 After additional checkout and systems testing, Northrop Grumman will unveil the Euro Hawk(r) in a ceremony later this year at its manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif. |
San Diego CA (SPX) Aug 07, 2009
Northrop Grumman has finished assembling the first Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the German Ministry of Defence (MoD). With a wing span larger than a commercial airliner and endurance projected at up to 30 hours, the Euro Hawk will serve as the German Air Force's high-altitude, long-endurance signals intelligence (SIGINT) system.
The Euro Hawk is a derivative of the Block 20 Global Hawk, and will be equipped with a new SIGINT mission system developed by EADS Defence and Security (DS). The SIGINT system provides standoff capability to detect electronic intelligence radar and communications intelligence emitters.
EADS DS will also provide the ground stations that will receive and analyze the data from Euro Hawk as part of an integrated system solution.
"This on-time assembly of the Euro Hawk demonstrator reinforces our commitment to providing ground-breaking technology to our customers and solidifies our transatlantic cooperation with Germany and EADS DS," said Jim Kohn, Northrop Grumman Euro Hawk program director.
"We're also on track for the Euro Hawk unveiling later this year at our Palmdale, Calif. manufacturing facility after additional checkout and systems testing, followed by first flight and delivery in 2010 in Germany."
Following successful testing and introduction in German operational service, Northrop Grumman anticipates subsequent systems will be delivered between 2016 and 2017. The Euro Hawk will replace the aging fleet of Breguet Atlantic aircraft, which have been in service since 1972.
"We're eager to receive the Euro Hawk and can't wait to have this unmatched capability flying high above European skies at more than 60,000 feet and improving our troops' safety during military deployments," said Heiko Weiss, Euro Hawk program manager of the German Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement.
"Developed to meet Germany's need for airborne wide-area surveillance and reconnaissance, this system will surely transform the region's situational awareness on land, air, and sea."
"This collaborative effort between Northrop Grumman and EADS DS on this first Euro Hawk is a great success and an excellent example of our transatlantic partnership," said Heinz-Juergen Rommel, chief executive officer of the EuroHawk GmbH. "We are excited to welcome this magnificent UAS here in Germany."
On Jan. 31, 2007, the German MoD awarded a $559 million contract to EuroHawk GmbH, a 50-50 joint venture company formed by Northrop Grumman and EADS, for the development, test and support of the Euro Hawk unmanned SIGINT surveillance and reconnaissance system. Under the contract, EuroHawk GmbH will also provide aircraft modifications, mission control and launch and recovery ground segments, flight test and logistics support.
EuroHawk GmbH is the national prime contractor for the German MoD through the entire lifecycle of the Euro Hawk system. The limited liability company is based in Immenstaad, Germany.
 Global Hawks are currently flown in four locations across the globe: Beale Air Force Base, home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and the RQ-4's main operating base, in Northern California; Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California; Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland; and a Forward Operating Location in support of the OCO efforts. |
San Diego CA (SPX) Aug 11, 2009
Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently reached a major milestone - 25,000 combat hours - during an operational sortie July 8-9 from a deployed location.
"This is a significant program achievement, accounting for more than 76 percent of the aircraft's 32,500 cumulative flight hours for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy," said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) systems.
"We have been flying Global Hawks more effectively than any other deployed system and our production team continues to perform exceptionally well, with the 26th production air vehicle in final assembly. At this rate, we'll be on the road to completing initial operational test and evaluation to support a full-rate production decision next year."
First flown in 1998, Global Hawk has logged 1,229 missions so far in support of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) and disaster relief efforts. It has seen service in Operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom, and in several U.S. and international joint forces exercises. It has also provided support during Hurricane Ike and California wildfires.
In addition, Global Hawk's proven and unique capabilities to fly at high altitudes and cover large areas for long periods of time led the Air Force to recently select the Block 20 configuration for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), an airborne communications system that will provide warfighters with critical real-time battlefield information.
