Unmanned Systems Technology 025 | iXblue DriX I Maintenance I UGVs I IDEX 2019 I Planck Aero Shearwater I Sky Power hybrid system I Delph Dynamics RH4 I GCSs I StreetDrone Twizy I Oceanology Americas 2019

76 T here are two key issues driving the development and deployment of ground control systems (GCSs). The first is the need to be able to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), for aircraft as well as ground and marine systems. The second is that the supply chain for the elements that go into a GCS is maturing alongside the integration process. A GCS is often optimised for a specific vehicle, so it needs to have a modular architecture to avoid any complex integration challenges without introducing latency into the control loop. This adds considerable challenges for protecting intellectual property, (IP) as a modular approach can combine open elements and proprietary technologies from the GCS developer that are then sold on to an end-customer making an unmanned vehicle. There are also many levels of integration. Some GCS developers will provide only the core hardware, pulling in modules for radio, antennas and even Modular, open architectures and flexible integration are the new hallmarks of ground control station development. Nick Flaherty reports Command central April/May 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology The UAS Mission Planning and Control Site Equipment can be deployed in a storage container for easy transportation (Courtesy of Threod Systems)