Armoredd.com

MESA, Ariz., June 23, 2009 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the AH-64D Apache Block III prototype helicopter successfully demonstrated Level IV unmanned aircraft system (UAS) connectivity on June 8 during a flight test over the Arizona desert.

Level IV UAS connectivity is one of the key technology enhancements being developed for the U.S. Army’s Apache Block III attack helicopter program. At this level, the Apache crew is able to fully control the navigation of an assigned UAS. The capability provides enhanced situational awareness and over-the-horizon, beyond line-of-sight reconnaissance, improving survivability for the crew and the aircraft. (Level I connectivity is receipt and transmission of secondary imagery or data, Level II is receipt of imagery or data directly from the UAS and Level III is control of the UAS payload.)

During the test, the Apache proved capable of controlling the UAS via a Tactical Common Data Link connection. The Apache crew received real-time video from the UAS, controlled the UAS’s three navigation-loiter patterns — orbit, racetrack and figure eight — and altered the UAS’s airspeed and altitude.

For this demonstration, Boeing, under Army direction, used a Boeing AH-6 helicopter as a surrogate for Sky Warrior, the Extended Range/Multi-Purpose UAS that is not yet available.

“Integration of UAS control is a key technology for the Apache Block III helicopter as we prepare for the limited user test scheduled for later this year,” said Scott Rudy, Boeing Apache Block III program manager. “The members of Team Apache — the U.S. Army, Boeing and our industry partners — are proud to have achieved this critical capability.”

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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Source: Boeing

Aviation Week’s DTI | Amy Butler | June 26, 2009

This article first appeared in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.

As Northrop Grumman rolls out its first Global Hawk Block 40 aircraft, the high-flying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program is facing some hurdles.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense and U.S. Air Force are ironing out particulars of a delay to the initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) period for the Block 20/30 Global Hawk. Industry and government sources suggest it is likely to be nine months; the original plan was to start IOT&E in August and wrap up in November.

Meanwhile, House appropriators are considering a substantial cut to the program in fiscal 2010, according to a program source. The Air Force requested $667.8 million in FY ‘10 to continue producing air vehicles and $317.3 million for continued research and development. The House move could trim three air vehicles from the planned buy of five aircraft next fiscal year.

Though the program is facing delays, demand for Global Hawk services is not diminishing. The Pentagon has approved the addition of a Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) onto two Global Hawk Block 20 air vehicles; this communications relay plan came in response to a request from commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ashton Carter, Pentagon acquisition czar, this month approved Northrop Grumman’s production of Lot 8 vehicles, including two Block 30s (which will carry the Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload) and three Block 40s, which will provide ground surveillance using the Northrop Grumman/Raytheon Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) active electronically scanned array radar.

Northrop Grumman rolled out the first Block 40 in Palmdale, Calif., on June 25. The Block 40 program, however, continues to suffer setbacks.

Carter, in his June 12 acquisition decision memorandum, says he is “concerned” about the 32-month delay in the Block 40 IOT&E plan. The delay is largely due to snags in MP-RTIP development. Though two radar modes completed testing on a surrogate aircraft, two new modes still must complete this milestone. Testing of these concurrent modes, which maximize the efficiency of the radar to collect various data simultaneously, should be complete on the Proteus surrogate aircraft by the second quarter of FY ‘10, Air Force officials say.

Carter also directs the Air Force to shore up its management plan for the program, and requests options for how to field Block 40 sooner. Commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan are now suffering a shortfall of ground-surveillance capability.

A cut to the FY ‘10 budget would further delay the ability to field these systems to support war efforts, the program source says.

Carter also expresses concern about an increase to the average procurement unit cost (APUC) of the air vehicles. The APUC in 2007 of $90.8 million has gone up to $102.4 million, according to Air Force officials. This figure includes all program costs (nonrecurring production, testing, hardware and software, technical data, contractor services and support and training equipment, for example). The largest contributor to the increase is the cost of depot stand ups for Global Hawk sensors and readiness spares, the service officials say. A new cost estimate is now under review.

Photo: Northrop Grumman

Source: Military.com

11:24
22/06/2009

MOSCOW, June 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has bought 12 unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel in a recent deal worth $53 million, a Russian government official said on Monday.

“The contract envisions the purchase of 12 UAV, including two heavy vehicles and 10 small vehicles. The delivery has not yet been made because the contract was signed only recently,” Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti.

Dzirkaln said the main goal of the purchase was to study the Israeli achievements in the development of spy drones in order to build reliable UAVs domestically.

“We must take their know-how and put it to practical use [in developing our own craft],” the official said.

The Russian military stressed the need to provide its Armed Forces with advanced means of battlefield reconnaissance in the wake of a brief military conflict with Georgia last August, when the effectiveness of Russian military operations was severely hampered by the lack of reliable intelligence.

