should find a hard copy of the 2017 media kit for Unmanned Systems Technology magazine. If you’d prefer to download and save a digital version, please visit www.ust-media.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We very much look forward to working with you! Simon Moss | Publishing Director
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