Tasking under the Joint Urgent Operational Need includes installing BACN on two Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, which enable around-the-clock coverage.
"Global Hawk has been a constant companion for our men and women overseas, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for nearly eight years," said Steve Amburgey, Global Hawk program director for the 303d Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. "The system is so robust and reliable that it's in high demand by our warfighters who fly them approximately six to seven days a week, averaging more than 600 hours per month in theater."
As the world's first fully autonomous HALE UAS, Global Hawk can soar at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours and send near-real-time reconnaissance imagery to air, ground, and sea forces.
It can fly three times as long and operates at a fraction of the cost per flight hour than its manned counterpart. Compared to other similar UAS, it only takes a single Global Hawk to collect the same information as 18 smaller medium-altitude UAS.
To date, 33 Global Hawks have been assembled, including the two for the Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstration program, seven advanced concept technology demonstration aircraft built under the original development program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and one Euro Hawk for the German Ministry of Defence.
 File image. |
San Diego CA (SPX) Aug 11, 2009
Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a communications relay payload for a government customer during multiple flights of its Bat unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
Ideally suited to an irregular warfare environment, Bat offers real-time ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), communications and strike capabilities in a system that is affordable, organic and persistent. Bat is runway independent, fully autonomous, and can be launched and recovered from land, air and sea.
The flight demonstrations occurred June 23-26, 2009 at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif. Northrop Grumman also demonstrated the Bat system's reliability with five flights over the four-day period.
"We are extremely pleased with the results of these flights, which were conducted in a realistic, desert theater setting," said Corey Moore, vice president of Advanced Concepts - Air and Land Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.
Northrop Grumman is integrating several new payloads, a common ground control architecture and air vehicle upgrades that include a new engine, a new launcher capability and several air vehicle capability enhancements.
The communications relay payload was demonstrated on an air vehicle with a wingspan of 10 feet. The Bat product line features wingspans ranging from 6.5 to 33.2 feet.
 US may arm Afghan air corps with drones: general The US military is looking at eventually equipping Afghanistan's air corps with unmanned aircraft for surveillance missions, a general said on Wednesday. "Right now, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are not part of that capability that we are envisioning for them," said US Brigadier General Walter Givhan, who is helping Kabul revive its air force. "However, I think it fits into that category of things that, as we continue to develop and we get the basics down, that we look at adding to their portfolio," Givhan said by video link. The US military wanted to ensure the small air force could carry out reconnaissance and surveillance missions but those tasks would be carried out initially with manned aircraft, he said. For tracking and hunting down insurgents, drones have become an invaluable asset for the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Givhan said Afghanistan had an urgent need to deploy manned aircraft that could ferry troops and supplies in a country with rugged terrain and poor roads. The Afghans were also working to train new pilots, with dozens of pilots due to receive instruction in the United States. The average age of air force's pilots -- trained during the Soviet era -- is 45. The Afghan army's air corps currently has 36 aircraft and 2,700 airmen. Washington's goal was to raise the fleet to 139 aircraft with 7,250 airmen by 2016, Givhan said. The plan to revive the country's air force is part of a wider US-led effort to train and equip Afghan security forces to fight the Taliban and allied insurgents. At the moment, the US military largely provides air power for Afghan forces. The US-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime in 2001 finished off the last remnants of the Soviet-built air force, which at its peak boasted a fleet of more than 350 aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers. Poland considering buying Israeli drones: defence minister Poland is considering buying drones from Israel, Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said Wednesday, after Warsaw's announcement that it was bolstering its deployment in Afghanistan. Klich told reporters he had recently travelled to Israel to visit arms manufacturers. "Three companies there produce top-quality pilotless aircraft," he said. "Without predicting which of the three -- or even another, non-Israeli firm -- will win the tender, I can't imagine that we'll buy them one by one. We're going to buy a whole range of drones, from short- to medium-range," he added. Poland currently has 2,000 soldiers in Afghanistan fighting Taliban-led militants under the banner of the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force, which draws together around 64,500 troops from more than 40 nations. Drones, armed with lethal missiles and controlled by a "pilot" using a joystick at bases in the United States and elsewhere, have become an American weapon of choice in the fight against the militants. On Monday, one Polish soldier was killed and four were injured during a clash in Afghanistan's central province of Ghazni. It was Warsaw's 10th fatality since it first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002. On Tuesday, Poland said it had created a back-up force of 200 soldiers ready for deployment in Afghanistan. Poland, a former communist country turned staunch ally of Washington, joined NATO in 1999 and has over the years gradually upgraded its military equipment. |
Washington (AFP) Aug 11, 2009
As pilotless US drones do battle from the sky in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, a top US Army general is urging the military to step up the deployment of unmanned vehicles on the ground.