The Russian Air Force has launched a number of UAV development programs for various purposes. Air Force Commander, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said last year that Russia would deploy advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with a flight range of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and a flight duration capability of up to 12 hours by 2011.

However, Russian defense companies, including the Irkut aircraft maker and the Vega Radio Engineering Corp., have failed so far to provide the military with effective spy drones.

According to various estimates, the Russian military needs up to 100 UAVs and at least 10 guidance systems to ensure effective battlefield reconnaissance in case of any military conflict.

TUCSON, Ariz., June 10, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) submitted its KillerBee unmanned aircraft system in response to the U.S. Navy’s Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Tier II request for proposal.

The KillerBee UAS features a blended-wing aircraft body design. It also has systems for land or sea launch, recovery and ground control. The unique design of KillerBee enables growth for future payloads and additional mission capabilities.

“KillerBee is the affordable, integrated solution to the U.S. Navy’s need for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the littoral environment,” said Bob Francois, Raytheon Missiles System’s vice president of Advance Missiles and Unmanned Systems.

KillerBee is designed to provide the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force with a UAS for their respective Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Tier II missions. KillerBee has the ability to insert persistent reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition into the battlespace and is ideally suited for force protection in an expeditionary environment.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/

U.S. agencies operating along with Salvadoran authorities are evaluating the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of the Joint Interagency Task Force-South, a SOUTHCOM component based in Key West and charged with overseeing counter illicit trafficking operations in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

In May 2009 the task force evaluated how a UAV can be inserted and utilized for its missions. As part of Operation Monitoreo the task force operated a Heron MALE UAV provided by Israel Aerospace Industries’ subsidiary Stark Aerospace and Raytheon. Other regional UAV trials currently planned, include the use of AeroVironment Aqua Wasp and Puma All Environment water-recoverable small, unmanned aircraft during the upcoming Panamax 2009 multinational exercise. The Navy also intends to deploy the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout shipborne vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAS to the region later this year. US Special Operations Command will deploy Boeing A-160T helicopters equipped with Forester foliage-penetration radar, attempting to locate drug laboratories through the rain forest canopy.

During the recent evaluation the Heron flew 10 sorties accumulating over 100 flight hours. None of the missions that Heron flew resulted in a drug bust, although the UAV did investigate suspected targets. The aircraft and its support crew occasionally worked cooperatively with manned platforms supporting the same mission. Heron was used to investigate suspected targets spotted by E-2C Hawkeyes operating from the CSL, and in one instance, the UAV even handed over a suspected target to Salvadoran Cessna-337 patrol aircraft for further monitoring.

The information recorded during the evaluation will be included in a final assessment and available to SOUTHCOM, Defense Department and other U.S. interagency decision makers, considering the use of UAVs to support future U.S.-led counter drug air operations in the SOUTHCOM area of focus. The Heron employs advanced sensors commonly found in maritime surveillance aircraft including, a multi-mode radar, infrared and electro-optical surveillance payloads, automatic vessel identification system (AIS), and satellite communications datalink. The aircraft can also operate SIGINT equipment to locate and track wireless communications devices. These capabilities are comparable, or even surpass those maintained by the various manned aircraft currently supporting counter drug operations in the region, including the E-2 Hawkeye, P-3 Orion, HC-130 Hercules and E-3 Sentry.

The task force is operating from forward bases in the region, known as ‘cooperative security location’ (CSL) – also known as a forward operating location (FOL) - responsible for overseeing U.S. counter drug air operations in the Central American region. In 2008, working with El Salvador and other regional partners, the CSL directly contributed to the seizure of 80 metric tons of illicit drugs in the Central American region. As of April 24, the CSL has also contributed to 83 metric tons interdiction in 2009 by Joint Interagency Task Force-South, a SOUTHCOM component based in Key West and charged with overseeing counter illicit trafficking operations in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Source: Defense Update

SAN DIEGO, May 29, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Northrop Grumman Corporation-developed (NYSE:NOC) MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) successfully completed the latest set of fully autonomous flight operations onboard the USS McInerney (FFG-8) in support of dynamic interface testing. This was a critical step for the U.S. Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout toward Operational Evaluation (OpEval), scheduled for later this summer.

These recent flight tests took place May 4-8 off the coast of Mayport, Fla. The U.S. Navy Fire Scout completed test flights in areas of shipboard deck motion and wind envelope expansion and landings including the use of the grid and harpoon system. All flights onboard the USS McInerney included use of the shipboard UAV Common Auto Recovery System (UCARS) used for vehicle position data during shipboard landings. During the five days of testing, the ship/aircraft team compiled 19 flight hours during 12 flights, which included 54 landings, 37 of which were into the NATO standard grid. Operations were conducted with ship speeds up to 14 knots, ship roll up to five degrees, and wind over deck of up to 25 knots. All test events were completed satisfactorily, which will set the stage for OpEval.

