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77 endurance,” Benoit Tardif explained. “The chief customer is the Italian Special Forces, who need quick intelligence for short missions.” A two-stroke, two-cylinder 33 cc gasoline engine gives the Manta a cruising speed of 90 kph and a top speed of 200 kph – or to fly for up to 14 hours, depending on mission speed and weight. The blended-wing body configuration enables the whole airframe to generate lift while reducing noise, minimising drag and wing load. H.264-encoded HD video for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) can be delivered up to a range of 60 km via a coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM) encrypted link, while a servo mechanism retracts the gimbal during flight for streamlining and safety. Also showcasing enhanced speed was PBS Velka Bites from the Czech Republic, developer of small UAS turbojet engines. PBS’ newest model, the TJ80, weighs 10.5 kg without its electronic components and measures 512 x 235 mm. “The TJ80 is a single-shaft engine with a single-stage radial compressor, annular combustion chamber, single-stage axial turbine and stationary exhaust jet. The rotor is mounted on two ball bearings lubricated by fuel,” said Marek Fiala. “Serial production is currently in the planning phase; it is a relatively simple design, fitted with a brushless dc starter- generator, electric fuel pump and a full- authority digital electronics control system.” The TJ80 can run on Jet A, Jet A-1, TS-1, T2 or RT fuel, and produce up to 900 N of thrust for five minutes or 800 N of continuous thrust at 58,000 rpm. Amid the new and upgraded UASs, S-Plane Automation and Stemme announced a deal to install S-Plane’s xKIT on the Ecarys ES15 aircraft for an optionally-piloted vehicle (OPV) capability. “The OPV kit will consist of two main components: the xCUBE and the Electronic Disconnect Unit [xEDU],” said Dr Thomas Jones. “The xCUBE contains our autopilot and processing computers; the xEDU allows the aircraft to safely and reliably switch between manned and unmanned operation.” The xEDU guarantees onboard control when the aircraft is flown by a pilot. It acts as a robust master unit that must be manually activated on the aircraft to switch to unmanned operation. The xKIT includes several sensors that are to be integrated on the ES15 to enable fully autonomous flight, including magnetometers, landing gear touchdown sensors, air data units, radar altimeter and a fibre optic IMU. The ES15 will also be equipped with dual redundant command and control links for line-of-sight (LOS) operations and support Ka-band and L-band satellite links for beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) missions. A range of electro-optical, radar and signal intelligence payloads are compatible with the ES15 and the xKIT. As some companies unveiled new UAVs, others launched upgrades of existing ones. High Eye for example released the latest version of its HEF unmanned helicopter system, the HEF 32. IDEX 2017 | Show report Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2017 The IA-17 Manta can cruise at 90 kph or fly for up to 14 hours as required The 10.5 kg TJ80 single-shaft turbojet will run on a variety of fuels