"It's all about saving lives," said Lieutenant General Rick Lynch, the commander of the III Armored Corps and the holder of a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"There's got to be a sense of urgency," Lynch told delegates on Tuesday at an exhibition here featuring manufacturers from around the world of unmanned ground, maritime, air and space systems.
While serving in Iraq, Lynch said he lost a total of 153 soldiers under his command and "80 percent of those soldiers didn't have to die."
"I am so tired of going to demonstrations of technology," he said. "The technology is there. We've got to get past the demonstrations and into the field."
"If you're not fielding, you're failing," he said.
The US military makes extensive use of unmanned drones against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq both for surveillance and launching missile strikes.
But ground operations are mostly limited to the use of small camera-equipped robots to detect improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
Lynch, who also commands Fort Hood, Texas, the largest US military base in the world, said aerial surveillance and weapons systems were useful but "the bad guys know that if the weather turns bad we can't see them from the air."
He said among the "immediate applications" for unmanned vehicles were route clearance, surveillance and in convoys.
"We're going to be fighting this war on terror for the next 10 years and the enemy's weapon of choice is the IED," he said. "It is today and it will be in the future."
Lynch said unmanned vehicles exist which are "excellent at clearing routes," which can go from point A to point B and even detect and avoid obstacles.
"Let's get those kids out of the vehicles," he said.
The general said unmanned vehicles should also be deployed to carry out what he called "persistent stare."
"The bad guys in Iraq and Afghanistan, they've got their favorite places where they want to place their IEDS," he said.
When aerial surveillance is not available, "we watch those IED hotspots with human beings, which puts them at risk," he said.
Unmanned robots can "watch these IED hotspots for extended periods of time ... and kill those bad guys before they can plant the IEDs," he said.
Lynch said the technology exists to use unmanned vehicles in convoys, as lead or trailing vehicles, for example, cutting down on the number of drivers and the risks.
"We're losing so many soldiers in convoys it's an embarrassment," he said. "Why does every vehicle have to be occupied by a human being?"
He said an unmanned vehicle could also be used as a "robotic wingman" -- a fighting platform which mirrors the actions of a manned vehicle.
Lynch invited participants in the exhibition, sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), to attend a September 1-3 "Robotics Rodeo" that he is holding at Fort Hood.
"Bring your systems to Fort Hood and allow the soldiers who just got back from combat to use them," he said. "They'll tell you 'This is going to work. I know that ain't going to work.'"
 Drones, armed with lethal missiles and controlled by a "pilot" using a joystick at bases in the United States and elsewhere, have become an American weapon of choice in the fight against the militants. |
Warsaw (AFP) Aug 12, 2009
Poland is considering buying drones from Israel, Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said Wednesday, after Warsaw's announcement that it was bolstering its deployment in Afghanistan.
Klich told reporters he had recently travelled to Israel to visit arms manufacturers.
"Three companies there produce top-quality pilotless aircraft," he said. "Without predicting which of the three -- or even another, non-Israeli firm -- will win the tender, I can't imagine that we'll buy them one by one. We're going to buy a whole range of drones, from short- to medium-range," he added.