“The Navy Fire Scout has successfully completed fully autonomous flight operations onboard the USS McInerney and we are thrilled with the results. The recent success allows us to continue to work towards OpEval,” said Doug Fronius, MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV program director for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “We look forward to continuing to mature Fire Scout, as it will bring us closer to supplying the fleet with a VTUAV that provides unprecedented situational awareness and precision targeting support.”

The Fire Scout first embarked aboard the guided-missile frigate USS McInerney, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, while in port for operational fit checks and ship integration testing on Dec. 10, 2008. The Fire Scout is slated to deploy aboard USS McInerney during its next counter-narcotics trafficking deployment later this year.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Boeing

SEATTLE, April 06, 2009 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] on March 16 successfully demonstrated simultaneous command and control of three ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Wedgetail 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft flying over Washington state.

Using the company’s UAS battle-management software, airborne operators issued NATO-standard sensor and air-vehicle commands via a UHF satellite communication link and ground-station relay.

“Our standards-based UAS command/control system, which is based on commercial off-the-shelf architecture, allowed us to integrate UAS control into existing battle-management software,” said Pierce Lutter, Boeing Associate Technical Fellow for Unmanned Vehicle Control Systems. “This would have been a major event even if we had accomplished it in a laboratory using surrogates, but we used currently fielded platforms and systems in a real-world setting to demonstrate a new level of command-and-control capability for warfighters.”

Maureen Dougherty, Boeing vice president of the AEW&C program, added, “This network-centric capability substantially increases the operational versatility of Boeing’s battle-management platforms and reduces the need for dedicated ground control of unmanned systems. It also demonstrates that our operational 737 AEW&C system is open and robust enough to allow integration of the future capabilities our customers require.”

The three ScanEagles were launched from Boeing’s Boardman Test Facility in eastern Oregon, approximately 120 miles (190 km) away from the airborne Wedgetail. Operators tasked them with area search, reconnaissance, point surveillance and targeting. They demonstrated extended sensing; persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); and manned-unmanned teaming and sent back real-time video imagery of ground targets.

Boeing will conduct a follow-on demonstration of this capability for the Australian government in early May at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales. A Wedgetail will take control of ScanEagles operated by Boeing Defence Australia personnel at Woomera Test Facility in South Australia, approximately 1,080 miles (1,730 km) from Base Williamtown.

A joint effort of Boeing and its wholly owned subsidiary, Insitu Inc., the long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle UAS carries inertially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras that allow the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the four-foot-long (1.2 m) platform provides persistent low-altitude ISR.

The 737 AEW&C aircraft, based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 commercial airplane, is designed to provide airborne battle-management capability with 10 state-of-the-art mission system consoles. Able to track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously using an advanced, multi-role electronically scanned array radar, the mission crew can direct high-performance fighter aircraft while continuously scanning the operational area.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) April 7, 2009
Space War

Russia has purchased its first unmanned drones from Israel after its own manufacturers turned out to be ineffective at making the high-tech reconnaissance aircraft, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The deal for an initial purchase of 50 million dollars’ (37 million euros’) worth of drones was concluded in early April with Israel Aerospace Industries, the Kommersant daily said, citing a Russian defence industry source.

“The value of the first deal is not so large… (but) what is important is not the size, but the fact that domestic military customers have turned to a foreign supplier. This will not end with a single purchase,” Kommersant said.

Russia decided to purchase the Israeli company’s Bird-Eye 400, I-View MK150 and Search MK II drones, the newspaper reported, without specifying when the first drones would be delivered.

A defence ministry spokesman declined to comment to AFP about the report.

Moscow began shopping for foreign unmanned aircraft after last year’s war in Georgia. Defence analysts say Georgia made effective use of its Israeli drones in the conflict, while Russia’s home-made drones turned out to be inferior.

Russia is in the midst of an ongoing effort to modernise its military and equip its armed forces with up-to-date technology.

From The Sunday Times
March 29, 2009
Uzi Mahnaimi

ISRAEL used unmanned drones to attack secret Iranian convoys in Sudan that were trying to smuggle rockets into Gaza. The missiles have the range to strike Tel Aviv and Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona, defence sources said.

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked two convoys, killing at least 50 smugglers and their Iranian escorts. All the lorries carrying the long-range rockets were destroyed. Had the rockets been delivered to Hamas, the militant Islamic group that controls Gaza, they would have dramatically raised the stakes in the conflict, enabling Palestinians to wreak terror on Tel Aviv.

According to western diplomats, Israel attacked the Iranian convoys at the end of January and in the first week of February in the remote Sudan desert, just outside Port Sudan. The convoys had been tracked down by agents from Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence agency.

