USE Network launch I UAV Works VALAQ l Cable harnesses l USVs insight l Xponential 2020 update l MARIN AUV l Suter Industries TOA 288 l Vitirover l AI systems l Vtrus ABI

25 the VALAQ family has been designed and that, in the end, technology and innovation for their own sake matter far less than whether the vehicle does the job well. “For example, we see many local police using small multi-rotors with simple video cameras for ground surveillance or traffic control,” he says. “That can help if you want to inspect a small piece of ground for 10 minutes, say. “Those UAVs are not made for tracking a car, surveying large areas or staying in the air for more than 30 minutes, though. When we show them what the VALAQ can do – multiplying flight time by three, flight within a 5 km radius, transmitting live thermal video and automatically tracking moving vehicles, all while retaining VTOL capability – they feel the limitations of what they have and want more.” However, he gives respectful nods to Wingtra in Switzerland and Swift Engineering in the US, whose respective Wingtra One and Swift021 also use the VTOL flying wing concept. “They have different MTOWs and payloads, but they have definitely found a solution to manage the transition,” he says. “This is the cleanest configuration, with no complex parts to maintain. “Many other manufacturers have opted for tilting the engines. It is the second-best solution as it keeps the aerodynamics clean, but there are mechanical parts to be maintained. “If something can break, it will, so the best choice is usually to omit it. However, some parts are reasonably robust, although maintenance is always needed.” The rest, he says, are the multi-rotor/ aeroplane fusions. “This is the quickest way to find a solution, but it’s not efficient at all,” he adds. Although development is inexpensive, requires little investment, and all the technology is known, permanent drag from the added rotors makes such fusions unsuitable for the purpose, he says. He says the VALAQ’s automated transition from a hover to aeroplane mode and back under reliable control is its principal innovation, emphasising that it will scale up to much larger vehicles while retaining the system’s essential simplicity and aerodynamic efficiency. He also points to the simple and “absolutely reliable” retractable and dynamic landing gear, which he says proved a key part of solving the UAV Works VALAQ family | Dossier Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2020 The VALAQ 120 ready to launch, sitting on its three-point landing gear. The two elevons, one on each wing, are the only moving control surfaces (Images courtesy of UAV Works)