Unmanned Systems Technology Dec/Jan 2020 | Phoenix UAS | Sonar focus | Construction insight | InterGeo 2019 | Supacat ATMP | Adelan fuel cell | Oregon tour | DSEI 2019 | Copperstone Helix | Power management focus

55 InterGeo 2019 | Show report (0.02 m/s) with RTK-processing. With RTK active, horizontal positions are given to 0.06 cm, with 1 cm accuracy for vertical positioning. If there is a GNSS outage lasting 10 s, the horizontal positioning error widens to 0.3 m, with vertical error reaching roughly 0.05 m. The second product unveiled at the show is the AsteRx SBi. This has a similar OEM GNSS-IMU board to the AsteRx-i series, but it is integrated into an IP68-rated enclosure for protecting the electronics against dust, water, shock and vibration. The AsteRx SBi weighs 497 g and measures 118 x 102 x 36 mm, consuming less than 1.8 W in dual- antenna configuration. Its performance specifications are equivalent to the AsteRx-i S UAS, with both systems giving latencies below 20 ms, update rates up to 100 Hz, gyro bias stability of 7 º /h and an acceleration bias stability of 0.014 m g . Quantum-Systems showcased its new two-in-one modular UAS, which is designed for military services, security agencies and the police. Although the Vector and Scorpion UAVs share a common fuselage, the former is a fixed- wing aircraft with three tilt-rotors for VTOL capability, while the latter is a tri- copter platform. “We developed this system for end- users wanting surveillance rather than survey operations, with a live video downlink, and we didn’t want our civil and commercial UAVs to be integrated with video monitoring systems,” said Martin Herkommer. “The Scorpion can fly for 45 minutes, while the Vector can fly for 120. Both systems use gimballed cameras with a 10x (Vector) or 30x (Scorpion) optical zoom, LWIR for night operations and a 25 km MIMO mesh video link with AES 128/256-bit encryption.” The Vector weighs about 6 kg, has a 2.8 m wingspan and cruises at between 54 and 72 kph, whereas the Scorpion weighs about 5 kg, measures 0.85 m across and flies at up to 54 kph. Both craft are built using a fibreglass and Kevlar honeycomb-sandwich structure, and are powered by four lithium-ion battery cells in series; control is via a 25 km encrypted link. The wings and rotor arms of the two systems can be snapped on and off without the use of tools, depending on whether the operator wants to hover about an urban environment with the vertically oriented rotors or fly horizontally across a more open area using the wings. The multi-copter configuration is key since the Vector is not optimised for transitioning into hover in mid-flight, except for landing, and the company recommends against users attempting this. “Both systems’ gimbals have laser- based and vision-based tracking, to tag cars and other objects and autonomously follow them. It’s a system from Trillium Engineering,” Herkommer noted. Deliveries of the Vector/Scorpion are expected to begin next July. The company also unveiled the latest version of its Trinity UAS, the Trinity F90+. The 5 kg UAV can now fly for up to 90 minutes – a 50% increase over the previous iteration – with new electric motors installed to help fly in stronger winds and hotter climates, thanks to higher power and reduced thermal build-up compared with the previous motors used. The new motors have also increased energy efficiency during cruise by 5%, and overall thrust by 15%, the company said. “Also, the previous Trinity used 5S2P batteries in series; we now have a 6S2P pack, so we’ve upped the energy capacity from 10 to 12 A,” Herkommer added. “We’ve also integrated new payloads into the F90+ and its flight planning software. That includes the Sony RX1 for infrastructure surveyors, and a double payload compartment for combining sensors such as a Micasense RedEdge- MX and a Sony UMC for farmland and forest surveys.” In addition, the Quantum-Systems Tron (see UST 14 , June/July 2017) has now been upgraded to the Tron F90+, which has a 13.5 kg MTOW and a 7.5 km range (with a 2.4 GHz data link). It has also been integrated with the YellowScan Surveyor Ultra Lidar payload, which incorporates a Velodyne VLP-32C. The company successfully trialled the Tron with the Surveyor Ultra last May to provide 3D mapping for a series of ski slopes that needed maintenance. Unmanned Systems Technology | December/January 2020 The Vector and Scorpion two-in-one UASs from Quantum-Systems