The raids were carried out by Hermes 450 drones. One source claimed they were accompanied by giant Eitan UAVs, which have a 110ft wingspan, similar to that of a Boeing 737. The drones, controlled via satellite, can hover over a target for 24 hours. The Hermes 450 squadron is based at the Palmahim air base, south of Tel Aviv, but it remains unclear from which airfield they took off.

In a phrase that every Israeli recognised as a claim of responsibility for the raid, Israel’s outgoing prime minister, Ehud Olmert, declared last week: “We operate in every area where terrorist infrastructures can be struck.” He added: “We are operating in locations near and far, and attack in a way that strengthens and increases deterrence. There is no point in elaborating. Everyone can use their imagination. Whoever needs to know, knows.”

Khartoum initially accused America of being behind the attacks. “We contacted the Americans and they categorically denied they were involved,” said Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesman, Ali al-Sadig.

His comments were the first official acknowledgment of the air strikes, first reported last week by the Egyptian newspaper El Shorouk. “We didn’t know about the first attack until after the second one. They were in an area close to the border with Egypt, a remote desert area, with no towns or people,” Sadig said.

Defence sources said the chief reason for choosing the drones was that a convoy forms a “slippery” target. “When you attack a fixed target, especially a big one, you are better off using jet aircraft. But with a moving target with no definite time for the move UAVs are best, as they can hover extremely high and remain unseen until the target is on the move.”

According to sources, the convoys were carrying Fajr3 rockets, which have a range of more than 40 miles, and were split into sections so they could be smuggled through tunnels into Gaza from Egypt. “They built the Fajr in parts so it would be easy to smuggle them into Gaza, then reassemble them with Hamas experts who learnt the job in Syria and Iran,” said a source.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards masterminded the smuggling operation. “The Iranians arrived in Port Sudan and liaised with local smugglers,” said a source. The convoy was heading for the Egyptian border where, for a fat fee, local smugglers would take over.

BAE SYSTEMS SHOWCASES MANTIS AND HERTI AUTONOMOUS UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS AT AVALON 2009

10 Mar 2009 | Ref. 049/2009
BAE SYSTEMS

VICTORIA, Australia - Visitors to Avalon (the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition) will see BAE Systems’ vision of the future capability of autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) on display via its MANTIS and HERTI systems.

Mantis and HERTI are next-generation autonomous systems, with emphasis placed on the levels of autonomy designed into the system and the concept of operations developed for effective deployment and operation. BAE Systems Australia has been responsible for the development, integration and support of the Autonomous Vehicle Management System (VMS) - a significant element of the “smart autonomy” capability.

BAE Systems Australia was also responsible for the design and integration of the real-time elements of the Ground System (through which the operator interface is achieved). The Mantis and HERTI ground environment is based on the ISR Management System concept developed by BAE Systems Australia through a three-year, internally funded R&D program, and proven through earlier operations of the BAE Systems HERTI, Raven, Corax and Kingfisher UASs.

The mission simulation and training system for Mantis and HERTI, which includes mission rehearsal and analysis capabilities, and the System Test Unit (STU) were also developed by BAE Systems Australia. All these elements constitute part of the HERTI UAS baseline configuration that has been successfully deployed into theatre in a War Fighting Experiment with the Royal Air Force (UK).

BAE Systems Australia is proud to be part of the team associated with the Mantis and HERTI success, which is a significant milestone in the transition from a UAS design and research group to a global leader in providing next generation, operationally deployable autonomous systems.
MANTIS

MANTIS is an advanced technology demonstrator programme jointly funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and UK industry to develop an autonomous medium altitude long range (MALE) Unmanned Aircraft System providing deep and persistent ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance). The exhibition at Avalon will be home to a full scale model of the large twin engine aircraft and will demonstrate MANTIS’ unique autonomous mission system capability through a fully operational Ground Control Station.

Brad Yelland, BAE Systems Australia’s General Manager of Aerospace and Autonomous Systems Development, said: “Australia is an ideal environment for exploiting the diverse potential scenarios for typical autonomous systems operations. UASs are expected to play a significant role in reconnaissance and long endurance surveillance missions and MANTIS is a large, next generation, highly capable system ideally suited to work of this kind.”

MANTIS is a fully autonomous next generation UAS, meaning it flies itself throughout the whole mission and its mission system enables it to automatically detect and manage all target information. Autonomy greatly increases the effectiveness of operations by allowing commanders to focus on the overall task instead of vehicle control. This allows significantly reduced workload and manpower for operations, reduces risk of accidents due to human error and reduces communications/data link requirements between the vehicle and the ground.

