Unmanned Systems

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF CAMCOPTER® S-100 – A DECADE OF OUTSTANDING SUCCESS

Ten years after the first delivery of CAMCOPTER® S-100 to the launch customer, the Vienna-based Schiebel company proudly celebrates the anniversary of its world class product.
Unmanned helicopter development at Schiebel started in 1995 and once the first CAMCOPTER® S-100 was supplied to the UAE Armed Forces in 2006, it took only three years before Schiebel had sold the 100th aircraft. During its ongoing production since then and in line with the company’s philosophy of permanent performance enhancement, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS has undergone continuous improvement in order to meet the ever growing demand for new capabilities from its worldwide customers.

CAMCOPTER-S-100-157

Backed by Schiebel’s customers and industrial partners, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 now stands out as the unchallenged market leader in its class. After missions on five continents and oceans and in every environment from the tropics to the Arctic, the S-100 undeniably proved to be the most mature system of its kind in the world today.

The multi-sensor capability of the S-100 underpins the helicopter’s outstanding operational performance across a wide spectrum of applications, from peace-keeping and humanitarian assistance to industrial, maritime and military support. With missions completed on thirty different vessels, Schiebel takes special pride in its ability to deliver exceptional capability from remote and austere operating sites, including “single-spot” vessels. The latter clearly explains the popularity of the system among naval customers such as the French Navy, who deployed the CAMCOPTER® S-100 during their EU NAVFOR Anti Piracy Operation in the Arabian Sea, or the Italian Navy, for whose Mare Nostrum Operation in the Mediterranean the S-100 was essential.

S-100 CAMCOPTER fitted with SELES ES PicoSAR, L3 Wescam MX-10 and AIS Receiver
S-100 CAMCOPTER fitted with SELES ES PicoSAR, L3 Wescam MX-10 and AIS Receiver

Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 has made history with several world firsts, including the first ever UAS flight displays at the Paris International Air Show, Le Bourget, the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), Abu Dhabi, and the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), Malaysia. The S-100, furthermore, excelled during its security support of both the G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, and the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. More recently the CAMCOPTER® S-100 was also the first UAS to be operated in the Russian and the Canadian Arctic.

In addition to such impressive achievements, Schiebel is especially proud and honored to assist the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and the NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), whose operation has saved the lives of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Besides the excellent S-100 performance, the characteristic CAMCOPTER® design has won various awards and the helicopter has made its way into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The system is also displayed at a most prominent location in the Vienna Technical Museum.
With this impressive pedigree Schiebel looks forward to meeting future customer needs for further increased capability and payload and to continue, supported by its partners, to deliver the most flexible, operationally effective unmanned helicopter systems in the world.

Source: Schiebel

Unmanned Systems

Mozambique orders Camcopter UAVs for its patrol vessels

Mozambique will operate Schiebel Camcopter vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from its Ocean Eagle 43 offshore patrol vessels, and has ordered three of the aircraft.

The three vessels will be delivered this month, after being ordered in September 2013 in a 200 million euro contract with French shipyard CMN that also includes three HSI 32 interceptors and 24 fishing vessels. The first Ocean Eagle was launched on 22 January 2015.

CAMCOPTER_S-100_at sea

The three Camcopter S-100 remotely piloted helicopters were ordered from Austrian company Schiebel, according to Mer et Marine, and began pre-delivery testing in Cherbourg, France.

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The trimaran Ocean Eagle 43 vessels are 43.6 metres long, are powered by four Scania engines for a top speed of 30 knots and have a range of 3 000 miles at 20 knots. They can launch a rigid-hulled inflatable boat from the stern and have a small platform able to accommodate aircraft weighing less than 200 kg.

See more – Courtesy Defence Web

Unmanned Systems

SCHIEBEL CAMCOPTER® S-100 SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATES ITS CAPABILITY DURING CANADIAN ICEBREAKING OPERATIONS

Vienna / Fogo Island, 18 April 2016 – At the end of March 2016 at Fogo Island in Canada, Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) successfully demonstrated its capabilities to a host of dignitaries from the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy, Transport Canada, the Canadian National Research Council and the University of Alaska in partnership with the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Canadian Coast Guard CAMCOPTER_S-100_155During trials at the end of March 2016, the CAMCOPTER® S-100, equipped with the Wescam MX-10S payload camera, once again demonstrated its operational value and mission effectiveness in open waters under icy winter conditions. The combination of the VTOL air vehicle and the Wescam MX-10S camera demonstrated its potential to easily identify vessels, animals and objects at long ranges at sea.

