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Defense News 04/29/2013

Copyright 2013 Defense News 04/29/2013 April 29, 2013 1:23 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA
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12 4r|| 29, 20I3 0NmANNBDSYSTBmS
hL5INKI ~ Tho hoightoning Nor-
dic focus on soldior protoction has
spurrod tho rogion's loading UAV
manufacturors to prioritizo dovol-
opmont of sophisticatod micro-
tochnologios.
Nordic nano-UAV producors
Prox Dynamics and CybAoro aro
taking a somowhat difforont routo
tothat of largor global compotitors,
which aro dovoloping moro offon-
sivo UAVs. Tho two companios aro
dosigning and producing smallor,
unarmod nano-UAVs that aro virtu-
allyinvisibloandsilont anddifficult
to noutralizo.
Prox Dynamics' nano-sizod
Black Hornot, which has boon do-
volopod in cooporation with tho
stato-fundod Norwogian Dofonso
Rosoarch Establishmont (NDRE)
has alroady boonsoldtotho British
and Norwogian armios.
Thonano-UAV, inusowithBritish
front-lino Brigado Roconnaissanco
Forco units in Afghanistan, is tho
moro micro-sizod, noxt-gonoration
vorsion of tho company's PD-1OO
Porsonal Roconnaissanco Systom
originally dovolopod for offshoro
and onshoro soarch-and-roscuo
missions.
Tho camouflago gray Black Hor-
not woighsjust16grams, is1Oconti-
motors long and has a 4-inch rotor
span. Dosignod for infantry units,
thoaircraft isoquippodwithanano-
camora capablo of sonding back
high-dofinitionmotionvidooorstill
imagos to its oporator via a tablot-
sizo LCD scroon. Tho GPS-coordi-
natod nano aircraft has a1,OOO-mo-
tor rango andzO-minuto flight timo.
Prox Dynamics' rocontly doliv-
orod 16O micro-battory oporatod
Black Hornot kits to tho British
Army in a doal worth US $JO.b mil-
lion. Tho global markot potontial
frommilitary andlawonforcomont
markots is hugo, said CEO Pottor
Muron.
Tho civilian markot is potontial-
ly largor than tho military, but wo
aro not quito thoro yot, and it will
probably bo a fow moro yoars bo-
foro domand from tho polico, firo
andthocivil dofonsoondof thomar-
kot growstotholovol of thomilitary
domand wo aro sooing now. What
wo havo is a vory poworful nano-
tochnology UAV tool," Muron said.
Tho Black Hornot is sold in kit
form, withoachz-kilogramkitcom-
prisingtwoaircraft, UASpayload, a
tablot sizod monitor and baso
station.
Tho nano-UAVcarrios throo cam-
oras: ono forward-looking, ono
ground focusod, and a third anglod
at 4b dogroos forward and down.
Data and imagory capturod in-
flight can bo uploadod to a contral
databaso.
Thosystom's abilitytoacquiro1O-
figuro grid roforoncos adds a valuo
woll abovo that of a simplo survoil-
lancodovico, saidEricBayor, aBor-
lin-basod tochnology analyst.
Tho initial primary function of
nano-sizod systoms liko tho Black
Hornot is to savo livos by onabling
infantry commandors to know
about tho locationof potontial ono-
my forcos that may bo lying in wait
onroofs, bohindwallsorconcoalod
in rough torrain. Tho aircraft grid
roforonco capability moans that a
UAVliko tho Black Hornot can also
bo usod to both idontify onomy lo-
cations and diroct air or artillory
strikos," Bayor said.
Dovoloping intolligonco, survoil-
lanco, targot acquisitionandrocon-
naissanco and oarly situational
survoillanco tochnologios poton-
tially will provido troops groator
protoction than tho doploymont of
convontional dronos, holicoptors
or combat aircraft, Bayor said.
Commandors ontho groundcan
quickly ordor tho roloaso of a Black
Hornot if a noarby throat is por-
coivod to tho safoty of tho unit. Bo-
causo nano-holos aro not classifiod
as aircraft, thoro is no nood to so-
curo pormission up tho highor
chain of command.
This savos vital timo and moans
infantry units can havo oyos on po-
tontial closo-inthroats insoconds,"
Bayor said.
Tho Black Hornot roplacos tho
nood to sond soldiors forward to
chock-out potontial hiddonthroats,
said NDRE's diroctor, 1ohn Mikal
Stordal.
Norway's military partially fund-
odandco-dovolopodthoBlackHor-
not with tho intontion of widoly
doploying tho systomtosupport its
Infantry and Soldior Protoction
Systoms high-toch modornization
programs, Stordal said.
Wo havo invostod in tho Black
Hornot, and this kind of infantry
support nano-tochnologyis cortain
to bocomo an important part in tho
modornizing of our dofonso for
yoars to como," Stordal said
UAVs liko tho Black Hornot ful-
fill tho infantry unit's nood for a fly-
ing binoculars typo of silont stoalth
spy drono," Bayor said. Its objoct
idontification softwaro givos tho
[nano-UAV] tho capacity to hovor
undotoctod virtually in front of tho
onomy. ... Fromaninfantrycapabil-
ity standpoint, this is gamo-chang-
ing tochnology," ho said.
CybAoro has also boon invosting
hoavily to produco moro sophisti-
catodmacro-sizodUAVs withmoro
nano-tochnology contont. Tho
Swodish company formod a strato-
gic holo-UAV partnorship with US-
basod AoroVironmont in Novom-
bor zO1z.
Wo havo foundtho idoal partnor.
