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80 is manufactured in Australia. “So if new sensors are needed we can work with clients and evaluate what will best fit their needs and then integrate it,” van Schuppen said. Highlighting the importance of stabilisation, he said, “We can make sure that across the entire zoom range of the sensors we are providing a nice, stable image.” The core stabilisation capability is in the gyros and servo motors, the latter being built to AVT’s specification, with digital stabilisation as an option. In terms of video processing software, the company provides moving target indication and tracking, and is also working on automatic target classification and threat alerts to reduce the operator’s workload. Robot Aviation had its new FX-Y multi-copter on display, which it is developing for the Norwegian Army. Niklas Nyroth described it as an “adopted child” because it combines the avionics package and Radionor data link from the fixed-wing FX20 with an airframe from Swedish/Indonesian manufacturer North Sea Drones. Seen from above, the FX-Y has a Y-shaped airframe with three pairs of counter-rotating rotors driven by six battery-powered electric motors that provide a degree of redundancy. It can carry up to 1.5 kg of payload and has an endurance of 40 minutes for a 10 kg maximum take-off weight. Nyroth said the six-rotor, three-arm configuration minimises vibration, to help keep images stable and helping to meet the requirement for accurate geo-location of targets up to 6 km away. Robot Aviation has to fit the FX20’s avionics into the FX-Y airframe, but they already work together as an integrated system, so ensuring that the helicopter control system works reliably with Robot Aviation’s own GCS is the main integration task, he explained. The aircraft has to be ready in time for pre-qualification and then a procurement scheduled for early next year. Steadicopter presented its Black Eagle 50, a 35 kg petrol-engined ‘tactical’ helicopter with a 4 h endurance, a maximum comms range of 150 km and a payload of up to 5 kg. With basic development completed in 2017, the aircraft was put through a set of maritime trials in cooperation with Israel Shipyards, flying from its OPV62 offshore patrol vessel. During the trials, the Black Eagle 50 proved its ability to fly without a GNSS signal thanks to what Noam Lidor described as “a very smart algorithm that December/January 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology Robot Aviation is developing its FX-Y for the Norwegian Army The Black Eagle ‘tactical’ helicopter from Steadicopter