UAVs and UCAVs

Armand2REP

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I am a big fan of the Netra UAV, every squad should have one including FELIN. The Rustom 1 on the other hand doesn't look like much and the 14hr endurance it states has to be a joke.
 

p2prada

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The Rustom 1 on the other hand doesn't look like much and the 14hr endurance it states has to be a joke.
It's true. It's a MALE UAV. Next up is the Global Hawk type HALE UAV.

Rustom-1's wingspan is 20m while that of Global Hawk is 35m.
 

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UAVs deployed for Mayawati's Chandigarh rally
:becky:
UAVs deployed for Mayawati's Chandigarh rally


Chandigarh: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati's rally here on Sunday.

"We are taking the help of UAVs to keep an eye on the rally venue," a police officer said. "Mayawati will go to the Chandigarh airport after the rally."

This is the first time the Chandigarh Police has used UAVs, which can fly up to a height of 100 meters and record footage for 30 minutes.

More than 1,600 police and paramilitary personnel will also be on duty during the rally.

"Our quick reaction team and anti-sabotage team will be on standby near the rally venue," the officer said.

Mayawati arrived here on Saturday evening and is staying at the Taj hotel in Sector 17. She will address party workers at the Sector 25 rally ground.

The BSP expects over 100,000 party workers from Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh at the rally.
 

lambu

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Unmanned Air Vehicles for IAF

The Indian Air Force has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a small-sized Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTOL-UAV) to perform Intelligence, Search and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The battery or fuel-operated UAV should weigh less than 10kg (22lb).

VTOL-UAVEquipped with mission payloads including cameras, forward-looking infrared' laser spotters and range-finders, the UAV is required to have an operational endurance of over an hour with the capability to hover and operate in urban environments.

The system is also required to have portable, lightweight ground stations and data-link terminals.

The RFI is for "a simple design such as a personal computer-based ground control station capable of handling the UAV telemetry information, mission display image processing, detection and transmission of information pertaining to all payloads." It also calls for the "facility to integrate with other HQ/control stations" and a data-link range of "not less than 10km."

Unmanned Air Vehicles for IAF

 
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DRDO's UAV test range in Chitradurga by 2011 | India Defence

DRDO's UAV test range in Chitradurga by 2011

Unmaned Air Vehicles (UAV's) soaring over Chitradurga skies will soon be a familiar sight, as the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will establish a world class aero test range facility at Kudapura Kaval, near Chitradurga city, in three years.

Speaking to reporters at the 'Aerosem 2008' on Friday, Chief Controller (Research and Development), Dr Prahlada, said that the test range facility at Kudapura Kaval to be set up at a cost of Rs 1000 crore will be used to test UAV's, parachutes and bombs.

"The Karnataka government has agreed in-principle to allot 4,200 acres of land and the Ministry of Defence will purchase the land at a cost of Rs 12 crore," he said.On the indigenous UAV's Nishant and Lakshya developed by the DRDO, he said that a roadmap will be prepared to meet the requirements of the armed forces.

Besides, he said that the State government had evinced interest in the Nishant for possible use against insurgency.

Prahlada said that the State Home Minister VS Acharya who inaugurated 'Aerosem 2008' had enquired about the capabilities of Nishant and if it could be used in insurgency operations.

Kaveri engine for LCA in 2009 The much-delayed indigenous Kaveri engine will be fitted to the Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) as the engine has successfully completed all air-worthy tests, said T Mohana Rao, Director, Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).

The GTRE is manufacturing the Kaveri engine and the programme had begun way back in 1998."The latest test that was conducted in Russia in September has yielded positive results and we are hopeful to fit the engine to the LCA by the end of 2009," he said.
 

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India beefs up China front with UAVs, copters to monitor PLA

IAF fighter jet
The plans are meant to strategically counter China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control.
NEW DELHI: India is now deploying spy drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and light observation helicopters along the borders with China to keep a hawk-eye on the stepped-up activities of People's Liberation Army.

