Unmanned Systems Technology 020 | Alpha 800 I Additive Manufacturing focus I USVs insight I Pegasus GE70 I GuardBot I AUVSI Xponential 2018 show report I Solar Power focus I CUAV Expo Europe 2018 show report

32 Manufacturing approach Alpha’s manufacturing policy is to concentrate on those activities in which it can add most value, which means designing, assembly and testing. Its prototyping shop is equipped with small, manually operated machine tools including a lathe and a vertical milling machine, plus a 3D printer. Components and subsystems that are not off-the- shelf items are contracted out to local manufacturers. As well as being Alpha’s home, Madrid is also home to an Airbus factory that has created what Escarpenter describes as a huge ecosystem of suppliers of all kinds who provide, for example, CFRP and machined metal parts. Alpha draws on this for many of its components. Apart from the engine, the payload and some printed circuit boards, all the major subsystems are assembled and calibrated in-house. Pricing and customisation As with most UAV systems, the price varies depending on the configuration the customer chooses, with the payload often far more expensive than the platform, Escarpenter says. In a typical surveillance configuration, he adds, a complete system of two UAVs, a GCS plus a spares package, training and a year of support costs around e 280,000-300,000 (about $332,000- 356,000). In contrast, for universities or research centres that normally provide their own payload and don’t need very long range comms, the company offers more affordable configurations. Alpha is also willing to adapt the 800 in other ways to meet customers’ needs. For those who want to develop sensors, navigation systems, payloads or engine control units for example, it provides the airframe and the basic configuration file for a Pixhawk autopilot. “This means that in a matter of hours and with a small investment the user can have a UAV flying,” Escarpenter says. With it Alpha also provides a set of manuals, engine dynamometer data, a full 3D model for payload integration, typical vibration pattern data for the payload bays and more. Further development Improvements in the pipeline include a new rotor system, a couple of new engines and, with an eye on the maritime market, the ability to land on moving platforms. These are capabilities that could be incorporated separately or coalesce into a new variant that will offer about four hours of endurance, at least 5 kg of payload and a redundant comms system. While the current two-blade main rotor performs well, Alpha is testing a couple of alternative designs, one with three blades and one with four, for a couple of reasons. It wants more lift to enable the UAV’s maximum take-off weight to June/July 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology Dossier | Alpha Unmanned Systems Alpha 800 Engine: Single-cylinder two-stroke petrol engine displacing 29 cc and producing 2 kW and 1.8 Nm (1.4 lb-ft) of torque at 9000 rpm Length: 1.7 m Height: 60 cm Rotor diameter: 1.78 m Rotor disc area: 2.48 m 2 Tail rotor diameter: 34 cm Tail rotor disc area: 0.09 m 2 Cruise speed: 55 kph Endurance: 2.5 hours Ceiling: 3000 m Maximum take-off weight: 14 kg Maximum payload: 3 kg Launch and recovery: VTOL Autopilot: UAV Navigation Vector Payloads: EO/IR, gyrostabilised, geo-referenced, Lidar, infrared or multi-spectral, radio relay, laser altimeter, transponder Structural materials: carbon fibre reinforced plastic and aircraft-grade 2024 aluminium alloy Complete system transport case dimensions: 1.8 x 0.7 x 0.9 m Some key suppliers Engine: Zenoah Alternative multi-fuel rotary engine: Advanced Innovative Engineering Alternator: T-Motor Autopilot: UAV Navigation Servos: Futaba Industrial Wiring and connectors: Binder Industrial and Glenair Flight testing facilities: Atlas, Aeroclub Villanueva De La Canada Camera options: Controp, DST, FLIR Systems, Octopus ISR, Variocam Lidar option: YellowScan Data sheet One of many payloads integrated with the 800. Note the vibration-isolated mounting ring (Courtesy of Alpha)