“For the Canadian Government this trial is an important step forward to enhancing our operations by using UAV technology”, explains Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, regarding the motivations for the trials.

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The CAMCOPTER® S-100 was deployed aboard the CCGS George R. Pearkes, a light icebreaker of the Canadian Coast Guard. About 60 nautical miles north from Fogo Island, the vessel broke through the ice at speeds of up to 14 knots, guided by imagery from the CAMCOPTER® S-100, which offered to the ship’s captain not only a wide view image of the ice structure, but also identified boundaries between flat and rough ice.Canadian Coast Guard CAMCOPTER_S-100_155
Due to the S-100’s operational maturity in the maritime environment and ability to operate in a broad range of weather conditions, it is perfectly suited to support the demands of the Coast Guard. The flight tests included multiple takeoffs and landings in winter conditions. “Once again the CAMCOPTER® S-100 has demonstrated it value, flexibility and suitability for maritime operations in hostile environments”, Chris Day, Head of Capability Engineering at Schiebel, stated.
One goal of the trials was the enhancement of situational awareness by transmitting pictures directly and in real time to the ships bridge. This S-100 feature is already well proven, i.e. in the Mediterranean for humanitarian operations, and is easily adapted to support activities related to the conservation and protection of the Canadian fishing grounds.

In a press release issued by the Canadian Coast Guard at the time of the trials aboard the CCGS George R. Pearkes, the Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Hunter Tootoo was quoted as saying “I am pleased that the

Government of Canada is collaborating in this important initiative. The trial is an excellent opportunity to explore UAV technologies for the enhancement of Canadian Coast Guard services.”
Likewise Kirsty Duncan, the Canadian Minister of Science, agreed that “Science and research play a central role in our Government’s plan to build a thriving economy, and they provide the evidence the Government needs to make sound policy decisions. By conducting leading-edge trials in real environments, we are better able to understand the impacts, benefits and potential applications of this new technology and ensure that the knowledge we gain is shared with our industry and academic partners.”

Beyond Line of Sight UAS, Commercial UAS Application, Unmanned Systems

CAMCOPTER® S-100 – SUCCESSFUL FLIGHTS WITH “DETECT AND AVOID” SYSTEM

CAMCOPTER® S-100 – SUCCESSFUL FLIGHTS WITH “DETECT AND AVOID” SYSTEM
Vienna / Den Helder, 09 February 2016 – Schiebel and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), the Netherlands Coastguard and the Royal Netherlands Air Force conducted a series of  successful flights with a newly developed airborne Detect
and Avoid System at the airport of Den Helder in December 2015.

The AIRICA (ATM Innovative RPAS Integration for Coastguard Applications) project marks a major step forward in the process of safe integration of RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) into all classes of airspace.

S100 CAMCOPTER Detect and Avoid
S100 CAMCOPTER Detect and Avoid

During a special demonstration held at De Kooy Airfield in Den Helder, Schiebel provided it´s unmanned helicopter, the  CAMCOPTER® S-100, onto which the NLR developed AirScout Detect and Avoid System was installed. The Netherlands Coastguard provided a Dornier Do-228 as “intruder” and the Royal Netherlands Air Force contributed with an Alouette helicopter as “intruder”, and provided the Air Traffic Control services.

Several scenarios were successfully executed where the CAMCOPTER® S-100 “unexpectedly” encountered an intruder aircraft. The system then determined in real time the corrective action to ensure the necessary separation from the intruder aircraft.
The AIRICA project is funded through the European SESAR programme (part of the Single European Sky initiative) and the key focus – integration of an RPAS into the airspace for Netherlands Coast Guard´s applications – was effectively demonstrated
during the flights.

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Edwin van der Pol, Head of Operations Kustwacht: ”In the future we hope to use unmanned systems for our search and rescue operations. These trials are important to achieve regulations for bringing RPAS into non-segregated airspace.”

Chris Day, Head of Capability Engineering at Schiebel: “This demonstration is another positive step towards unmanned air systems gaining access to a broader range of airspace.”

