Unmanned Systems Technology 038 l Skyeton Raybird-3 l Data storage l Sea-Kit X-Class USV l USVs insight l Spectronik PEM fuel cells l Blue White Robotics UVIO l Antennas l AUVSI Xponential Virtual 2021 report

89 system and components, with a pneumatic pressure of up to 16 bar now possible. The 6 m catapult can now launch aircraft weighing up to 60 kg, with a maximum launch speed of 26 m/s (93.6 kph). “A desert version of that catapult is also now available,” said Konstantins Popiks. “It has two additional and vital elements – an intake air filtering system and a cooling system. “The air filter protects the compressor from damage by preventing particulate matter such as sand from entering the pneumatic system. The cooling system integrates several blowers that force convection around the cooling fins, and therefore increase the rate of heat exchange by an order of magnitude. The system has been validated for outside air temperatures of up to 50 C.” HFE International has launched the DA100 GenPod, its latest fully integrated engine ‘pod’ (following on from the DA70 showcased at AUVSI Xponential 2019). Like its counterpart (also called the GenPod 70), it is designed to enable a simple, modular power plant unit that UAS maintenance technicians can rapidly swap into or out of UAV noses or nacelles, by pushing two button-latches on the unit. “This system is the first step taken by HFE to satisfy the US DoD’s Modular Open Systems Approach,” explained Tom West. “A major system interface problem between the aircraft and propulsion system is solved through our simplified, tool-less latching system. And since both the DA70 and DA100 pods use the same mounting bracket, users can swap between them as quickly as swapping a battery, all without being locked into a single aircraft supplier.” Although the DA70 GenPod was designed to house and power a 70 cc Desert Aircraft DA70 engine, West added that the DA100’s modularity enables it to be integrated with any of the company’s engines, from the DA70 to the 120 cc DA120 (with the 100 cc DA100 as standard). In addition to speeding up maintenance by integrating the wiring harnesses, fuel pump, ignition system, fuel filters and all key components, the GenPod products save the end-user time spent in the design and development of their UAVs by not having to determine the mounting locations and mechanisms for all of these parts. The GenPods also feature user displays for key details such as engine time, rpm, sensor data and ‘check engine light’ warnings as well as four-point isolation systems, to ensure that the engine is fully supported and can only pivot about the centre of crank rotation, absorbing much more vibration than conventional designs. SBG Systems spoke to us about the latest generation of its Ellipse series INSs, in particular the new Ellipse-D GNSS IMU for control and navigation of unmanned systems. “With the Ellipse-D, we aim to make robust centimetric navigation affordable to the larger part of unmanned systems integrators,” said Matthieu Noko. “With dual-frequency RTK GNSS it provides much more robust position computation than single-frequency receivers. “Also, the Ellipse-D has a quad- constellation receiver, meaning it could simultaneously use satellites from GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo for higher signal availability in challenging navigation conditions.” The Ellipse-D also has dual antenna inputs to enable heading information when stationary or at low speeds, with measurements being output within a few seconds of the input, even in high dynamic conditions and challenging GNSS environments, with immunity against magnetic disturbances. The unit weighs 17 g and outputs attitude readings accurate to 0.05 º as well as headings to 0.2 º . It is calibrated to operate from -40 C to +85 C, and its extended Kalman filter is programmed to use inertial measurements to detect and exclude measurement faults, enhancing data integrity and overall system resilience against environmental ‘noise’ as well as the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and jamming. To assist integrators, the Ellipse-D can come in a range of housings to AUVSI Xponential Virtual 2021 | Report Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2021 The Ellipse-D from SBG Systems weighs 17 g and operates over a -40 C to +85 C range