| Rotary-wing UAVs are
also maturing rapidly, with the growing demand for UAVs to support
naval vessels operating in the littorals, as well as on the
open sea. Several versions of Vertical Take-Off and Landing
(VTOL) drones are currently designed for operation on board
frigates and corvettes, as well as submarines. (more...)
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| One of the competitions
for shipboard UAV currently heating up in Europe, is the UK Ministry
of Defence plan to launch the maritime VTOL UAV. Among the contenders
expected to participate are Northrop Grumman offering the MQ-8B
Fire Scout, EADS offering systems based on the ORCA or SHARC and
Thales UK, teamed with the Austrian company Schiebel offering
the S-100 Camcopter. Similar
programs are expected to follow in Germany and France and later,
in Spain and Italy.
 Sharc,
a fully autonomous demonstrator VSTOL UAV developed by EADS Defense
& Security (DS) made its first flight just prior the Paris
Airshow. In this flight the 200 kg unmanned rotary wing vehicle
tested the coaxial dual-rotor propulsion and overall stability,
demonstrating some of its impressive flight characteristics. The
Sharc is designed for autonomous operations from ship deck, offering
highly stable flight characteristics and large payload capacity.
Its dual rotor configuration provides 30% more lift, compared
to conventional main rotor and tail boom designs. Its egg shaped
oval fuselage is 2.50 meter long, 0.70 m wide and 1.2 meter high.
Its maximum takeoff weight is 190 kg, carrying 60 kg of mission
equipment. The helicopter is equipped with redundant flight control
unit, a laser altimeter, mission control system and datalinks.
The counter-rotating rotors are designed to operate with electrical
actuators, thus eliminating all hydraulic components on board.
One of the advanced capabilities introduced in the Sharc's flight
control is the attitude stability, improving the helicopter's
capability to perform ship roll compensation correction, a prerequisite
for autonomous deck landing. Typical payloads considered for the
Sharc include maritime search radar, SAR, and electro-optical
payloads. The vehicle's skin can be used, in part, to accommodate
flat panel antennae for communications and radar.
 Another
rotary wing UAV on display here was the FireScout,
developed by Northrop Grumman. The US Navy and Army are exercising
a Joint Acquisition strategy of the MQ-8B
to maximize commonality between the two services and drive down
costs. Operational evaluation by the US Navy is planned for 2008
The Navy has nine MQ-8Bs on order from Northrop Grumman. The Army
version could fly by 2010 and be fielded around 2014 as part of
the Future Combat Systems brigade combat team (BCT). Its modular
mission package will include communications relays, airborne surveillance
and target acquisition systems.
The Boeing Company successfully completed the first flight of
the A160T Humingbird unmanned
rotorcraft June 15, 2007 from an airfield near Victorville, California.
During this flight, the aircraft hovered in ground effect for
about 12 minutes. Further flights are now planed proceeding with
flight tests of the new engine. The new unmanned VTOL aircraft
is powered by a turbine engine, replacing the piston engine used
on earlier birds. The US Special Operations Command already ordered
the A-160T. Some Humingbirds, equipped with piston engines have
already been delivered said George Muellner, president, Advanced
Systems, Boeing IDS. SOCOM is currently evaluating potential operational
procedures, missions and tactics using few Robinson R22 helicopters
converted to autonomous flying machines, surrogating the A-160
autonomous operations capability.
Topics covered in this review:
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