102 In operation | Red Cat Holdings Black Widow it happens to be, while ‘E-stop’ mode will cause the aircraft to disable itself immediately, falling unpowered out of the air. Naturally, the advice is to use this option with caution. Finally, the operator can chose to have the aircraft ‘do nothing’, which effectively tells it to continue at its current speed, altitude and heading until communications are regained. The UAV has some ability to look after itself during flight, as it has two forward-facing cameras feeding obstacle detection and avoidance software. This system enables Black Widow to detect objects in front of it and up to 90o above, below, left or right of it, while the obstacle avoidance algorithm adjusts the flight path via the autopilot to avoid collisions. Black Widow can be flown legally in civilian and mixed-use airspace, but to comply with regulations it has to have a remote identification (RID) system, which Red Cat/Teal Drones offers as an option. It can be shipped to US Department of Defense (DoD) customers or internationally (where permitted by the US Department of State) without an RID module installed. For other domestic customers who do not need to comply with FAA RID regulations, the module can be installed for registration by the operator. Operational scenarios When planning a reconnaissance mission there are a few considerations to ponder. The operator needs to determine whether the mission should be flown manually or autonomously using a pre-programmed flight path. “In the event that it can be flown autonomously, it is possible to fly with the radios disabled to minimise the chance of detection. They should determine whether video or images need to be recorded, and if that imagery can be retrieved after the flight or whether it ought to be transferred to the GCS during the mission,” Thompson says. “They should also determine whether the mission needs to be carried out in ‘stealth’ mode, which disables Black Widow’s lights and audible alerts from the aircraft. It also disables the downwardfacing laser that is used to determine ground proximity during take-off and landing. This can result in harder landings than might otherwise be experienced.” Battlefield operators often have to respond rapidly to changes such as new target locations while a mission is in progress, and Black Widow allows for this. Even during pre-programmed missions, additional target locations and rally points can be added easily through the GCS touchscreen and transmitted to the aircraft. Also, the operator can take over control of the aircraft at any time during an autonomous mission. Although not primarily designed for indoor use, Black Widow can be launched and retrieved in confined spaces, with the obstacle avoidance cameras and laser ground-proximity sensor providing situational awareness. “A landing or retrieval in a confined space does require greater operator proficiency and awareness of the aircraft,” Thompson says. Sensor suite Black Widow is designed to be equally capable in daylight, at night and in low visibility conditions. The primary payload is a dual-sensor Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ two-axis gimbal module from Teal Drones with both visible light and IR cameras. In case of damage to the payload, it can be replaced in the field in under a minute by simply loosening two captive screws. The visible light sensor is a 64 MP camera with a horizontal field of view (HFoV) of 67°, while its IR counterpart is a Boson+ 640 radiometric camera with a 32° HFOV, from Teledyne FLIR. The Boson camera has a 640 x 512 element February/March 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Tactical display on the Warfighter Electronic Bridge (WEB) GCS, showing the positions of two Black Widows and an armoured vehicle, identified and tracked by the Athena AI software (Image courtesy of Teal Drones) Prism is regularly updated with new identification models and [lets] Black Widow identify personnel targets, as well as land and maritime vehicles
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