Issue 41 Unmanned Systems Technology December/January 2022 PteroDynamics X-P4 l Sense & avoid l 4Front Robotics Cricket l Autonomous transport l NWFC-1500 fuel cell l DroneX report l OceanScout I Composites I DSEI 2021 report

3 December/January 2022 | Contents Unmanned Systems Technology | December/January 2022 04 Intro As regulations catch up with the technology, so unmanned systems are reaching a point where they will be an everyday sight 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Driverless car hire service uses remote driver for delivery and collection, tethered UAV controlled by machine learning, closed- loop system tests car radar sensors, and much more 18 In conversation: Janek Biskupski GE Aviation’s principal engineer discusses the company’s new aero engine – its first in 50 years 22 Dossier: PteroDynamics X-P4 We explain how this UAV’s unique VTOL-transitioning technology was developed and what its advantages are 36 Focus: Sense & avoid systems Why sense & avoid is moving to ground-based radar and unmanned traffic management systems 46 Digest: 4Front Robotics Cricket If you’re looking for a UGV that can climb up pipes and along tunnels, this one certainly has the legs for it 54 Insight: Autonomous transport All the talk about these systems is being turned into practical services, as the companies here are showing 62 Dossier: NWFC-1500 fuel cell In a unexpected expansion from supplying multi-fuel engines, Northwest UAV has produced this hydrogen fuel cell. We report on why it has done so and how it developed the cell 72 Show report: DroneX 2021 Highlights of some of the new developments showcased at this recent expo at London’s ExCel centre 76 In operation: Hefring Engineering OceanScout We find out how this buoyancy-driven UUV has been designed and built to ‘democratise’ the scientific research of our oceans by small teams on a strict budget 82 Focus: Composites In line with the growing sizes of unmanned vehicles, composite materials developers are turning to ways of increasing strength and stability while reducing waste and costs 92 Show report: DSEI 2021 Our round-up of some of the newest military-grade products on display at this world-leading defence and security exhibition 98 PS: Extra-large naval UUVs We look at why the 50-ton Orca concept XLUUV is being developed for the US Navy, and how it will fit into its vision of a more distributed fleet architecture 22 54 46 62 36