The construction of over 5,500 "permanent defences and bunkers" along the borders is now being speeded up to ensure their completion within four to five years, under the Rs 9,243 crore military infrastructure development project approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security for the Eastern Army Command.

"Sukhoi-30MKI fighters are already being based in IAF airbases like Tezpur and Chabua. Army Aviation bases in Assam are also now being upgraded, with seven helicopters and four Israeli Searcher-II UAVs already been deployed there," a defence ministry source said.

The Army is also pushing for a mountain strike corps after having raised two new mountain infantry divisions. The new divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers, have their HQs in Zakama (56 Div) in Nagaland and Missamari (71 Div) in Assam.

Though quite belated, all these plans are meant to strategically counter China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the last two decades.

A flurry of high-level meetings in the last two-three months, which included a top military briefing to PM Manmohan Singh, have dealt on the dire need to boost India's military infrastructure, strike capabilities and operational logistics along the LAC.

Incidentally, with five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), China can now move more than 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) at their "launch pads" on LAC in double-quick time, outnumbering Indian forces by at least three-is-to-one.

China's rapidly-expanding footprint in infrastructure projects in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, in the backdrop of the Beijing-Islamabad military nexus which targets India, has served to further heighten concerns in the defence establishment here.

India's counter-moves, however, are anything but swift. Only 15 of the 73 all-weather roads earmarked for construction along the unresolved LAC, for instance, are actually ready till now.

IAF is now also upgrading eastern sector ALGs (advanced landing grounds) like Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal after reactivating western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyama in eastern Ladakh. "But the entire process needs to be hastened," said an official.

Similarly, Army and IAF want faster inductions of the indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to counter the threat posed by enemy fighters, drones and helicopters on both western and eastern fronts.

While IAF has ordered eight Akash squadrons for Rs 6,200 crore, six of which are to be based in the North-East, the Army has placed an order for two regiments at a cost of Rs 14,180 crore.

India beefs up China front with UAVs, copters to monitor PLA - The Times of India
 
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Defence News - India Eyes UAV's Capable Of Flying For 14 Days Non-Stop

India Eyes UAV's Capable Of Flying For 14 Days Non-Stop

After launching development of stealth UCAV (Cnmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) program, India is now also looking at designing a sophisticated ultra-light solar powered spy drone which can cruise in the sky for several days at a time.

After launching development of stealth UCAV (Cnmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) program, India is now also looking at designing a sophisticated ultra-light solar powered spy drone which can cruise in the sky for several days at a time.

The High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) solar-powered UAV will not just reduce Indian military's carbon footprint but more importantly provide a cost-effective and flexible 24x7 ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance) platform close to a pseudo-satellite which will operate much closer to the ground.

The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have asked the DRDO to develop the ultra-light solar-powered HALE UAV. Initial work on the UAV is in progress for such a drone which can undertake a 14-day continuous flight over 30,000-feet.

The drone will harvest solar energy during the day & store the energy in fuel cells to provide power for electric motors for night flying. The level of Solar efficiency is very low compared to other conventional forms of energy. This is why the DRDO is looking at a payload of around 50kg including sensors, cameras etc. The DRDO will seek foreign collaboration if needed from either the United States or Europe.

This development comes at a time when several international aviation majors are doing cutting-edge research on solar UAV's. Boeing, for instance, is developing a UAV with a 400-feet wingspan, called Solar Eagle, which can operate continuously for an astonishing five years. It is being described as a 'zero-maintenance, launch-and-leave UAV'.

With remotely-piloted spy planes as well as armed combat drones being seen as a major force-multiplier or game-changer in modern-day warfare, the DRDO has launched a series of UAV programmes for the Indian armed forces, which have largely depended on Israeli drones like Searchers and Herons till now.

Apart from the ultra-light solar-powered UAV, the DRDO is also secretly developing the AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) programme to which will be capable of firing missiles, bombs and PGM's (Precision Guided Munitions).

