Issue 37 Unmanned Systems Technology April/May 2021 Einride next-gen Pod l Battery technology l Dive Technologies AUV-Kit l UGVs insight l Vanguard EFI/ETC vee twins l Icarus Swarms l Transponders l Sonobot 5 l IDEX 2021 report

93 Coordinate); and ‘Prog’, for executing a route of waypoints defined before or during flight (including speed changes and payload commands). The other three autonomous modes are camera-guided. These are ‘Circle’, in which the Orbiter flies around a designated EO/IR coordinate; ‘Offset’, in which it flies at a specified distance from the visual coordinate; and ‘Sector’, for flying in a curved, elongated figure-of- eight pattern over the EO/IR point. Milrem Robotics displayed its latest defence UGV, the Type-X, which has recently passed its initial mobility tests. It was first unveiled in 2020 and has been designed to support main battle tanks and infantry-fighting vehicles by autonomously taking on the most dangerous tasks and positions from manned systems. As Sverker Svardby explained, “The Type-X is a series hybrid, with a diesel engine powering a generator and providing power to a 700 V DC bus. Traction and steering is provided through a cross-drive powered by electrical motors, with cooling fans also powered by electrical motors, both of which connect to the DC bus.” The battery system stores surplus energy from the engine and generator as well as from regenerative braking, and supplies extra power to the DC bus if needed. The Type-X has also been engineered with an open architecture for accommodating additional systems if required. “Throughout the vehicle, common comms buses and protocols are used to provide modularity and upgradeability of the functionality of the vehicle,” Svardby said. “That enables integration of different payloads with minimal effort, as well as interoperability with other vehicles and command & control systems.” It has a standard weight of 12 t and a maximum speed of 80 kph on paved roads (50 kph off-road). It is 2.2 m high, and various sensors and weapons stations can be integrated on top of it. On the Type-X’s autonomous capabilities, Svardby added, “Follow-me functionality can be enabled by using the vehicle’s autonomy sensor suite, defining which vehicle to follow. Also, several of the vehicles can be swarmed through them, communicating with each other as well as with manned vehicles, in order to collectively perform a task as defined by the operators.” Czech engine manufacturer PBS Velka Bites unveiled its newest turbojet propulsion unit, the PBS TJ100P. It is the latest iteration of the company’s TJ100 turbojet. Katerina Fisova said, “The main difference between the TJ100 turbojet and the TJ100P is that it’s simpler. The TJ100P is fuel-lubricated, so there is no need for a separate oil system. “This change has enabled a weight reduction down to 17.6 kg and lower customer acquisition costs, while maintaining the TJ100 engines’ thrust of 1250 N. The modification also brings other benefits, such as easier storage and an unlimited angle of engine position during start-up and operation.” The TJ100P is 636 mm long and 272 mm in diameter. It is 1.9 kg lighter than the standard TJ100 engine, and its specific fuel consumption at maximum thrust is 0.126 kg/N/h. It offers UAV speeds of up to 0.8 Mach at a maximum altitude of 10,000 m It can also be used to produce the required onboard UAV electrical power; maximum output is 2.3 kW. As indicated, fuel and oil are mixed directly in the TJ100P’s fuel tank; Jet A-1 or similar is the recommended choice, with 3% turbine oil. The company also recommends a TBO of 20 hours. The TJ100P can also be used for UAV operations in saltwater environments, as the engine includes some saltwater- resistant components and a modified ECU cover. IDEX 2021 | Report Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2021 Milrem’s Type-X series hybrid defence UGV The PBS TJ100P turbojet from Velka Bites