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

78 Show report | DSEI 2019 and Certus Evo, which are mid- and high- performance systems respectively. While Certus is accurate to 0.1 º in roll, pitch and heading, with 3 º /h drift, Certus Evo offers 0.03 º in pitch and roll, 0.05 º in heading and 0.4 º /h drift, a level of performance that enables it to offer an alternative to low-end FOGs for half the price, Shaw said. Certus weighs 280 g and measures 78 x 115 x 34 mm, while Certus Evo weighs 20 g more in a package that is 10 mm taller, although both are also offered unpackaged to allow vehicle OEMs to save on size and weight. Domo Tactical Communications showcased its cognitive MeshUltra networking waveform, which the company describes as ideally suited to autonomous vehicles, providing them with more reliable comms and greater bandwidth despite difficult propagation conditions. Rob Garth noted that the waveform supports at least 64 nodes in each network, up from the 20 that is typical in comparable older systems, and provides data rates of 87 Mbit/s in a 20 MHz channel. Its cognitive radio capability amounts to spectrum sensing coupled to a decision engine that enables it to avoid interference and jamming by moving to clearer channels. “It plays into the idea that every radio is a sensor,” Garth said. “All radios in the mesh are software-defined and can monitor multiple different frequencies and report the noise floor on each. That allows the mesh to make an autonomous decision about the best frequency on which to operate, then coordinate the movement of all the mesh nodes to that new frequency.” MeshUltra can work in MIMO as well as non-MIMO modes, and can switch between them to suit the conditions. “MIMO mesh typically offers double the data rate of non-MIMO mesh, but there are some scenarios where you cannot reliably support MIMO transmission. What our mesh does is decide whether to operate in MIMO or non-MIMO mode,” Garth said. DTC also offers the software-defined SOL8SDR-C MIMO Mesh transceiver, which weighs just 63 g, making it suitable for the smallest UAVs and UGVs, as well as high-power mesh nodes that Garth said are particularly suited to long-range maritime and airborne links. AeroVironment displayed its newly acquired Vapor family of small electric, carbon fibre helicopters developed by Pulse Aerospace, having bought the company in June to complement its small fixed-wing UAVs including the Puma and Raven, said Trace Stevenson. The Vapor 35 has a 35 lb take-off weight, a 1 h endurance and can carry up to 5 lb of payload, while the Vapor 55 achieves the same endurance with up to 10 lb of payload from a 55 lb take-off weight, both featuring a modular payload bay. The ground speed limit is 33 mph and the range is 35 miles with a high energy-density lithium-polymer battery. “Ultimately we’ll offer a variant with more endurance, but that’s further down the line,” Stevenson said. He added that this would depend on advances in battery technology or the integration of either an engine or a fuel cell. “You can carry multiple payloads on these platforms, including EO/IR and Lidar, plus a drop capability, so that blood, ammunition or medical supplies can be delivered. He also referred to the possible integration of “some type of kinetic capability,” meaning a weapon system. AVT Australia was displaying its new marinised CM262 EO/IR turret, which Evert van Schuppen described as a two-axis gyro-stabilised multi-sensor suite for small unmanned vessels. Intended for sentry and surveillance roles, it features a long-range optical zoom lens, object-tracking software and can be slewed on to targets detected by other sensors including automatic identification systems. Van Schuppen added that the company has been working on it for two years, and has now delivered it to early adopters who are providing feedback “to get it where it needs to be for productionisation”. The Australian division of US company Ascent Vision, AVT Australia buys sensor cores from international suppliers but designs and integrates the systems in-house, writes its own software and ensures that as much as possible December/January 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology Domo Tactical Communications’ UGV mesh technology is suitable for the smallest UGVs