Poland currently has 2,000 soldiers in Afghanistan fighting Taliban-led militants under the banner of the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force, which draws together around 64,500 troops from more than 40 nations.
Drones, armed with lethal missiles and controlled by a "pilot" using a joystick at bases in the United States and elsewhere, have become an American weapon of choice in the fight against the militants.
On Monday, one Polish soldier was killed and four were injured during a clash in Afghanistan's central province of Ghazni. It was Warsaw's 10th fatality since it first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002.
On Tuesday, Poland said it had created a back-up force of 200 soldiers ready for deployment in Afghanistan.
Poland, a former communist country turned staunch ally of Washington, joined NATO in 1999 and has over the years gradually upgraded its military equipment.
 For tracking and hunting down insurgents, drones have become an invaluable asset for the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
Washington (AFP) Aug 12, 2009
The US military is looking at eventually equipping Afghanistan's air corps with unmanned aircraft for surveillance missions, a general said on Wednesday.
"Right now, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are not part of that capability that we are envisioning for them," said US Brigadier General Walter Givhan, who is helping Kabul revive its air force.
"However, I think it fits into that category of things that, as we continue to develop and we get the basics down, that we look at adding to their portfolio," Givhan said by video link.
The US military wanted to ensure the small air force could carry out reconnaissance and surveillance missions but those tasks would be carried out initially with manned aircraft, he said.
For tracking and hunting down insurgents, drones have become an invaluable asset for the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Givhan said Afghanistan had an urgent need to deploy manned aircraft that could ferry troops and supplies in a country with rugged terrain and poor roads.
The Afghans were also working to train new pilots, with dozens of pilots due to receive instruction in the United States. The average age of air force's pilots -- trained during the Soviet era -- is 45.
The Afghan army's air corps currently has 36 aircraft and 2,700 airmen. Washington's goal was to raise the fleet to 139 aircraft with 7,250 airmen by 2016, Givhan said.
The plan to revive the country's air force is part of a wider US-led effort to train and equip Afghan security forces to fight the Taliban and allied insurgents.
At the moment, the US military largely provides air power for Afghan forces.
The US-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime in 2001 finished off the last remnants of the Soviet-built air force, which at its peak boasted a fleet of more than 350 aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers.
 There are already 2,500 Pakbots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a lighter version weighing six kilograms (14 pounds) has arrived that can be carried in a backpack, according to iRobot, the same company that sells a robot vaccum to civilians, the Roomba. |
Patuxent River Naval Air Station (AFP) Maryland (AFP) Aug 12, 2009
Robots in the sky and on the ground are transforming warfare, and the US military is rushing to recruit the new warriors that never sleep and never bleed.
The latest robotics were on display at an industry show this week at a naval airfield in Maryland, with a pilotless helicopter buzzing overhead and a "Wall-E" look-alike robot on the ground craning its neck to peer into a window.
The chopper, the MQ-8B Fire Scout, is no tentative experiment and later this year will be operating from a naval frigate, the USS McInerney, to help track drug traffickers in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Navy officers said.
The rugged little robot searching an enemy building is called a Pakbot, which can climb over rocks with tank treads, pick up an explosive with its mechanical arm and dismantle it while a soldier directs the machine from a safe distance.
There are already 2,500 of them on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a lighter version weighing six kilograms (14 pounds) has arrived that can be carried in a backpack, according to iRobot, the same company that sells a robot vaccum to civilians, the Roomba.
Monday's demonstration of robotic wonders was organized by defense contractors and the US Navy, which says it wants to lead the American military into a new age where tedious or high-risk jobs are handed over to robots.
"I think we're at the beginning of an unmanned revolution," Gary Kessler, who oversees unmanned aviation programs for the US Navy and Marines, told AFP.
"We're spending billions of dollars on unmanned systems."
