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52 W ith ongoing hindrances to international travel, the Commercial UAV Expo Americas migrated from Las Vegas to the internet this year, with dozens of webinars, workshops and meetings organised through its online portals. Many new UAS products and updates were announced in association with the expo; here’s our round-up of them. California-based Sabrewing has completed the first prototype of its Rhaegal RG-1-B aircraft, a VTOL-transitioning heavy-lift UAV with a 22 m wingspan being developed for regional freight services. “Our aircraft can fly 2.45 t of air cargo over 1855 km,” said Ed De Reyes. “We were the first company awarded a monetary contract for $3.3 million, in addition to in-kind services worth more, under the US Air Force’s Agility Prime programme to demonstrate our aircraft’s capabilities and technologies. The Rhaegal RG-1 will operate at a fraction of the cost of a fixed-wing airplane or helicopter, and in weather that grounds most other aircraft.” The RG-1’s turbo-electric powertrain gives a cruising speed of 333-380 kph. It is powered by two Safran Ardiden 3 gas turbine engines, each supplying up to 1408 kW/1890 hp for vertical take-off, and runs on Jet-A, JP-8 or DF-2. The electrical power goes to four ducted tiltrotor fans, the automatically folding wings for easier packaging or landing, and key safety functions such as detect & avoid and ‘engine-out’ systems. It has a VTOL MTOW of 4.016 t (or 6.3 t if STOL is used), and enough cargo space for 16 m 3 of freight. The company has more than 65 firm orders for the aircraft once production and deliveries of units begin next year, with letters of intent for up to 200 more after certification. Rory Jackson reports from this virtual exhibition with highlights of the latest UAV systems and upgrades Net gains October/November 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Commercial UAV Expo Americas virtual event has witnessed the unveiling of a number of new unmanned systems, including Sabrewing’s Rhaegal RG-1-B aerial freighter, pictured here