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48 T he Commercial UAV Show returned to the ExCeL in the London Docklands for its sixth edition in November 2019. It brought together several thousand attendees and dozens of innovative companies looking to discuss new solutions for unmanned aircraft manufacturers and businesses. We attended the show and connected with a number of critical innovators in the UAS sector to learn about their latest technological offerings. Austrian company AIR6 Systems showcased its latest UAS, the AIR8 octocopter. The company’s UAVs are intended to carry survey payloads such as Lidars and multi-sensor packages for customers such as industrial asset surveyors and search & rescue teams. “Our AIR8 Medium Lifter octocopter can theoretically fly for up to 36 km, or for an hour,” explained Alexander Fraess-Ehrfeld. “In addition to industry and the emergency services, we have partners at about 25 European universities who use the multi-copter for research purposes. For example, scientists at ETH-Zurich have used it for their yearly glacier surveys, and the Geological Institute of Austria is flying it to non-invasively locate groundwater.” The AIR8 is rated to IP54 for wind and water resistance; it can carry up to 10 kg of payload as well as four lithium-ion battery packs, within a MTOW of 25 kg. For ease of transport its landing gear and four motor arms can be removed and folded. February/March 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology Sixth pack As this show notches up its half-dozenth outing, Rory Jackson gives a round-up of the new technologies that were on offer A multitude of attendees, exhibitors, and speakers from different UAS organisations attended the conference and exhibition at the ExCeL London, in November 2019