The Indian Government has recently cleared a Rs 1,500 crore DRDO project to develop the Rustom-H MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, capable of operating for 24 hours with a 350-kg payload. The first flight of Rustom-H MALE will take place within the next two years.

There is also a smaller Rustom-I drone, with an 8-12 hour endurance and a 100-kg payload, as well as the already developed Nishant UAV, which has a 4.5 hour endurance level.

The Indian Army has projected a requirement of seven squadrons of the Rustom drones. As for the Nishant, the Army has already inducted 4 such drones, which can be launched from hydro-pneumatic launchers without the need of runways, while eight more are being manufactured.

With DRDO working on the entire spectrum ranging from hand-held mini to full-fledged combat drones, a dedicated aeronautical test range from them is also coming up at Challakere, around 220 km from Bangalore. The test range will be fully operational in the two years.

With all these developments and advancements in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology, today's fighter jets are fast becoming obsolete. The ultimate aim is to fight future wars with minimum human casualty.
 

Kunal Biswas

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Japan ball drone

Japan ball drone


Interesting Deign..
 
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Armand2REP

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I guess the ball is to protect it. I think you could reduce some weight with a better protection than a ball cage.

Those Japanese girls are so cute.
 

lambu

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Indian Police Seeking More Mini-UAVs

The growing interest in unmanned systems for use by Indian police and law enforcement agencies is bringing the Home Ministry to evaluate some of the technologies available for paramilitary use. Indian police forces are expressing interest in deploying mini and micro UAVs for years, and some have embarked on experimental evaluation programs, but only recently the interest was translated into action, with the procurement of the first two system by the Chandigarh Police.

The first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used by police forces in India is the 'Golden Hawk', expected to be followed by the 'Netra', both developed by India's Defense Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). Following the official roll-out with the Chandigarh Police in North-Western India, and training of specialist police teams in operating the new systems, the mini-drones were used operationally monitoring large rallies and marches, providing bird's eye view for law enforcement officers, improving situational understanding.



Golden Hawk, developed by the DRDO was recently acquired for first use by the Chandigarh Police in Indian.
The growing interest in unmanned systems for use by Indian police and law enforcement agencies is bringing the Home Ministry to evaluate some of the technologies available for paramilitary use. Indian police forces are expressing interest in deploying mini and micro UAVs for years, and some have embarked on experimental evaluation programs, but only recently the interest was translated into action, with the procurement of the first two system by the Chandigarh Police.


Netra can be operated at distances of up to 1.5 km, flying at an altitude of 200 meters above ground sending live video streaming to the ground station.

Netra, a vertically take of and landing UAV that unlike the Golden Hawk, can also hover, was developed by DRDO Research and Development Establishment (RnDE) lab. Netra can send live video or thermal imaging via wireless link, to the operator system located several kilometers away. The system was recently tested in Chatisgarh to evaluate its utility to fight Naxal insurgency in these areas. The use of such lightweight hovering platforms seems to better conform with police uses, since its localized, low-level operational envelope better conforms with air traffic limitations.



The private sector in India is embracing the opportunity, offering indigenously developed or imported systems addressing the new police requirements. Following Chandigarh, another unit at Haryana has expressed interest in the mini-drones, inviting the Bangalore-based Israeli company BlueBird Aerosystems to demonstrate its MicroB, which has been in use by Israel's security forces for several years. Another domestic company specializing in civil applications of small UAVs is Aurora Integrated Systems (AIS), vertically integrated specialist company offering UAS and aerostat based aerial sensors.



Swallow Systems is small company that also specializes in small unmanned systems. At Aero India 2011 Swallow Systems introduced the Skimmer UAS, a 2.5 kg portable, hand launched, battery operated UAV that looks as a copy of the U.S. Raven but, according to the manufacturer, offers much improved performance and reliability. The company offers the Swallow for military, paramilitary and civil applications, including aerial reconnaissance with recordable live video down feed in the events of forest fires, natural calamities and for wildlife monitoring, area mapping, and perimeter surveillance.