Source: Schiebel Press Release.

Other sites of interest:

ARICA (ATM Innovative RPAS Integration for Coast Guard Application)

ARICA Innovation Concepts

ARICA Detect and Avoid Outcomes

ISR

Army special operations want multi-intelligence UAVs

By, Jen Judson, Defense News

WASHINGTON — Army aviation special operators want new unmanned aircraft systems that can carry multiple sensors to collect vital intelligence from the battlefield and they’re working with the Army to achieve the capability, Brig. Gen. Erik Peterson, the Army Special Operations Aviation Command commander, said Thursday.

Peterson, speaking at the Association of the US Army’s aviation symposium in Arlington, Virginia, described the state of the fleet of special operations UAS as a “dog breakfast” of more than 300 air vehicles beyond the standard Army UAS.

Organic to the command is one company of MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS platoons. Gray Eagle is the largest Army unmanned system in the fleet. These special operations platoons of four UAS each are and will be continuously deployed until at least fiscal year 2017.

Then special operations has smaller UAS such as the Raven, which is an Army program of record, but it also has several non-programs of record systems quickly procured in response to joint urgent operational needs statements and other various requests.

Listed on a slide shown during Peterson’s presentation, Army special operations has oversight of 12 Gray Eagles, 32 Shadows, 224 Ravens, seven Pumas, 15 Arrowlites, 40 Instant Eyes, two Silver Foxes and one Maveric. The last four UAS are not Army programs of record.

The UAS are “very valuable,” Peterson said, “but obviously present challenges when they are not programs of record.”

Given the petting zoo of UAS that Army special operators are using, a multi-intelligence UAS would be ideal in the future; one UAS carrying multiple kinds of sensors with different capabilities.

Special operators “need a true multi-int capability in group IV systems and we are working with both the Army and Special Operations Command to achieve that capability,” Peterson said. Group IV UAS consist of larger UAS like the Gray Eagle. On another presentation slide, the desire for multi-intelligence UAS extends to the smaller Group III category in which Shadow UAS fit as well.

See more

Courtesy C4ISR & Networks

Related articles:

Army UAS wish list: Lighter, deadlier, survivable

ISR

US Army, New Drones will be VTOL

US Army Chief looks for VTOL UAS for the future US Army requirement.

In his conference remarks, Lundy said that when the Army does buy or develop new drones, a key requirement should be the ability to take off and land without a runway.CAMCOPTER S-100

“I don’t want to be on runways anymore” Lundy said. A future drone in the same class as the Gray Eagle, he said, “needs to have a VTOL capability. We’ve got to be able to push it forward with units. It can’t be sitting at an airfield four hours away.” He also listed two other key requirements: “It’s got to be survivable, so we’ve go to reduce the signature. And we’ve got to reduce how many people it takes to run it.” A future Gray Eagle replacement, he added, would need to carry similar payloads and have similar range. “I’m not real concerned about the speed,” Lundy said. “Those are the key requirements – both for our large UAS and for our tactical.”

See full Article

ISR

US Air Force Proposes $3-billion RPAS Expansion Plan

The US Air Force wants to vastly expand its drone program over the next five years by doubling the number of pilots and deploying them to bases in California and elsewhere to give commanders better intelligence and more firepower.

The $3-billion plan, which must be approved by Congress, was unveiled Thursday after months of study that focused on a drone pilot force that commanders have described as overworked, undermanned and under appreciated.

The proposed expansion comes as the Pentagon has intensified airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. Pilots and crews who operate the MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers have struggled to meet a rising demand for aerial surveillance of war zones and other hot spots.

“Right now, 100% of the time, when a MQ-1 or MQ-9 crew goes in, all they do is combat,” said Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, which oversees drone operations. “So we really have to build the capacity.”

United States Air Force photo by Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr. - http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070313-F-0782R-115.jpg
First MQ-9 arriving at Creech AFB, March 2007. Source US Air Force.

The Air Force wants to add 75 Reapers to the current fleet of 175 Reapers and 150 Predators. It also would increase the number of flying squadrons from eight to as many as 17, and add up to 3,500 new pilots, sensor operators and other personnel.

Officials said they anticipate sending most of the new drone pilots and crews to bases across the country.

