Uncrewed Systems Technology 044 l Xer Technolgies X12 and X8 l Lidar sensors l Stan UGV l USVs insight l AUVSI Xponential 2022 l Cobra Aero A99H l Accession Class USV l Connectors I Oceanology International 2022

22 predicted by the simulation were often not repeated in the tethered flight tests. “In the end, we focused on tests in a warehouse, where we had the prototype plugged into a generator and tethered to a base so that we and the aircraft would be safe while the guys were trying to find the proper balance in trim,” he explains. “That way we could observe the vehicle’s behaviour while monitoring all the trim settings on the motors, then correct the control algorithms.” Success in the tethered tests allowed the team to move on to free flight tests inside the warehouse before venturing into the outside world for airborne and ground work. The latter included driving in dusty conditions, on snow, sand, grass, tarmac roads and small piles of rubble. “There is no connection between the flying and the driving that could affect controllability,” he emphasises. Control on the ground is straightforward, as the HUUVER is a conventional tracked vehicle and behaves like one, with only two motors powering two shafts, while the rest of the mechanism passively tensions and retains the tracks. Galileo integration Integration with the Galileo system was crucial as well. The HUUVER uses the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and authentication services provided by the system, supporting sub-metre accuracy for navigation and verification of GNSS information and of the sender for documentation purposes. Effective for multiple navigation satellite constellations, PPP removes GNSS errors by sending the receiver satellite clock and orbit corrections generated by a network of continuously operating reference stations, according to the EUSPA. The corrections are distributed via satellite and over the internet. As a result, the usual 3-5 m position error associated with GNSS is reduced to between 20 cm and 1 m when the receiver has an unobstructed view of the sky, and can reach sub-metre accuracy in under a minute, says the agency. PPP is promoted as an alternative to other GNSS enhancement systems such as RTK, offering comparable accuracy without the need for a local base station. UAV tracking is one of the applications for which the service is intended, and accuracy is due to be improved to below 20 cm with the planned introduction of Galileo’s High Accuracy Service after 2024. Galileo is also introducing its Open Source Message Authentication (OS-NMA) service that allows the receiver to verify that the GNSS information it is receiving is authentic and coming from a trusted source, reducing vulnerability to spoofing, for example. OS-NMA uses an intrinsic GNSS capability internal to the receiver, so no extra interfaces to the avionics are needed. It will also be free of charge and potentially available beginning this year or in 2023, says the EUSPA. The final outcomes for controllability and Galileo integration were better than anticipated, Weglarz notes. Server and app interface The HMI and its software must make it easy to integrate the airborne and terrestrial portions of the mission from the operator’s point of view. The HMI is embodied in a server- based application for mission planning, management and navigation, and is complemented by a mobile app. The system enables a qualified operator to June/July 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology In conversation | Jakub Weglarz The HUUVER prototype lifts into a hover. Propellers positioned within the tracks make the aerodynamics complex and achieving proper trim a challenge The HUUVER negotiates a grassy slope. Sourcing lightweight tracks durable enough for more abrasive surfaces was one of the development challenges