Up and Soaring - UAS

Tactical Electronics Selected for SUAS Demonstrations
Tactical Electronics, supplier of the RAPTR UAV (remote aerial platform/tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle), has been selected to participate in the upcoming small-unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) demonstrations for the Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) project.

The fully autonomous RAPTR, a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) SUAS, primarily serves as a delivery/transport platform for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance payloads. The RAPS project will determine the effectiveness of the SUAS in supporting emergency responder operations.

Tactical Electronics will participate in initial testing at the Fort Sill U.S. Army post in Oklahoma. The RAPTR will be evaluated on key performance parameters under a wide variety of simulated, but realistic and relevant real-world operational scenarios, focusing on response to situations where human lives or property are in imminent danger (e.g., endurance, stability, and resolution). www.tacticalelectronics.com

Gray Eagle Takes Flight
The U.S. Army’s newest unmanned aircraft systems, the Gray Eagle, departed Fort Riley, KS, Jan. 29, 2013 destined for Afghanistan as part of the 1st Infantry Division.

Designed for improved seeing and listening, compared to its predecessors, the Gray Eagle is a medium-altitude, long-endurance system that performs better at higher altitudes. New targeting systems and a new engine allow the aircraft to fly longer and higher, and carry more weight than many of the Army’s previous unmanned systems.

“Gray Eagle is a state-of-the-art platform that allows ground forces to move further faster and provides a picture for the commanders so they can make more informed decisions for maneuver and security,” says 1st CAB Commander, Col. Mike Morgan, U.S. Army. www.army.mil

Student’s Design Earns Homeland Security Attention
A team of aerospace engineering students from Oklahoma State University (OSU) has been selected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move to the next phase of the BORDERS Small Unmanned Aircraft System Competition.

The competition rewards innovative SUAS design concepts meeting the requirements of border and maritime surveillance missions.

“The platform that we have been contracted to design, build, and test will add to our already impressive custom unmanned aircraft fleet and will provide a unique test bed to examine novel propulsion and payload concepts,” says Dr. Jamey Jacobs, mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, OSU.

OSU is among four teams to receive this honor. www.okstate.edu

Developing State’s First Maintenance Program
The Alabama Aviation Center (AAC) will launch the state’s first program to teach maintenance on unmanned aircraft systems in January 2014, with $360,000 in initial grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. Program graduates will be certified technicians qualified in both manned and unmanned aircraft maintenance.

The unmanned maintenance program will be only the third in the country and the only one of its type in the southeast. www.escc.edu