See more

Courtesy UAS Vision

 

 

 

 

Beyond Line of Sight UAS, Commercial UAS Application, Humanitarian UAV, UAS Agriculture

PrecisionHawk, Verizon, Harris and DigitalGlobe Demo Solution to Enhance UAS Safety

PrecisionHawk, Harris, DigitalGlobe and Verizon recently completed initial testing of airspace services, a solution designed to make it safer to integrate unmanned aerial systems into the National Airspace.

The companies integrated various technologies for this solution, including Verizon’s LTE network, Harris’ ADS-B network, DigitalGlobe’s Geospatial Big Data Platform and PrecisionHawk’s LATAS (Low Altitude Traffic and Airspace Safety) platform, according to a news release. Assessment of this ecosystem is taking place through the FAA Pathfinder program and the NASA UTM project.

“We are leveraging satellite-derived information to create consistent information and analytics for safe drone flights,” said Dr. Shay Har-Noy, DigitalGlobe’s Senior Director of Geospatial Big Data, according to the release. “This is a significant collaboration that represents a huge step forward for the FAA and the safety and well-being of the American public.”

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LTE networks potentially can allow UAS to deliver sensor data for processing, analysis and decision making mid-flight, as well as receive command-and-control inputs in real time, said David Famolari, Director, Verizon Ventures, according to the release. This helps to make the airspace safer for both manned and unmanned aircraft.

PrecisionHawk’s LATAS platform operates over LTE and through satellites, according to the release, and connects airspace safety technologies such as dynamic geofencing, detect and avoid and aircraft tracking, providing safety as a service for the UAS industry. By using the existing infrastructure of Verizon cell towers, LATAS is scalable for UAS operating throughout the U.S.

LATAS will use DigitalGlobe’s Geospatial Big Data Platform to enable UAS to identify and avoid obstacles, including buildings and cable lines, according to the release.

The Nationwide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) ground station deployment by Harris is the cornerstone of the FAA’s NextGen surveillance initiative, according to the release, which is designed to improve the quality, accuracy and reliability of flight tracking data throughout the National Airspace System. The data is a synthesis of all FAA system derived aircraft surveillance data available in the U.S. National Airspace System.

This collaboration between PrecisionHawk, Verizon, DigitalGlobe, and Harris can provide the industry with an integrated, complete solution to safely manage UAS traffic, according to the release. The companies will continue to test this ecosystem and bring on other partners to further expand its capabilities.

“With this collaboration, the innovation of the tech community is addressing the timely need for a safety services to accelerate drone integration,” said Tyler Collins, Director of LATAS at PrecisionHawk, according to the release. “Verizon, Harris and DigitalGlobe bring technology components, expertise and credibility that are critical to the success of this ecosystem. We look forward to expanding testing through the FAA Pathfinder and NASA UTM programs in 2015.”

Courtesy: Inside Unmanned Systems

Beyond Line of Sight UAS, Commercial UAS Application, UAS Agriculture

PRECISIONHAWK JOINS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND FAA IN THE CREATION OF A SAFETY TASK FORCE FOR UAS

The task force will collaborate on the development of a streamlined registration process for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

PrecisionHawk today announced its contribution to a safety task force created by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA. The task force brings together a diverse group, representing the UAS and manned aviation industries, the federal government, and other stakeholders, to develop an augmented registration process for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

“PrecisionHawk is working on many safety solutions, procedural and technological, that we believe can contribute to safer operations for commercial drones in the national airspace,” said Ernest Earon, PrecisionHawk CTO and co-founder. “The creation of this task force further demonstrates the willingness of the FAA to move forward with industry leaders to promote rapid and safe integration.”

“As a UAS technology company and operator, we know how important coordinated identification is to the environments in which we work,” said Thomas Haun, VP of Strategy at PrecisionHawk. “The goal of this task force, to create a streamlined registration process for UAS, will have a direct and positive impact on the operations of our partners and service teams.”

This task force presents another opportunity for PrecisionHawk to serve as a technical resource to regulators as we move towards the adoption of UAV regulations. Earlier this year PrecisionHawk was also named, alongside CNN and BNSF, to the FAA Pathfinder Program to test and develop technology solutions to solve beyond line of sight operations.

Source: Media Release