Kessler and other Pentagon officials compare the robots to the introduction of the aircraft or the tank, a new technology that dramatically changes strategy and tactics.
Robots or "unmanned systems" are now deployed by the thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan, spying from the sky for hours on end, searching for booby-traps and firing lethal missiles without putting US soldiers at risk.
The use of robotics in the military has exploded in the past several years as technology has advanced while Washington faced a new kind of enemy that required patient, precise surveillance.
In 2003, the US military had almost no robots in its arsenal but now has 7,000 unmanned aircraft and at least 10,000 ground vehicles.
The US Air Force, which initially resisted the idea of pilotless planes, said it trains more operators for unmanned aircraft than pilots for its fighter jets and bombers.
Peter Singer, author of "Wired for War," writes that future wars may see tens of thousands of unmanned vehicles in action, possibly facing off against fleets of enemy robots.
Unlike expensive weapons from the Cold War-era, robotic vehicles are not off-limits to countries with modest defense budgets and dozens of governments are investing in unmanned programs.
At the trade show, military officers from the United States, Chile, Australia, Saudi Arabia and India listened to defense contractors promote their robotic vehicles, including a tiny helicopter about two-feet long and L3's Mobius -- a nimble medium-sized drone that reaches speeds of up to 215 knots.
The technology may sometimes resemble something out of "Star Wars" or a toy shop, but the robots determine matters of life and death on the battlefront.
In the fight against Al-Qaeda, drones are Washington's favored weapon.
Predator and Reaper aircraft, armed with precision-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, regularly carry out strikes in Pakistan's northwest tribal area, causing an unknown number of civilian casualties.
Last week, a drone strike is believed to have have killed the Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
The unmanned aircraft in the US military's inventory range from small Ravens, that can be tossed into the air to see over the next hill, to the giant Global Hawk, a 44-foot-long spy plane that can fly at high altitude for up to 35 hours.
The drones and ground vehicles are often operated using joysticks or consoles familiar to a younger generation raised on video games.
"Soldiers these days have a lot of experience playing video games when they're growing up, and they're really familiar with these controls. So this really reduces the training time on these types of unmanned vehicles," said Charlie Vaida of iRobot, which makes a game console for the Pakbot.
Amid plans for unmanned bomber jets for aircraft carriers, the onslaught of drones could eventually render fighter aces a relic of history.
Military officers insist the robots are a complement and not a substitute for traditional aircraft, and pose no threat to the careers of their fellow pilots.
"I think they understand we're not going to replace them," said Captain Tim Dunnigan, a navy chopper pilot. "This is going to augment them."
 MULE: The military is testing and developing other armed ground robots, including the MULE -- a vehicle about the size of a Humvee armed with anti-tank missiles and a turret-mounted machinegun. The Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) robot is supposed to fire only when a human operator remotely pulls the trigger. The MULE could be ready for deployment as soon as 2014. |
Washington (AFP) Aug 12, 2009
The US military and intelligence agencies deploy thousands of unmanned vehicles in the air and on the ground, including Predator and Reaper drones used to bomb militants in Pakistan.
The robots include:
MQ-1 PREDATOR: The Predator is a propeller-powered drone that can fly at an altitude of up to 7,620 meters (25,000 feet) for up to 24 hours, with video cameras and radar sending back data to a control center thousands of miles away.
Originally designed for surveillance and used heavily in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Predator can be armed with two Hellfire anti-tank missiles. Slightly smaller than a Cessna plane, the Predator is about eight meters (27 feet) long with a wingspan of more than 14 meters (48 feet). The aircraft, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, cruises at a speed of 70 knots.
MQ-9 REAPER: The Reaper is a larger, more powerful and heavily-armed version of the Predator that can be equipped with precision-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles. Manufactured by the same firm that makes the Predator, the plane is 11 meters (36 feet) long with a wingspan of 20 meters (66 feet). It can cruise at 200 knots and reach an altitude of up to 15,240 meters (50,000 feet).
