88 Focus | Ground control stations important to ensure all internal systems work together seamlessly. A large part of this involves straightforward design and testing rigour to reveal and eliminate potential failure modes. Advancements in simulation software tools, however, are playing an ever-greater role in modelling and predicting GCS behaviour under varying operational scenarios. For instance, simulating how a new GCS will handle or interact with different radios and antennas is vital to ensure the diversity of comms prized by today’s uncrewed systems market – particularly since different ports (including Ethernet, serial and CAN) must be provided for such peripherals, and some connectors are notably expensive and difficult to source. Simulation for environmental or mechanical issues is similarly critical, given that GCSs must deal with groundlevel temperatures, weather, salt spray, and so forth. Any components that may be exposed to sources of deterioration must be housed in metal, carbon composite or similarly protective materials, with treatments as needed to protect the electronics. Such enclosures must also account for the careful placement of connectors, wires and mounting brackets for hot-swappable radios or batteries. Such simulations are critical for minimising the rounds of iteration and re-engineering needed for case-type and containerised GCSs, especially those slated for use in hot environments, where vents on multiple sides should be installed and optimised to enhance airflow, while preventing dust and moisture ingress, via custom-machined frames, seals, vent doors, variable-speed fans and other important parts. Manufacture and assembly While custom designs still make up the majority of GCSs sold today, mounting wars and national security concerns have sparked a surge in demand from defence organisations for a GCS product that can be ordered COTS and is “just good enough” for purpose (delivery speed taking priority over design and performance optimisation for such customers). Some military forces even consider contextually fast lead times of 10-12 weeks to be nine to 11 weeks too slow for their tastes, and this is spurring a move towards large-batch manufacturing of standardised, versatile GCS units to keep a ready stock of inventory that can be shipped within a week’s notice. As well as lowering per unit costs, standardised production lines are expected to achieve lead times of six weeks or less, with batch sizes of at least 1000 GCSs, within the next few years. This shift towards standardised GCS batches is driving investment in automated assembly machines, as well as appropriate ISO ratings for efficiency, cleanliness and traceability among manufacturers to maximise consistency of the units produced. Going forwards, some GCS makers will benefit from closer access to state-of-the-art factories where even circuit boards can be manufactured under strict quality controls, with high-end production lines outputting certified or certifiable components. However, customisation is expected to remain in some aspects of even batch-manufactured GCSs with, for instance, minor external customisations to standard products, such as logo stamping, modifications to grips and brackets, or a means of customising the last 2% of a given design while still leveraging the cost- and timesaving benefits of a semi-automated production line. Group tests As with many avionics-related solutions, one can find two broad groups of tests that GCS producers undertake on their units: verification or validation tests conducted before a GCS design goes into production; and operational tests carried out on every unit that comes off the production line. Among the former are well-known environmental, shock, vibration and other tests intended to define destructive limits and tolerances to mould, electrostatic discharges or impacts. GCS prototypes that fail to pass these tests to established industry or military standards (depending on the intended market) must be redesigned, and then run through the tests again with varying levels of intensity until the testing standards are met and the prototype can become a solution approved for manufacturing. Naturally, tests ascertaining the operating capabilities of GCSs from the production line are not so intensive and will not compromise the lifespan of units. Additionally, stringent EMI testing protocols (in the engineering and production of GCSs) can help to ensure October/November 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Unusual combinations of mouse, joystick and other control devices may emerge to aid dynamic multi-vehicle operations (Image courtesy of Worthington Sharpe)
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