MANTIS is designed for deep penetration, long-range intelligence gathering and is a large platform with a wingspan of over 20 metres and carries a significant payload in terms of sensors and potential weaponry. MANTIS is a genuine fly-by-wire, all-electric controlled aircraft. In MANTIS there are no hydraulics, allowing the system to be easily broken down to fit into a C130 Hercules aircraft making it extremely deployable. Final assembly, integration and test of the first aircraft is progressing well in accordance with the schedule for the maiden flight which is expected to occur in Australia during Q2 2009.

Production variant HERTI
The BAE Systems HERTI autonomous Unmanned Aircraft System is one of a new generation of UAS suitable for both military and civil operations. The production standard variant and its Ground Control Station will be on display at Avalon.
The production standard airframe is manufactured by Slingsby Aviation in the UK, based on an original design by J&AS Aero Design of Poland. A new, robust mission system is a key feature of the production standard HERTI. Enhanced sensor flexibility is provided through the proven, multi-payload turret provided by Polytech AB from Sweden which is equipped with state of the art electro optic sensors for day and night operations. In addition, the production standard HERTI’s design enables easy integration of alternative sensors to meet specific customer operational requirements.

Key for the production standard HERTI is the level of reliability and safe operation it will provide. This will be achieved through the BAE Systems developed triplex Flight Control System and new avionics suite to give an improved operational capability as well as a high level of system redundancy guaranteeing a high level of mission availability. Recognising some of the key operational requirements to provide a system which can provide all weather and persistent surveillance, the production standard system also includes integrated lightning protection as well as a full night time flying capability.

BAE Systems is conducting an extensive flight test development programme in Australia and the UK, using two development aircraft that exercise the new mission system. A number of demonstration flights have also been carried out at fully operational customer airbases using the self-contained Ground Control Station, as well as the remote viewing terminal, enabling real time access to intelligence data via satellite.

Mr Yelland said,” Through the analysis of operational requirements to provide soldiers in the field rapid access to real-time information for critical battlefield situational awareness, BAE Systems Australia has developed the MVT (mobile viewing terminal) and C&IM (Collateral and Information Management) systems to support this capability and further enhance the operational effectiveness of the

HERTI system’s core role.”
With its ability to take off, complete a full mission and land – all at the click of a computer mouse – HERTI has been designed to meet a wide variety of operational needs, both cost effectively and with extremely high levels of reliability while removing the need for an operator or pilot to control the aircraft from the ground. When coupled with BAE Systems’ Imagery Collection & Exploitation (ICE) system, the aircraft offers real potential in the fields of maritime, coastline, border and military surveillance as well as showing broader potential for areas such as pipeline, plant and infrastructure surveillance, and insurgent detection.

About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier global defence, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.

Copyright © 2006 - 2009 BAE Systems. All rights reserved

Boeing

SINGAPORE, March 02, 2009 — ScanEagle, a long-endurance, fully autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed by The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and subsidiary Insitu, today successfully completed a ship-based trial with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

The trial included both an RSN LST (Landing Ship, Tank) and a frigate. ScanEagle was launched and recovered from the ships’ helicopter decks, flying day missions using an electro-optical camera payload and night missions using an infrared camera payload.

During the flights, the ScanEagle UAS successfully demonstrated sea-based launch and recovery capabilities and the ease with which the physical ground support equipment and control hardware can be integrated onboard. All tactical objectives and operational scenarios set for the flights were achieved.

“ScanEagle performed exceptionally well during the trials and proved it has the potential to be an asset for building the RSN’s organic ship-based unmanned aerial vehicle capability,” said Andrew Duggan, ScanEagle program manager for Boeing Defence Australia. “The ScanEagle UAS adds another dimension to persistent situational awareness for the ship’s crew and generates actionable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information.”

Boeing Defence Australia provided a complete maritime ScanEagle system for the trial, including a ground control station, communication links, launcher and SkyHook recovery system. A Boeing Insitu team deployed to Singapore for the entire trial.

The ScanEagle UAS has operated from a variety of maritime platforms, most notably U.S. Navy ships since 2005, achieving 1,500 launches and recoveries. It has also operated from a UK Royal Navy Type 23 frigate and from commercial vessels.

Boeing Defence Australia began operating ScanEagle in December 2006. Since then, it has surpassed 16,000 flight hours supporting Australian Land Forces overseas as well as delivering in-country operator and field maintainer training.

Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary and a business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, has more than 2,300 employees at 14 locations throughout Australia supporting programs for the Australian government and defense forces, international and commercial customers. Insitu Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company located in Bingen, Wash., designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and military applications. Visit www.insitu.com for more information.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

BAE Systems

BAE Systems’ vision of the future capability of autonomous unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will be unveiled when the MANTIS system is on show at Aero India this week.

MANTIS is a fully autonomous next generation UAS. It can fly itself throughout an entire mission and its payload automatically detects and manages all target information. This autonomy makes operations more effective: commanders can focus on the overall task rather than vehicle control, and workload and manpower are reduced, as is the risk of accidents due to human error.