RQ-4 GLOBAL HAWK: Designed to replace the Cold War-era U2 spy plane, the jet-powered Global Hawk flies reconnaissance and surveillance missions at high altitude using sophisticated sensors and cameras. The plane, made by Northrop Grumman, can fly for up to 35 hours at an altitude of 18,288 meters (60,000 feet) and reach a speed of 340 knots.
RQ-11 RAVEN: The smaller Raven can be carried in a backpack and is launched into the air by hand, allowing soldiers to look at video from around a corner or over the next hill. Weighing in at 1.9 kilograms (4.2 pounds) and less than a meter long, the Raven can fly for up to 80 minutes and reach a speed of 52 knots. Manufactured by Aeroenvironment, the plane was first deployed in 2004.
PAKBOT: An unmanned ground vehicle equipped with cameras, sensors and a mechanical arm, the Pakbot can climb up stairs and over rocks with its tank treads. Resembling the robot in the animated film "Wall-E," the vehicle comes in different sizes and can weigh from six to 20 kilograms (14 to 42 pounds). The vehicle lacks the autonomy of an unmanned plane, and has to be steered remotely by a soldier. The Pakbot has been used mainly to search for and dismantle explosives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
SWORDS: The Special Weapons Observation Remote Direct-Action System (SWORDS) is a ground robot designed to be armed with an M-16 rifle, a machine gun or a rocket launcher. Three robots have been built so far and reportedly the military and the contractor, Foster-Miller, are working out remaining technical problems. The US Army has reportedly used the SWORDS robots for surveillance and guard missions in Iraq but the vehicles have not fired a shot in combat.
MULE: The military is testing and developing other armed ground robots, including the MULE -- a vehicle about the size of a Humvee armed with anti-tank missiles and a turret-mounted machinegun. The Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) robot is supposed to fire only when a human operator remotely pulls the trigger. The MULE could be ready for deployment as soon as 2014.
 Copyright: TYZX |
Menlo Park CA (SPX) Aug 14, 2009
TYZX has announced that iRobot has chosen the TYZX DeepSea G2 Embedded Vision System (EVS) for several military robotics research projects requiring real-time vision and depth-perception. iRobot has demonstrated the ability to integrate the TYZX G2 EVS onto its PackBot and Warrior platforms: rugged tactical mobile robots designed to perform dangerous search, reconnaissance and bomb-disposal missions while keeping troops out of harm's way.
The TYZX G2 EVS provides:
+ Enhanced Situational Awareness via 3D Visualization - Standard monocular cameras provide video footage that is "flat," sometimes making it difficult for a robot operator to judge distance. 3D visualization provides depth perception and a more detailed view of the environment. Using an operator control unit (OCU) integrated with TYZX stereo vision data, the robot operator can more easily manipulate objects such as unexploded ordnance.
+ Person Detection and Person Following Capabilities - Using the TYZX system for person detection, iRobot researchers are developing advanced autonomous navigation algorithms to demonstrate person following capabilities. Using onboard sensing from the TYZX system, iRobot's tactical mobile robots have demonstrated the ability to detect, recognize, track, and follow specific persons of interest.
+ Obstacle Detection and Obstacle Avoidance (ODOA) Capabilities for Increased Autonomy - TYZX G2 technology has enabled iRobot's SEER payload for its PackBot and Warrior platforms to support autonomous ODOA for complex vertical structures. Whereas traditional planar LIDARs provide only a 1D horizontal sweep of obstacles, TYZX technology provides range details in 2D. This allows the robot to sense how high an obstacle is and to determine if it can overcome that obstacle.
"The TYZX G2 EVS provides our robots with the ability to sense and assess the surrounding environment," said Tom Wagner, Vice President and Technical Director for iRobot.