Elsewhere, police forces in the U.S. and the U.K. have already been using micro drones for several years, but the level of usage is limited by restrictions imposed by conflicting air traffic regulations banning unmanned vehicles operations in civil airspace. For example, in Texas, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams were using the Aerovironment Wasp drone, originally developed for the U.S. Special Operations and Marine Corps while the Miami Police has tested the Honeywell T-Hawk since 2008.

The wide use of drones has been limited due to the potential risk they pose to flying activity. In the U.S. police units planning to operate UAVs must file request for permission for such activity with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which controls the national airspace. By 2013, the FAA expects to have formulated new rules that would allow police across the country to routinely fly lightweight, unarmed drones up to 400 feet (122 m') above the ground – high enough for them to be largely invisible eyes in the sky.

– Indian Police Seeking More Mini-UAVs | Defense Update
 

Anshu Attri

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Russia, India in joint drone project

Russia, India in joint drone project | idrw.org

Russia and India are mulling a project for a recoverable rocket-firing drone based on their BraMos cruise missile. Engineers from the two sides started discussing the proposal at a meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

The drone will be capable of delivering heavy explosive payloads to targets thousands of kilometres away from its home base.
 

Neil

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US House committee targets UAV programmes

Two unmanned aircraft systems could be scaled back next year under a new version of the fiscal year 2012 spending bill, despite a deployment surge to Afghanistan.

Purchases of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout, the vertical take-off unmanned air vehicle operated by the US Navy, would decline by 12 aircraft, saving $115 million.

Meanwhile, the budget for a key upgrade of the US Air Force's General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper also would fall by about 15%.




A 27 May report from the House appropriations committee on the Department of Defense's FY2012 budget request nodded to complaints by the armed services that the MQ-8B (above) lacks range and capability, and cut funds for the remaining planned purchases of the system.

The committee report also notes that the programme has been adrift since purchases of its intended carrier, the Littoral Combat Ship, were sharply limited in 2010. It also endorsed moving the funds saved by cutting the MQ-8B order to both the substantially-improved -C model and its yet-to-be-defined replacement. "The committee supports the navy's plan to move to a longer range maritime unmanned air vehicle, and the recommendation fully funds the navy's request for development funding for this effort."

Northrop has recently announced its intention to migrate future MQ-8 purchases to the -C model, which replaces the -B's Schweizer 333 airframe with a Bell 407, drastically increasing range and lifting capability.

The USN's current MQ-8B is now operational in Afghanistan, with three airframes, still formally under testing, having been deployed in April to the Regional Command - North's area of operations. This marks the type's second operational deployment, following ongoing operations on the USS Halyburton on counter-piracy patrol off the coast of Somalia.

"In less than one month, we have flown more than 200 flight hours and completed more than 80 sorties and we are on track to fly 300h per month," said the navy. The deployed aircraft are government-owned but operated by Northrop under military command. Further details of operations in Afghanistan were unavailable.

The reason for the USAF's proposed MQ-9 budget cut was not directed at the airframe, but its testing progress. The Block 5 upgrade, which adds power, communications and sensor improvements, is running a year behind schedule, the committee reports. As a result, the panel withdrew about $145 million from a nearly $1 billion budget request for the Reaper next year.


House committee targets UAV programmes
 
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Helicopter lost over Libya is new US drone: officials

Helicopter lost over Libya is new US drone


A drone helicopter that lost radar contact with NATO over Libya is a Fire Scout, an unmanned US chopper, defense officials said Tuesday, revealing the use of the new robotic aircraft in the war.

"We don't know yet" why NATO's command center in Naples, Italy lost contact with the MQ-8B Fire Scout, a US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

It was unclear whether the small helicopter, equipped with cameras and sensors for surveillance flights off naval ships, had been shot down or suffered mechanical or communications problems.