MANTIS is a programme jointly funded by the UK Ministry of Defence and UK industry to develop an autonomous UAS. The exhibition in India will showcase a full mock up of the aircraft and will demonstrate MANTIS’ unique autonomous mission system capability through a fully operational Ground Control Station.

This is BAE Systems’ first genuine fly-by-wire, all-electric controlled aircraft; there are no hydraulics, which makes the system extremely deployable - it can be broken down to fit into a C130 Hercules. And with UAS operations in India set to expand, Aero India is the ideal place for the system to make its debut.

As Andy Wilson, Business Development Director with Autonomous Systems and Future Capability at BAE Systems, explained: “India has a projected large requirement for UASs and is currently expanding its UAS operations. UASs are expected to play a significant role in reconnaissance and long endurance surveillance missions in India and the MANTIS System is a large next generation highly capable system that is ideally suited to work of this kind.”

Final assembly of the first aircraft is well underway and this will be followed by a period of ground testing to help prepare it for its first flight, which is due to take place over the next few months.

28 January 2009

Air Force Technology

Members of all six battalions of the US Army’s 10th combat aviation brigade (CAB) joined forces to recover an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) forced to make an emergency landing near Baji in Iraq

The Hunter UAV suffered engine failure on its way back COB Speicher airfield and had to be landed by its ground based pilot. Within minutes a downed aircraft recovery team (DART) had been assembled and dispatched.

10th CAB commander, Colonel Erik Peterson said that the skill of the unmanned aerial system operator and the UAS recovery system onboard the aircraft should have protected the aircraft during landing.

“The quicker we recovered it, the quicker we could figure out what went wrong, fix it, and get it back into operation. Not to mention, the Hunter is a relatively expensive, sophisticated piece of equipment, which we prefer not to leave unsecured in the Iraqi countryside,” Peterson said.

The operation was joined by Two OH-58D Kiowa warrior scout weapons teams from 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, a task force ODIN warrior UAS, the pathfinders of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, a reaction force platoon from 2-27th Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, AH-64 Apaches from 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 10th CAB and a downed aircraft recovery team from Bravo Company, 277th Aviation Support Battalion was dispatched to recover the Hunter.

Once the aircraft was located, the DART team worked quickly to disassemble the aircraft, removing the wings and tail from the fuselage so it could be loaded into a CH-47 Chinook from 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th CAB, for transport back to COB Speicher.

Colonel Peterson lauded the effort of his forces, commending the ability of the various units to work together as a combined task force.

“In this particular case, we were faced with a problem that required contribution from virtually every element of Task Force Falcon, and everyone performed magnificently,” Peterson said.

By Daniel Garrun.

by Richard Tomkins
Baquba, Iraq (UPI) Jan 28, 2009
Space War

Unmanned aerial vehicles have proven their worth in the war on terror as reconnaissance and surveillance platforms that provide battlefield commanders with real-time, optically enhanced streaming video of terrain, suspicious movements and intelligence-driven targets of interest.

On the brigade level, the Shadow-200 tactical UAV stands out. On the battalion level and lower, it’s the Raven, a hand-launched UAV just 38 inches in length, with a 5-foot wingspan and with nose and side-mounted cameras. The battery-operated vehicle is so small, it can be packed in a suitcase and assembled in minutes. It can take to the air for about 60 minutes to provide soldiers in the field with real-time imagery of what lies ahead, although its cameras lack a zoom capability.

But neither the Shadow nor the Raven is weapons-capable. The Predator-MQ1, however, is another matter. It’s the big boy on the block with lethal punch to its payload, as terrorists in Iraq as well as Afghanistan have found out.

“It’s one of the most asked-for assets,” said Lt. Col. Debra Lee, commander of the Air Force’s 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. “There’s a kind of bidding war that goes on for its time.”

The Predator is described by the Air Force as a “medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft system for interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets.” It’s 27 feet long, 6.9 feet high and has a wingspan of 48.7 feet. It’s powered by a four-cylinder, 110-hp engine and cruises at speeds from 85 to 135 mph at heights of up to 25,000 feet. Its range is more than 400 miles.

The electronics goody bag consists of a daytime variable-aperture TV camera, a variable-aperture infrared camera for low-light/night filming and other sensors that are packed under the nose in a basketball-sized and -shaped housing that rotates 360 degrees. The cameras stream real-time video to centers in the United States as well as to ground commanders closer to its flight sectors through satellite links. The cameras’ optical zoom capabilities — six step, 155x optical zoom — can be enhanced two times and four times digitally. Its electronics also allow the Predator’s cameras to “see” through smoke and haze.