"The G2's onboard processing capability, as well as its lack of moving parts, makes it a fitting sensor for our PackBot and Warrior platforms. Our robots are used in complex terrains and the G2 system provides sensor data needed to enable advanced capabilities on our platforms."
"UGV platforms such as the iRobot PackBot have proven to be indispensable for warfighters and first responders," said Ron Buck, President and CEO of TYZX.
"Even in challenging lighting conditions, TYZX 3D vision systems provide the rich, real-time visual data, 3D data, and post-processed data (such as TYZX ProjectionSpace) these systems require for improved situational awareness and increased levels of autonomy."
 illustration only |
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 14, 2009
Senior defense officials are getting a glimpse this week of the latest in unmanned systems technologies, which many concede is the way of the future for the U.S. military.
More than 5,000 people from 30 countries took part in the world's largest exhibition of robots and unmanned systems capabilities at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's Unmanned Systems North America 2009 Convention, which began Aug. 9 and ends tomorrow at the Washington Convention Center here. More than 320 unmanned aerial, maritime and ground systems were on display, offering the industries' latest products and innovations.
Maj. Gen. Blair E. Hansen, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, addressed an audience of unmanned systems developers and industry professionals yesterday and applauded their innovations and overall contributions to improving the military's unmanned systems capabilities. "That's the direction we're heading," Hansen said. "It's not a love affair with the platform of being unmanned. It's the capability it represents."
Hansen said he's staggered by the advancements and rapid developments of such systems. He added that he shares Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' enthusiasm and desire for more unmanned capabilities, citing the need to embrace today's technology to be a successful military.
Information- and technology-based warfare "is not going to be just a component of irregular warfare," Hansen said. "This is going to be a component of all of the kinds of engagements and operations we'll have in the future," he explained.
Gates has maintained publicly for more than a year that unmanned systems are more cost-effective and efficient than manned systems. Unmanned systems also lessen the risk of casualties among warfighters.
Aerial surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities from unmanned aerial systems - such as the Predator, Shadow and Reaper - give the military more options with their troops. Rather than risking the lives of pilots flying multi-million-dollar reconnaissance planes, operators control and monitor the unmanned aircraft and their data remotely from safe locations. Operators in the United States, in some cases, can monitor missions in Iraq and Afghanistan without having to go to the combat theater, Hansen explained. Unmanned systems can project power in combat without projecting vulnerabilities, he added.
The Defense Department has nearly 2,000 "small" unmanned aerial syatems deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, defense officials reported. Most of those are Ravens, which the Air Force uses to support Army and Marine Corps ground forces.
In April, Gates cited unmanned aerial systems as an increasing part of the Air Force arsenal, as he recommended that Congress halt production of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and devote more funding to unmanned systems. The secretary compared the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Reaper unmanned system, noting that the Reaper has a range of about 3,000 miles and can carry 1.5 tons of weapons - all unmanned and remotely - while the manned F-16 fighter has a range of about 500 miles.
This fiscal year, the Air Force has spent more money on unmanned aerial systems and trained more operators than fighter jets and fighter pilots, Hansen said. Demand for unmanned systems by the U.S. military has increased more than 660 percent since 2004, he added.
The ability to sneak in and operate for long periods of time without risking aviators is incredible, the general said. He referenced a recent mission in which a Global Hawk unmanned system flew for 33 straight hours conducting reconnaissance operations for ground commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unmanned aerial systems, he added, can take off from the Middle East, go to Iraq and Afghanistan, and conduct missions for both theaters, the general said. "That's phenomenal," he added.
Hansen said that although unmanned systems give the military the ability to decrease its footprint in direct combat, they still require manpower. He explained that operators fly the systems, while analysts in separate locations across the globe are recording intelligence from imagery and audio in real time.
"We don't need to have all of our capabilities forward," he said. "This is a very, very compelling capability. As we look to the future, we've got to keep our focus on capabilities, and keep in mind that it's critically important to have systems working together.