The Pentagon had previously announced the deployment of two armed Predator drones for the NATO-led air campaign against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's forces, but had not previously cited any role for the unmanned helicopter.

The aircraft was one of two Fire Scouts deployed to the Libya conflict, initially aboard a naval frigate, the USS Halyburton, a second defense official said.

The alliance lost track of the helicopter at 0720 GMT Tuesday in Libya's central coastal area, said NATO military spokesman Mike Bracken.

"This drone helicopter was performing intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance over Libya to monitor pro-Kadhafi forces threatening the civilian population," Bracken told a news conference in Brussels via videolink from Naples.

Libyan state television showed footage of a burnt-out helicopter it identified as an Apache, reportedly downed near Zliten, 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the capital.

But NATO denied losing any attack helicopters.

The Fire Scout, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, carried out its first flight in 2006 and was deployed on a guided-missile frigate, the USS McInerney, in 2009 for counter-narcotics efforts.

The Fire Scout can reach an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters), fly at a speed of more than 115 knots (200 kilometers) per hour and stay in the air for more than eight hours, employing sensors and radar to find and track targets.

The US Navy had a fleet of 15 Fire Scouts before Tuesday's incident and plans to build 168 of the helicopters, proposing funding for three Fire Scouts in 2011 and a dozen in 2012.

Three Fire Scouts have also been deployed for operations in Afghanistan, officials said.

On August 2, American commanders in Washington considered shooting down a Fire Scout helicopter when it strayed off course and flew toward the US capital after losing ground communications.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command was on the verge of scrambling F-16 fighter jets to intercept the helicopter when operators regained control of the chopper after 20 minutes.

The loss of the drone in Libya came amid a raging debate in Congress over whether President Barack Obama has overstepped his legal authority by backing the air campaign against Moamer Kadhafi's forces.

The United States has played mainly a supporting role in the conflict, with allied fighter jets carrying out the overwhelming majority of the air strikes.

Since April, when NATO assumed command of the air campaign, American planes have carried out about 60 sorties on anti-aircraft targets in Libya while Predator drones have fired missiles about 30 times, according to The New York Times.
 
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Indian navy considering Northrop's MQ-4C BAMS

Indian navy considering Northrop's MQ-4C BAMS

Northrop Grumman is pitching its MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft system to the Indian navy.

Earlier this year the company responded to an Indian request for information for a high-altitude, long-endurance UAS issued in October 2010, said an industry source.

In US Navy service BAMS is planned to work closely with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. At a seminar about BAMS hosted by Northrop for members of the Indian military, possible co-operation between BAMS and the Indian navy's future P-8I aircraft was a point of discussion.

India's first of eight P-8Is recently entered final assembly at Boeing's Renton factory. The company has also proposed a variant of the 737-based P-8I for India's medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft requirement.

New Delhi is increasingly turning to unmanned systems to patrol its vast ocean frontiers, which include the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. In January the Indian navy stood up its second UAS squadron, which will operate Israel Aerospace Industries-supplied Herons and Searcher IIs over the northern Arabian Sea.

In March, Israeli sources told Flightglobal that India's navy has operational requirements for additional systems made by IAI, potentially including improved Heron or Heron TP systems carrying maritime sensor payloads. Evaluations using some systems have already been carried out.

Northrop plans to roll out the first MQ-4C in early 2012, with the first flight to occur around the middle of the same year.

One stumbling block in a potential BAMS sale to India could be the international Missile Technology Control Regime, although India is not a signatory.
 
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Flapping micro air vehicles inspired by swifts

Flapping micro air vehicles inspired by swifts



Scientists have designed a micro aircraft that will be able to flap, glide and hover like a bird.

Researchers from the Biomimetics-Innovation-Centre in Germany have been inspired by birds to produce a new versatile design of Micro air vehicle (MAV) that combines flapping wings, which allow it to fly at slow speeds and hover, with the ability to glide, ensuring good quality images from any on-board camera.

