Up and Soaring - UAS

University of Alaska UAS test site begins FAA-waived research flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the University of Alaska Fairbanks a certificate of waiver or authorization (COA) allowing flights by an Aeryon Scout small UAS for animal surveys at its Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex. The University of Alaska’s unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test site in Fairbanks is the second of six to become operational. The COA is effective for two years. The team began wildlife flight operations in early May.

The main purpose of the Alaskan wildlife operation is to show how a UAS can accurately locate, identify, and count large wild animals, such as caribou, reindeer, musk ox, and bear for survey operations requested by the state.

This site also will collect safety-related operational data needed for UAS integration. Since the research station is within five miles of Fairbanks International Airport, the flights will evaluate procedures for coordination with air traffic controllers, as well as the type and frequency of operational data provided to them. This information will help the FAA analyze current processes for establishing small UAS airworthiness and system maturity. www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas

National Technical Systems to manufacture UAS payload pods

The Albuquerque, N.M.-based engineering services group of the National Technical Systems Inc. (NTS), an independent provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection, and certification solutions, has signed a $1.4 million contract to design and build a series of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payload pods for persistent-surveillance provider Logos Technologies of Fairfax, Va., under an AFRL/RI-sponsored contract.

Called the Mission Payload Pod, MP-2, the lightweight payload pods are designed to support a 25 lb payload capacity per wing of the UAV.

The MP-2 common pod is designed for conformance with MIL-STD-810G and ANSI/IEC 60529 (IP65) standards. The MP-2 incorporates MIL-STD-1916 Acceptance Sampling procedures. www.nts.com; www.logos-technologies.com

Kutta Technologies unveils Ground Control Station software

Phoenix-based Kutta Technologies Inc. has unveiled its new Unified Ground Control Station (UGCS) DO-178 based software.

The STANAG 4586 Level 5 (LOI-5) Ground Control Station (GCS) meets NATO STANAG and U.S. Department of Defense interoperability profiles, and has been designed to the Unmanned Control Segment Working Group (UCS-WG) architecture. The UGCS-178 service oriented architecture (SOA) provides built-in airspace management through a DO-178 qualified tool, auto-routers, and open interfaces, so that customers can integrate their services into the GCS.

Matt Savoca, Kutta’s president, says, “It was challenging to accomplish this technical achievement in less than a year, but we did it because we firmly believe that a RTCA DO-178C certified GCS is one of the keys to the successful flight of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS).”

Kutta’s product lines include: The Bi-Directional Remote Video Terminal (BDRVT), Unified Ground Control Station (UGCS-178), Kutta Rugged Computer (KRC), and Manned / Unmanned Teaming Kit (MUM-178). www.kuttatech.com

Lockheed Martin introduces Vector Hawk small UAS

Vector Hawk is the latest Lockheed Martin small, unmanned aircraft system (UAS). With a gross takeoff weight of 4 lb and a vertical profile of 4", Vector Hawk can be field reconfigured for multiple missions including fixed-wing, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and tilt-rotor enabling VTOL with transition to fixed-wing flight. Fixed-wing variants may be hand or tube launched, and VTOL and tilt-rotor variants may be launched from land or water.

The waterproof Vector Hawk features fully autonomous flight, landing, and fail-safes. The data link features a high bandwidth, software-defined radio, mesh networking (including 3G, 4G, and LTE cellular), and over-the-air reconfiguration. www.lockheedmartin.com

Insitu Pacific’s ScanEagle assists fire management effort

Insitu Pacific, the Australia-based subsidiary of Boeing’s Insitu Inc., demonstrated the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS). The demonstration took place over the Wollemi National Park, 150km northwest of Sydney, where fires have burned more than 35,000 hectares of bushland since December 2013. ScanEagle monitored and reported on the movement of the fire front at night – a task rarely undertaken at low altitude by manned aircraft due to high risk factors.

Insitu Pacific employed General Dynamics Mediaware’s next-generation video exploitation system, D-VEX, to stream full-motion video and geo-location information in near real time. Fire commanders used the imagery to assess the movement of the fire front and pinpoint the locations of high-risk spot fires well ahead of the front itself. Response assets were mobilized more quickly and safely, because their positions relative to the location and movement of the fire could be actively monitored from the emergency services headquarters. www.insitupacific.com; www.gd-ais.com

Northrop Grumman, Yamaha Motor collaborate on unmanned helicopter

Northrop Grumman Corp. and Yamaha Motor Corp. USA have agreed to develop and market a small, unmanned autonomous helicopter system.

Called the Rotary Bat (R-Bat), the new system merges an airframe produced by Yamaha with autonomous control and intelligence-gathering technologies for applications such as search and rescue, power line inspection, and forest fire observation.

The R-Bat is based on the Yamaha Motor RMAX remotely-piloted unmanned helicopter that is currently used for industrial and farming applications in Japan. With more than 2 million accumulated flight hours, the RMAX platform provides agricultural support services to more than 2.4 million acres of farmland each year. www.northropgrumman.com, www.yamaha-motor.com

Sikorsky to develop autonomous Black Hawk

Sikorsky Aircraft will convert a retired UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter into an optionally piloted variant capable of a wide spectrum of missions.

With the autonomous Black Hawk, Sikorsky plans to build on its Matrix Technology and Manned/Unmanned Resupply Aerial Lifter (MURAL) autonomy programs to deliver mission flexibility to combat and logistic planners. The product will integrate autonomy, advanced fleet management, and refurbishment experience to provide a sustainable system.

The helicopter will offer internal and external cargo capability, capacity to lift up to 9,000 lb, and high cruise speeds. The design is targeting a system loss rate of one per 100,000 flight hours with a goal to resupply warfighters at a cost-per-ton-mile that competes with ground convoys.

In collaboration with the U.S. Army, Sikorsky demonstrated the ability of a UH-60M upgrade optionally piloted Black Hawk helicopter to conduct autonomous flight and autonomous cargo resupply demonstrations through its MURAL program earlier this year. www.sikorsky.com

CGQ to use ING RoboticAviation’s Responder robotic aircraft system

The Centre de geomatique du Quebec (CGQ) will use ING Robotic Aviation’s Responder robotic aircraft system to collect aerial imagery that will contribute to scientific research in geomatics. The Responder vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) robotic aircraft package includes a portable ground control system (GCS), ancillary equipment, training, and services support to CGQ. The UAS is capable of high-definition stills and video, geo-referencing and stamping, object and path GPS tracking, and carries a payload weighing up to 12kg. http://ingrobotic.com/aircrafts/rotorcraft-responder

Freewave to help develop minimum operational standards for UAS

FreeWave Technologies Inc., a provider of secure M2M wireless networking solutions, has joined the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee 228, an advisory committee to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that develops aviation standards used for government certification of equipment used in the national airspace. Headquartered in Boulder, Colo., FreeWave is helping develop the minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) for detect-and-avoid capability, with an emphasis on civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) equipped to operate into Class A airspace under IFR flight rules. www.freewave.com