Unmanned Systems Technology 027 l Hummingbird XRP l Gimbals l UAVs insight l AUVSI report part 2 l O’Neill Power Systems NorEaster l Kratos Defense ATMA l Performance Monitoring l Kongsberg Maritime Sounder

61 and we’ve kept the weight to 3 kg. Its speed ranges from 70 to 140 kph for additional stealth in flight.” The Sparrow has a comms range of 20 km, and endurance is between 45 and 85 minutes depending on flight speed. Spaitech also exhibited its Sparrow LE (Long Endurance) UAV, which can fly for up to 3.5 h, and at speeds between 60 and 150 kph, up to a maximum altitude of 5000 m. The hand-launched system has a wingspan of 3 m, an MTOW of 9.5 kg, and a range of up to 40 km. The airframe body is made from the same proprietary radio-transparent composite as the Sparrow’s, to enhance stealth applications in special forces operations. All Spaitech UASs are equipped with digital communication-encrypted channels. Anti-jamming and anti-spoofing algorithms are implemented to resist the electronic countermeasures systems used in warfare. The company has also developed software packages for post-mission analysis and online analytics of gathered data. “All the main electronic boards in the UAVs are developed by our engineers, so we can amend or add any additional features to the system our customers need,” Bogomolov added. Sullivan UV attended the show to exhibit some new solutions for supporting the trend towards hybridising fuel-powered UAV powertrains. “We’ve developed a 2000 W generator that has an electronics unit to provide voltage regulation, with a high-efficiency active rectifier to rectify the power coming from the alternator, as well as electronics for starting the engine,” said James Hudson. “It controls engine rpm and provides serial data output as well as a secondary output for running avionics or servos. The electronics include basically everything you need outside of the alternator itself to regulate power from your engine.” The generator’s design incorporates 14 permanent magnets and 12 poles (which are wound to suit the targets for power, engine revs and system voltage), as well as a sensorless, brushless motor controller for turning the alternator to crank and start the engine. The company can program the performance of the software for controlling the starter function depending on the model and parameters of the engine being used. “We can also modify the data output to use a CAN protocol if an end-user prefers that over RS-232,” Hudson added. “And we’ve added EMI filtering to the device to prevent it from generating ‘noise’ that could affect nearby electronics on the aircraft. “Lastly if your load varies significantly, we can modulate the engine throttle – speed it up or slow it down as needed to maintain the output voltage.” Global Energy Transmission (GET) showcased its technology for inductive (non-contact) wireless charging of UAVs, which was originally developed as a solution for extending the short flight times of battery-powered UAVs. “Unlike other automated charging solutions, our GET Wireless Charging Station doesn’t require the UAV to land or have its battery swapped,” said Leonid Plekhanov. “Even in snow, dust or humidity, there’s no change in the charging rate, and one station can charge multiple UAVs at a time. “The system can send out up to 12 kW over a distance of up to 8 m, and for Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2019 Spaitech’ Sparrow UAV, for special forces-type operations Wireless charging from GET for UAVs