AoroVironmont has dolivorod ovor
zz,OOO hand-oporatod fixod wing
UAVs. Eighty-fivo porcont of all
UAVs usod by US armod forcos aro
suppliod by AoroVironmont. Our
cooporation agroomont covors tho
US, NATO and a numbor of othor
markots," said CybAoro CEO Loif
Erlandsson.
Undorthoagroomont, AoroViron-
mont will uso CybAoro's curront
product APID 6O in tho UAV sys-
toms it solls to tho US military.
Tho Monrovia, Calif.,-basod
AoroVironmont is also dovoloping
a micro-sizod battory-poworod
drono callod tho Nano Humming-
bird which is similar in sizo (6.b
inchos long), woight and multi-
functional capability to tho Black
Hornot.
Tho Nano Hummingbird is boing
dovolopod in collaboration with
tho US Dofonso Advancod Ro-
soarch Projocts Agoncy.
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tho Arctic," Blondin said.
Tho Air Forco didnot rospondtoquostions
about whothor it would bo willing to fund ro-
soarch and tosting into adding oquipmont
transport capability to UAVs.
But aNational DofoncoDopartmont sourco
saidthoAirForcohoposindustrywill provido
solutionstoCanada'sprojoct topurchasotho
UAVs, known as tho Canadian Forcos 1oint
UAV Survoillanco and Targot Acquisition
Systom(1USTAS)
Officials from Gonoral Atomics Aoronau-
tical Systoms, San Diogo, which intonds to
bid on 1USTAS, said Canada's roquiromonts
can bo mot without a major offort.
Scott Dann, diroctor of stratogic dovolop-
mont for Gonoral Atomics, said tho firmhas
discussodthonoodforsuchoquipmont trans-
port capability proviously but has boon
awaiting a customor roquost.
All it takos is tho will to do it," Dann said.
It's vory foasiblo."
Ho saida pod, carrying uptobOO pounds of
oquipmont, could bo installod on tho contor
portion of tho company's Prodator BUAV or
in smallor pods on tho wings. Such a pod
could contain a lifo raft, provisions and a
radio.
It could bo solf-propollod and you could
motor it ovor tothoporsonindistross," Dann
addod. Tho roason I say this is doablo is bo-
causo wo'vo droppod small unmannod air-
craft fromthowingsof our largor aircraft and
youcanactuallyflythomusingthosamodata
links fromtho ground control stations."
Dann said if Canada was sorious about
such a capability, his company likoly would
fund rosoarch into it.
I think if wo had a vory sorious intorost,
somothing short of a contract but sorious in-
torost, with tho intont wo soo a likoly futuro
salo, wo'd probably do it oursolvos," ho said.
For 1USTAS, tho company intonds to offor
Canada a Guardian UAV, a maritimo variant
of tho Prodator B.
Various options for 1USTAS aro boing ana-
lyzodby tho Air Forco but noroquost for pro-
posals has boon issuod to industry. Tho Air
Forco has doclinod to discuss any dolivory
schodulo for 1USTAS.
Companios proparod to bid on 1USTAS
oncoaroquost forproposalsisissuodincludo
Canadian firmMacDonald Dottwilor and As-
sociatos with a variant of tho Horon UAV
mado by Israol Aorospaco Industrios.
MDA officials couldn't say whothor thoy
would bo ablo to provido Canada with a UAV
capablo of dropping soarch-and-roscuo
oquipmont.
Acompanyroprosontativonotod, howovor,
that in 1uly zOO8, MDAdomonstratod for tho
first timo in Canada tho uso of a UAV in a
soarch-and-roscuo rolo. As part of a domon-
stration, a Horon UAV was usod by soarch-
and-roscuoporsonnol toporformawido-aroa
soarch, and tho roscuo coordinator was ablo
to guido a ground toamto a simulatod crash
sito during tho oxorciso.
Anothor potontial contondor is Northrop
Grumman. Last yoar, Northrop mado an un-
solicitodproposal for Canadatobuyafloot of
Global Hawksbut thogovornmont didnot act
on that doal.
Dano Marolt, Northrop businoss dovolop-
mont diroctor, said tho company's Global
Hawk can bo outfittod to carry a pod, an op-
tion that Gormany usod for a signals intolli-
gonco packago on ono of its UAVs.
But Marolt said outfitting a Global Hawk,
which can fly at 6O,OOO foot, with a soarch-
and-roscuo pod is not tho way to procood.
If you bought [a UAV] much loss capablo
and smallor that stayod at a lowor altitudo,
Global Hawk could cortainly cuo it into tho
aroa and it could drop [tho pod]," ho said.
That would bo my rocommondation."
Tho company continuos to promoto tho
Global HawktoCanadaforthoArcticsurvoil-
lanco mission as it has tho rango and ondur-
anco noodod to covor such a vast torritory,
Marolt said.
Withonoaircraft youcansurvoil thoontiro
Northwost Passago four timos on a singlo
mission," ho addod.
ThoAir Forco's quost for loading-odgoUAV
tochnology has raisod somo concorns. 1ohn
McKay, tho dofonso critic for tho opposition
Liboral Party intho Houso of Commons, said
ho is worriod that adding such a capability
would furthor dolay 1USTAS, which has al-
roady fallon yoars bohind schodulo.
It would bo nico to havo an all-singing, all-
dancing UAV, but howmuch furthor will that
dolay tho program?" McKay said. I don't
know if that dolay is worth it."
A roquost for proposals was supposod to
bo issuod to industry for 1USTAS by tho ond
of zOO9, witha contract awardodintho fall of
zO1O. Initial oporating capability for tho UAV
floot was schodulod for Fobruary zO1z but
that is now at loast fivo yoars away.
1USTAS includos tho procuromont of tho
air vohiclos, sparo parts, groundstations and
a zO-yoar in-sorvico support packago.
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