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

72 “I took all the knowledge of these engines I have gained over many years and I am making them UAV-worthy through the use of parts with greater longevity,” he explained. “We will have versions with carburettors and others with EFI, the EFI system having been developed by a specialist company in Detroit.” Nelson noted that the 21 cc air-cooled twin on display at Xponential is not only uniquely small in displacement within the realm of UAV engines, its twin configuration ensures very low vibration. Using a Walbro carburettor to supply gasoline premix and CD ignition, it produces 2.8 bhp at 8500 rpm and has a CDI system that operates on 4.8-8.4 V, all within a package weight of 2.02 lb. Silvus Technologies showcased its StreamCaster 4400, a 4 x 4 MIMO radio with an output of 8 W using a technology known as transmit beamforming to boost the signal strength by up to 6 dB. “That means the radio gives the performance of a 32 W unit without consuming any extra power,” said Jimi Henderson. “Essentially, we’re manipulating the phase of each sub-carrier at the transmit end of the link, using multiple antennas, and we do that in such a way that they arrive constructively at the receiver. “Some people think MIMO isn’t effective in an air-to-ground scenario, but with transmit beamforming there is similar benefit across land, sea and air, and even extreme non-line-of-sight,” he added. The radio weighs 2.5 lb and is IP 67- rated for dust and immersion in up to 1 m of water. It is also available as an OEM module weighing 9.1 oz for embedded applications. Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) showcased its solutions for UxV mesh and P2P COFDM links. Central among DTC’s offerings is the SOL8SDR-C, a software-defined radio transceiver measuring 50 x 50 x 18 mm and weighing 73 g. It can operate June/July 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology Show report | AUVSI Xponential 2018 required is a line from the fuel tank – it even incorporates the fuel pump. The DA 70 GenPod neatly packages the ECU and other electronics at the opposite end of the module to the propeller, while the motor mounting is overhead. Having absorbed vibration, it is in turn attached to the airframe by the aforementioned four bolts. Produced in carbon fibre, it is designed to have some ‘give’, in addition to the give of the connectors attaching it to the engine. West said the exhaust silencing designed by Cobra Aero sets new standards for a system as compact as this. He remarked, “Customers have trouble with noise, vibration and routing of the fuel and electrical lines – this module overcomes such issues. It is a concept that will be applied to other Desert Aircraft engines in due course.” VectorNav and KVH announced the integration of the former’s VN-210 GNSS/ INS and V-310 dual GNSS/INS with the latter’s 1750 and 1775 fibre optic gyro (FOG) IMUs. As VectorNav’s Jakub Maslikowski explained, “Both of our tactical systems couple GPS information with MEMS gyro and acceleration measurements to output continuous position, velocity and attitude. “For some really challenging applications, that might not provide sufficient performance – the FOG IMUs’ gyro and acceleration measurements can be plugged through to our systems, to output navigation information with slightly improved accuracy.” VectorNav’s filters have been made compatible with KVH’s IMUs in order to ensure effective processing of information from one to the other. The VN-210 and VN-310 supply headings accurate to 0.1 º RMS and pitch and roll to 0.03 º . Precise performance enhancements from the integration with KVH’s FOGs are due to be specified at a future date. AZ Aero Systems is a manufacturer of engines for model aircraft that briefly dabbled in the UAV world some years ago and has now come back into the arena strongly. Joseph ‘Joe’ Nelson told us he was enticed back by a neighbour in Arizona who couldn’t find a suitably small two- stroke engine for his UAV from existing market suppliers – AZ’s 21 cc twin was ideal. Thus Nelson has developed the 21 cc UAV engine on show at Xponential, which is the first of a range of eight twins ranging from 21 to 120 cc. The VectorNav VN-310 GNSS/INS has been integrated with KVH’s 1750 FOG