"In birds, the combination of demanding tasks like take-off, travelling long distances, manoeuvring in confined areas and landing is daily practice," explains PhD researcher Mr. William Thielicke, who is presenting this work at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow on the 2nd of July.

This innovative design was inspired by one bird in particular, the swift. "We know that swifts are very manoeuvrable and they can glide very efficiently. So we thought these birds would be a very good starting point for an energy efficient flapping-wing MAV," says Mr. Thielicke.

While fixed wing MAVs are energy efficient, their manoeuvrability is low. The new design would allow the flapping wing MAV to glide, improving energy efficiency and ensuring good images but when needed it can also slow its flight and manoeuvre in confined spaces.

"Although the models are not yet ready to be used, initial tests are positive and we hope that this design will combine the best of both worlds," says Mr. Thielicke.
 
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X-47B Can Operate From an Aircraft Carrier

X-47B Can Operate From an Aircraft Carrier


The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman have completed a demonstration of the ship-based software and systems that will allow the X-47B unmanned air vehicle to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The test, conducted July 2 in the western Atlantic with the Navy carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN-69), culminated with several successful launches and recoveries of a manned surrogate aircraft equipped with X-47B precision navigation control software.

"This manned surrogate test event is a significant and critical step toward landing the X-47B on the carrier deck in 2013," said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, U.S. Navy, program manager, Navy Unmanned Combat Air System (N-UCAS). "It represents the first end-to-end test of the hardware and software systems that will eventually allow unmanned systems to integrate safely and successfully with all aspects of carrier operations."

Strong collaboration between the engineers of U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Northrop Grumman was key to the successful test, he added. Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. A Navy/Northrop Grumman test team conducted first flight of the X-47B in February.

"The precision navigation and control capability demonstrated by the UCAS-D team represents a potential 'breakthrough' capability for the Navy," said Janis Pamiljans, vice president, N-UCAS for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "It could be applied, in theory, to any manned or unmanned carrier-compatible aircraft, which could have a dramatic effect on the tempo and efficiency of future carrier operations."

According to Glenn Colby, NAVAIR's aviation/ship integration lead, the biggest challenge associated with landing an unmanned system on a carrier deck is automating - and removing any ambiguity from - flight procedures and communications between aircraft and ship that have traditionally been performed manually by pilots and the ship's air operations personnel.

"Today's carrier environment relies on human operators to monitor and ensure safe flight operations," said Colby. "As we begin to integrate unmanned systems into this very restrictive manned environment, we have to ensure that the software controlling these new systems can recognize and respond correctly to every type of contingency."

Colby and his team at NAVAIR's N-UCAS Aviation/Ship Integration Facility (NASIF) at Patuxent River, prepared for the surrogate testing through a steady build-up of rigorous software simulations and flight tests.

First, they used early versions of the software that the X-47B will use to operate at the carrier to simulate command and control, air traffic control and navigation exchanges between the aircraft and the carrier. Then they progressed to more robust simulations that included X-47B avionics and an X-47B mission operator station, all in the NASIF lab.

Next were flight tests of X-47B hardware and software installed on a King Air Beech 300 aircraft. The King Air flew in the vicinity of CVN-69 - both pier-side in Norfolk, Va., and while underway - to test mission management, command and control, communications, air traffic control and navigation functions between the X-47B software and the ship.

In addition to the King Air, the test team used a surrogate F/A-18 aircraft equipped with X-47B software and avionics to evaluate the most challenging areas of launch and recovery operations. Initial testing at Patuxent River focused on verifying that aircraft sensors, navigation, guidance and control systems were ready for shipboard testing.

"Using a manned surrogate platform to test the unmanned systems avionics and software gives us an extra layer of safety as we test the X-47B software to ensure that it responds correctly and safely to different flight conditions," explained Colby.

Results from the surrogate testing will be used to continue to refine the mission management, navigation, guidance and control software that the X-47B will use to perform its first carrier landings in 2013.
 

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