Attached to pylons on its wings are two laser-guided AGM Hellfire missiles. A Hellfire launched from a Predator in 2006 killed Iraq’s most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi was the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and for months had successfully escaped determined U.S. and Iraqi efforts to capture or kill him — until intelligence about his travels in Diyala province in a particular vehicle was received. A Predator put paid to Zarqawi’s orchestration of terror.

“The Predator B — MQ-9 — can also carry 500-pound bombs,” said Lee, normally a B-1 bomber pilot. “We had some here, but they’re in Afghanistan now. But we hear we may be getting some again soon.”

The upgraded Predator is a 40-foot turboprop with a ceiling of 50,000 feet.

Lee’s unit is located at Joint Base Balad, which is north of Baghdad and west of Baquba. She and her 20 personnel, who include civilian contractors who maintain the Predators and their electronics, handle the birds during takeoff and landing phases.

Boeing
News Release

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 07, 2009 — The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS), a joint effort of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Insitu Inc., this week completed its 1,500th shipboard sortie in service with the U.S. Navy. ScanEagle has provided persistent, cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to the Navy since July 2005.

The Navy has used ScanEagle aboard a variety of ships — ranging from the destroyer USS Mahan to the amphibious vessel USS Whidbey Island — as well as on support ships and small combatant craft. In addition, ScanEagle serves with other U.S. forces and with international customers in various theaters around the world.

“We’ve learned lessons from our extensive ScanEagle operations that have helped us refine the system into a mature ISR asset that is safe, dependable and easy to operate for our sailors,”said Don Iverson, ScanEagle U.S. Navy program manager for Boeing. “These 1,500 safe shipboard recoveries, along with numerous operational reports from our customers, show that ScanEagle has established itself as a critical capability for naval operations around the world.”

The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle UAS carries inertially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras that allow the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the platform provides persistent low-altitude ISR.

ScanEagle is launched autonomously from a pneumatic SuperWedge™ catapult launcher and flies either preprogrammed or operator-initiated missions. The Insitu-patented SkyHook™ system is used to retrieve the UAS, capturing it by way of a rope suspended from a 50-foot-high tower. The system makes ScanEagle runway-independent and minimizes its impact on shipboard operations, similar to a vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle.

Insitu Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company located in Bingen, Wash., designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and military applications. Insitu created the first unmanned aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean, completing the flight in 1998 on just 1.5 gallons of fuel. Visit www.insitu.com for more information.A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

08 December 2008
Air Force Technology

South Korea has gone through with its pledge from earlier in the year to develop an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), selecting Korean Air as the main developer.

Korean Air was selected by the countries Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) to develop a medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a deal worth 450bn won by 2016.

Korean air will partner with an as yet unannounced international partner to develop and integrate the spy plane’s fuselage and other related systems, including a ground-control station and mission equipment package.

The proposed UAV will be designed to perform missions as high as 50,000ft for up to 24 hours and will have similar specifications to the MQ-1 Predator medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV built by the US Air Force.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of National Defence hinted that it would push harder for developing an indigenous UAV rather than purchasing the Global Hawk high-flying UAV from the United States.

Senior ministry officials said that was because of budget constraints and also the administration’s pursuit of cost-effective management of defence assets based on closer cooperation with the US military.

South Korea’s air force currently operates eight Baekdu and Geumgang reconnaissance planes, while the army flies the domestically built RQ-101 Night Intruder and Israel’s Searcher II UAVs with its frontline corps near the heavily fortified border with the North.

By Daniel Garrun.

August 2008

By Grace V. Jean
National Defense Magazine

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — The mobilization here shows no signs of slowing down. The demands for aerial surveillance in Iraq and Afghanistan grow by the day, and that means more Predators and pilots are needed.

To ease the crunch, the Air Force is rushing the production of new Predator unmanned aircraft and is expediting the training of hundreds of aviators here at the home of the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing — established last year as the Air Force’s first unit dedicated solely to unmanned aerial systems.

Continue reading ‘Predator Ground Stations Need Redesign, Say Pilots’ »

Press Release

Boeing

ST. LOUIS, July 22, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced an agreement to acquire Insitu, Inc., a pioneer in the unmanned air systems (UAS) market and leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance, low-cost UAS used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Boeing and Insitu have partnered since 2002 and together developed the successful ScanEagle™ UAS program, which has more than 100,000 operational flight hours with the U.S. Department of Defense and international customers. Insitu’s key technologies and advanced capabilities in rapid prototyping and manufacturing are driving its revenue to an anticipated $150 million this year, 70 percent higher than in 2007, and have it well positioned for the future.

“Increasingly our customers are seeking advanced unmanned aerial solutions to address a wide range of requirements for ISR missions,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. “The Boeing-Insitu team has been successfully delivering much-needed capability to the warfighter in a changing threat environment. Bringing these outstanding teams together will accelerate deployment of the next generation of unmanned systems to our U.S. and allied service members.”

