Issue 40 Unmanned Systems Technology October/November 2021 ANYbotics ANYmal D l AI systems focus l Aquatic Drones Phoenix 5 l Space vehicles insight l Sky Eye Rapier X-25 l FlyingBasket FB3 l GCS focus l AUVSI Xponential 2021

65 Sky Eye Systems Rapier X-25 | Digest C2 mode for conducting a safe landing and recovery of the aircraft. As well as being designed for operation via keyboard, joystick, manual throttle/thrust lever or mouse (with trackball), the GCS features four touchscreen monitors and data encryption in line with the Italian military’s latest requirements on computer systems. The C2 pilot station and the sensor station are configured as master and slave respectively, with the two sets of control systems and monitors connected via an Ethernet switchboard and common storage hard disc. Both have separate comms links to the UAV and the launch catapult. The data link has a line-of-sight range of 80 km. Satellite comms are expected to be available in about 2 years’ time, pending regulatory allowance of a system that Sky Eye is satisfied will fit among the Rapier’s subsystems. In addition to mission planning, monitoring and control, the GCS can also act as a simulator for training pilots and sensor operators in using either the Rapier or other, larger UAVs. Designing it this way was a key requirement from the Italian Air Force. “A crucial part of current operator- focused regulations for unmanned aviation in the US and elsewhere is that a UAV below 25 kg can be piloted by someone such as a civilian officer or a trainee,” Lucchesini notes. “So having a very good GCS that doubles functionally as a training simulator is really important for our customer base, to make sure the X-25 can be operated by many people, and that those people can quickly be trained in how to use the UAV effectively.” The GCS has achieved a NATO level of interoperability for manned/unmanned teaming of LOI 5 – the highest level – signifying access to degrees of control and data on the UAV and its transponder that are unavailable at the lower levels. Payloads Like many UAVs designed for military as well as commercial applications nowadays, the Rapier can be designed to integrate various payloads in terms of weight, function, volume and power requirements, within a maximum payload carrying capacity of 3.5 kg. These include EO/IR gimbals, synthetic aperture radar, Lidar, hyperspectral cameras and comms relay radios. The Rapier’s standard payload is the Epsilon 140 gimbal from Octopus ISR Systems, a 1.73 kg ball integrating an EO camera, a LWIR sensor, a laser rangefinder and a laser pointer- designator. “We feel this is a very high performance sensor package, not only in terms of the quality of the electronics but also the glasses in the sensor windows,” Schettini notes. “Overall, its engineering makes it useful for certifying our designs and flights, including in the US.” For added aerodynamic efficiency, the 189 x 140 gimbal can be mechanically retracted inside the fuselage’s payload sector. That sector also contains the mounting points for the pitot tube, on the side of the hull. Unmanned Systems Technology | October/November 2021 The Rapier series of UAVs consists of three designs, two of which are currently available for production by SES. The Rapier X-SkySAR is an evolution of the X-25’s configuration. While outwardly the two look extremely similar, the X-SkySAR has been designed for a MTOW of 30 kg, to allow it to carry two sensor payloads. The first is an EO/IR payload from or similar to those of Octopus ISR Systems. The second is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), for providing an all-weather survey capability even in poor visibility as a result say of clouds, fog or smog. The SAR payload is intended to provide SES’ customers with new mission profiles such as detecting oil spills, tracking moving targets (including through cloud cover) and monitoring changes in glaciers or other topographical features. Post-processing software is also offered for smart fusion and analytics of survey data. The X-SkySAR is also designed to be automatically recovered using a hook and landing net combination, to enable landings in tight spaces such as over a ship’s deck. The Rapier X-VTOL is a yet-to-be unveiled version of the X-25, which as its name suggests is equipped with vertically disposed electric motors to provide a VTOL capability to the fixed-wing craft. The design allows for equipping one EO/IR payload or two simultaneous (EO/IR and SAR) payload integrations. Its MTOW is expected to be about 50 kg and its endurance should be up to 10 hours. Sky Eye sees the X-VTOL reaching TRL 7 by the end of 2023. Variants of the Rapier