Issue 39 Unmanned Systems Technology August/September 2021 Maritime Robotics Mariner l Simulation tools focus l MRS MR-10 and MR-20 l UAVs insight l HFE International GenPod l Exotec Skypod l Autopilots focus l Aquaai Mazu

21 RF interference in small aircraft with multiple emitters, it is perhaps surprising that one aspect of development that has proved easier than expected is the integration of the terrestrial broadband transceiver for radio comms and video downlink, largely because of the quality of the RF equipment itself, Nyroth explains. “Something I’ve always had challenges with has been communication over long distances,” he says. “That has normally been very tough, but we are working with Radionor and it has been so straightforward. “Their system is very mature, and they build it to a very high standard. For us it has been like putting in a piece of Lego, no noise on the antennas, no interference worth talking about and none of our other systems are interfering with the comms link. So to reach a 200 km radio comms range with no complex moving parts – some systems have mechanically tracking antennas; this has electronic tracking – in such a straightforward way has been a really positive surprise.” Package for maritime surveillance missions Further development efforts are focused on maritime surveillance missions, and Robot Aviation is putting together a sensor package that includes a stabilised long-range spotting system with EO/ IR cameras, a radar, an Automatic Identification System receiver and an International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher – “basically a cellphone catcher” says Nyroth – all flown at the same time on a single aircraft. Monitoring cellphone traffic is important in this environment, he explains, because maritime surveillance need not all be in the open ocean. “It can be looking for smuggling activities in coastal areas and harbours, with comms involving people being deployed on RHIBs from big ships to deliver drugs, for example.” As well as analysing cellphone traffic, the package can see through cloud with the radar and identify ships at 10-15 km with the spotter. The basic FX450 system is now under test by potential customers. Robot Aviation is also working on the integration and verification of bespoke payload packages, Nyroth says, where the focus is on further functional packages for maritime and border surveillance as well as traditional ISR capabilities. The company is also preparing to deliver aircraft with its own NATO Stanag 4586-compliant SkyView ground control system software. “From a functionality point of view, we see close integration of transponders, flight plans, fly/no-fly-zones and the distribution of media through customers’ own channels as evolving features, while certification to DO standards [such as DO-178C, DO-254 and DO-160] are also important,” he says. Philosophically speaking In so far as he admits to having a philosophy of engineering, Nyroth stresses the kind of conservatism that emphasises safety and reliability. “Sometimes you need to be satisfied with an 80% solution that is ‘110%’ safe, rather than pushing the envelope so far that you stray into areas of uncertainty,” he says. “Be happy with 30 bhp instead of 35 because those 30 bhp will always be available, while 35 bhp may just be there for an hour or two before the engine fails and the whole thing is gone.” He also confesses to a compulsion to staying within budget. “I really don’t like to ask people for money a second time unless something extraordinarily terrible has happened and you need to replace an asset.” He speculates that this may be because of the organisations for which he has worked. “For me, when working with start-ups and small companies, staying on budget has always been very important,” he says. Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2021 Growing up during the 1970s and ’80s, Niklas Nyroth was encouraged to understand technology by his father, who worked in automotive parts logistics and who bought him an old ride-on lawnmower. He left Solberga school in Visby on the island of Gotland, Sweden, at 15 to work in the local hobby shop, a job he mixed with teaching people to fly RC models and restoring old cars to sell on. At the age of 19, in 1991, he was approached to build target drones by Intestor Sweden, which was developing a service for the Swedish Navy. He stayed there for 3 years before being employed as a consultant to the Swedish Armed Forces, leaving in 1994 to join Mission Technologies in Texas. He started there as a test pilot and moved on to other roles including programme manager and systems integration manager, serving his last 7 years at the company as CTO. From 2007 to 2009 he was a UAV subject matter expert for GECI, which supplies unmanned air traffic management systems, and at the same time he gained some formal education by studying energy technology at Sweden’s Dalarna University. From 2009 to 2011 he was Schiebel’s regional sales manager, moving on to Cybaero as sales director until 2014, when he moved to Black Light Aircraft as CTO before joining Robot Aviation as CEO in 2017. Niklas Nyroth