Continue reading ‘Boeing Acquires Insitu to Expand Capabilities in Unmanned Systems’ »

Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:02am EDT

TBILISI (Reuters) - A Georgian unmanned reconnaissance plane downed at the weekend was shot down by a Russian air force jet, Georgia’s air force said on Monday, citing video footage of the incident.

“On April 20 a Russian Mig-29 fighter jet shot down an unarmed, unmanned air vehicle which was performing basic reconnaissance over Georgian territory,” Colonel David Nairashvili, commander of Georgia’s air force, told Reuters.

“It’s absolutely illegal for a Russian Mig-29 to be there,” he said.

A spokesman for Russia’s air force, when asked about the Georgian allegation, said: “Nonsense. What would a Russian jet fighter be doing over Georgian territory?”

The drone was brought down near Abkhazia, a Georgian region which broke away from Tbilisi’s rule in a 1990s war and is controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, Nairashvili said.

Abkhazia’s separatist administration said on Sunday its forces had shot down the drone.

Tbilisi’s pro-Western government last week accused Moscow of a de facto annexation of Abkhazia after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to establish closer ties with the region.

Georgia’s air force supplied to Reuters video footage which it said was recorded and transmitted by the drone’s on-board camera before it was shot down.

The pictures show a jet aircraft firing a missile in the direction of a drone. A few seconds later the screen goes blank. No identification markings are visible on the aircraft that fired the missile.

Nairashvili said the aircraft type meant it could only be a Russian air force jet. “The Mig-29 has a distinctive twin-tail marking. It’s a Russian aircraft. Georgia does not possess it, nor do Abkhaz separatists,” he said.

Radar records showed the aircraft took off from a base in Abkhazia and crossed into Russia after the attack, Nairashvili said.

(Reporting by Margarita Antidze and Dmitry Solovyov; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Sami Aboudi)

By andrew chuter
Published: 18 Apr 16:06 EDT (12:06 GMT)

Defense News

LONDON - One of the Royal Air Force’s two Reaper UAVs operating in Afghanistan has crashed following a suspected mechanical failure.

The British military purchased the General Atomics-developed MQ-9 Reaper, formerly known as the Predator B, as part of an urgent operational requirement to give troops fighting Taliban insurgents in the Helmand Province better intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities (ISTAR).

Two of the vehicles were delivered to the British in Afghanistan late last year; one crashed in the late evening of April 9. The third Reaper ordered by the Ministry of Defence will not be delivered until midyear.

In a statement, the MoD said the vehicle “made a forced landing whilst on an operation over a remote unpopulated area of southern Afghanistan. Sensitive items were recovered and the remaining wreckage was destroyed. The reason for the forced landing is under investigation; however, mechanical issues are suspected.”

The MoD declined to comment on whether another Reaper would be purchased immediately to plug the hole in British ISTAR capabilities. However, it is known that plans were afoot to purchase another four to six vehicles before the crash.

In January, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale of up to 10 MQ-9s with associated ground stations to the British military in a deal that could cost up to $1 billion.

It’s the first crash of a military Reaper since its introduction into service with the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan last year. The vehicle offers greater performance and a much increased payload over the earlier General Atomics Predator A.

Unlike their U.S. counterparts, the British vehicles are not currently armed. However, an MoD spokesman conceded that in the near future, the UAVs were likely to carry precision-guided bombs and missiles.

“We are in the process of procuring GBU-12 precision-guided bombs and Hellfire P laser-guided missiles,” he said.

April has been a bad month for the Predator family. The U.S. Air Force lost two Predator MQ-1s in the space of a week earlier this month in Iraq.

British Reapers are based at Kandahar in Afghanistan but operated by personnel from the RAF’s 39 Squadron based at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where a U.S./U.K. Combined Joint Predator Task Force has been in existence for several years.

When the first British Reaper arrived in Kandahar, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glen Torpy, chief of the Air Staff, described its introduction into service as a “major milestone for the RAF, which will significantly enhance the U.K.’s surveillance capability in Afghanistan.”

The MoD wasn’t prepared to discuss operational issues resulting from the crash, but one MoD source said he expected the shortfall in ISTAR capability would be covered by U.S. assets over Afghanistan.

Aside from the Reaper, the British also have several Elbit-built Hermes 450 UAVs operating in Afghanistan under a pay-as-you-fly arrangement with contractor Thales UK.

The deal got under way last year as a stop-gap to provide ISTAR capability ahead of the launch of the British Army’s Watchkeeper UAV program.

The first of the new Watchkeeper vehicles, a much-modified Hermes 450, is due in service in late 2010, although work is under way to see if the system can be introduced earlier.

Britain’s only other tactical UAV, the Phoenix, was pensioned off last month.

E-mail: achuter@defensenews.com.