"[Unmanned aerial systems] will cause missions to be effective and lives to be saved," he added. "We believe strongly that as we build out these capabilities, it's not just about improvements. It's truly about an integration to perfect and get the job done and support the mission." By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
 The inventors said they had no immediate plans to commercialise the new vehicle, which would first have to meet government safety standards, but said they were open to offers from private companies in Japan and overseas. |
Tokyo (AFP) Aug 26, 2009
Robotics and medical experts in Japan on Wednesday unveiled the prototype of a new hi-tech electric wheelchair that resembles a scooter and promises greater mobility.
Users ride astride the four-wheeled Rodem -- rather than sitting in it, as in a conventional wheelchair -- steer it with a joystick and hold onto motorbike-style handles while the knees and chest rest on cushions.
The design allows users to slide more easily on and off the vehicle, lessening reliance on care-givers to lift them, the inventors said.
"I believe this is a whole new idea for a wheelchair," said Makoto Hashizume, head of the Veda International Robot Research and Development Centre and a medical professor of Kyushu University.
"With this vehicle, users can move around more freely and more actively without much help from other people."
It is the first invention unveiled by the Veda centre, which opened in May in southwestern Munakata city and is a joint project of Japanese robot maker Tmsuk Co. and researchers from 10 universities and institutes.
The robotics and medical specialists, including from Germany and Italy, aim to invent robots for use in health and nursing, an area where high-tech Japan, with its fast-greying population, is seen as a world leader.
The inventors said they had no immediate plans to commercialise the new vehicle, which would first have to meet government safety standards, but said they were open to offers from private companies in Japan and overseas.
Tmsuk president Yoichi Takamoto said the Rodem may also be used by people who are not disabled to simply ride and enjoy.
Takamoto said the Rodem was too simple to be called a robot, but added that it may evolve into one.
"We can add more robot-like functions in future," he said. "For example, we could add a new function so it comes to your bedside when you call."
 The Israeli firm had converted the DA42 into a UAV powered by two Thielert diesel engines. It can be equipped with a variety of payloads. |
Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Aug 26, 2009
Israel-based Aeronautics Defense Systems will build two additional demonstrators for the unmanned version of the two-engine, propeller-driven Diamond DA42 for the U.S. market, according to Flight Global.
The company's president, Avi Leumi, was quoted as saying that the decision followed a first string of test flights in July.
"We will resume the test flights in September," Leumi said. But at the same time, he added, "we will prepare a marketing effort to potential customers, mainly in the USA."
In July, the prototype of the Aeronautics Dominator-2 "Oz" unmanned air vehicle flew for the first time, according to Flight Global.
The Israeli firm had converted the DA42 into a UAV powered by two Thielert diesel engines. It can be equipped with a variety of payloads.
The Dominator-2 is built to carry a payload of 400 kilograms for 28 hours, with a line-of-sight range of 300 kilometers.
Developed in less than a year by the Yavne-based Israeli firm, the Dominator is a light commercial aircraft converted into a strategic, multi-mission UAV.
With a wingspan of 13.5 meters, it is designed to fly up to 190 knots per hour at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet.
"We are very careful to work within the limitations of MTCR (the Missile Technology Control Regime)," said Itay Sherman, director for marketing and communications. "This way, the Dominator we are able to offer high performance on a proven, existing airframe to as many customers as a possible around the world."
Sherman said the size, quality and endurance of the system "is designed from the outset to operate safely and in coordination with civil aviation authorities on a full spectrum of missions."
He estimated that over the next decade, the Dominator could generate "sums of $1 billion and above."
Leumi said the UAV was an important addition to the company's swelling portfolio of UAVs, which now span the spectrum of tactical support to long-endurance, strategic missions, according to Defense News.
In recent weeks the company has also unveiled another non-flying prototype based on a commercial helicopter by Dynali SA Helicopters of Belgium. Called Picador, the prototype is aimed at the ground and maritime defense market, Sherman said.
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