Unmanned Systems Technology 021 | Robot Aviation FX450 l Imaging Sensors focus l UAVs Insight l Liquid-Piston X-Mini l Riptide l Eurosatory 2018 show report l Zipline l Electric Motors focus l ASTS show report

6 Mission-critical info for UST professionals Platform one Two very different UAVs have been highlighting designs for long-endurance flight (writes Nick Flaherty). The MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely operated UAV developed by General Atomics has been converted for long- range applications, crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. The journey of 3760 nautical miles took 24 hours and 2 minutes at altitudes of up UAV Components has reduced the size of its ground station controller by using a rugged tablet computer from Panasonic (writes Nick Flaherty). The Micronav has been designed with user-replaceable, long-life batteries and improved sensitivity for use with heavy gloves, and supports both the Windows 10 operating system and 4G LTE multi-carrier broadband to connect the ground station to the internet for cloud comms. to 40,000 ft, and was controlled by a series of pilots at its home base in North Dakota. The craft itself is controlled via a link to an Inmarsat satellite; the landing in the UK was fully autonomous. Meanwhile, the Zephyr solar-powered high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) has started a trial in the USA that could see it stay in the air for up to 30 days at a time. Its developer, Airbus, is also to begin serial production of the Zephyr S after The platform can also be configured with custom radios for data and video links to the company’s Aeronav UAVs, as well as custom software in Java or other languages. 1000 hours of flights by r&d versions. The Zephyr S has a 42 m wingspan and weighs just 25 kg. It flies at an altitude of 70,000 ft and is fitted with high-resolution cameras to provide long-term surveillance over a wide area. Another HAPS project, Aquila by a team at Facebook, has been cancelled, with Facebook looking at using the Zephyr as a platform for wireless base stations in the sky. The controller’s design is based on the Panasonic FZ-M1 tablet, and has Mil-Std-810G standard 5 ft (1.5 m) drop resistance as well as IP65 dust and water protection. Airborne vehicles Airborne vehicles HALE designs diverge Tablet platform for GCS A converted SkyGuardian has made its first trans- Atlantic flight, ending in an autonomous landing August/September 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Micronav configurable ground station is based around a rugged tablet computer from Panasonic