Sensors - Wescam

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Next Big Thing The large surface area of an airship makes it a natural application for solar regenerative propulsion, offering the prospect that it can store sufficient excess energy during the day from photovoltaic arrays to power the vehicle throughout the night. Current studies appear to indicate that an endurance of weeks or months can probably be achieved, given long summer days and the absence of strong winds. Whether solar-powered airships can achieve extreme endurance year-round throughout the desired band of global latitudes is unknown. If successful in these terms, stratospheric airships operating in ‘near space’ between manned aircraft and satellites would offer excellent coverage and low operating costs. One of the planned applications for this technology is the US Army-led HAA (High Altitude Airship) project, which is intended to carry between a 900 and 1800- kg sensor payload to 65,000 ft and stay there for months. The HAA began as a US MDA (Missile Defense Agency) programme, under which Lockheed Martin received a $ 149 billion contract in 2005 to produce a prototype. This was cancelled by the MDA in FY08, and the programme transferred to the US Army’s SMDC. SMDC has funded a high-altitude concept demonstrator aimed at proving the feasibility of HAA. This is the Lockheed Martin Hale-D (High Altitude Long Endurance – Demonstrator), an 82-metre reusable airship designed to fly with a 23- Boeing is funding development of the X- 45C Phantom Ray, a larger derivative of the X-45A which flew in 2004. The first X- 45A is exhibited in the Smithsonian Institute Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. (US Air Force) kg/500-Watt payload for at least two weeks. The Hale-D has solar arrays on the upper surface of the hull, and lithium-ion batteries to power the aircraft at night. Whereas the HAA is intended for heavy loads, months of flight and selfdeployment from America, SMDC’s Hisentinel is to be launched in-theatre with a small/medium (up to 100 kg) payload and an endurance of «greater than 30 days». In 2005 the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Hisentinel20, with a hull fabricated by Aerostar International, made a five-hour flight with a 27-kg payload, reaching 74,000 ft. Remarkable as it was, this was not the first time that powered flight had been achieved by an airship in the stratosphere. In 1969, carrying a 2.3-kg payload, powered flight was achieved at 70,000 ft by the Noteworthy for its unusual store configuration, this unmarked General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B is carrying two unidentified pods of completely different sizes. (US Central Command) High Platform II, made by Raven Industries, Aerostar’s parent company. The next project in this SMDC stratospheric airship series is the 54.6-metre Hisentinel50, designed to carry a 23- kg/50-Watt payload and fly at around 66,000 ft for more than 24 hours. The Hisentinel50 was first demonstrated at Holloman AFB, New Mexico in June 2008. The final objective in the series is a Hisentinel that can support a 90-kg/1000-Watt payload at 67,000 ft for 30+ days. In parallel with these US Army efforts, Darpa is funding the Isis (Integrated Sensor Is Structure) project, combining the extreme endurance of solar power with a massive Aesa (Active Electronically Scanned Array) in the form of a vertical cylinder using the full depth of the envelope. To avoid the difficulty of landing Isis, it is intended to be used like a nonrecoverable satellite, hopefully to stay aloft for ten years or more. To put this in perspective, communication satellites have a typical life of 15 years. By the 2020s strike missions may be performed by manned aircraft operating in partnership with armed drones. This artist’s impression teams the Rafale fighter with Neuron Ucavs. (Dassault Aviation) In April 2009 Lockheed Martin was awarded the first $ 100 million tranche of a $ 400 million contract to design and fly a one-third scale Isis demonstrator, which is to stay aloft for 90 days. Instead of storing excess daytime power in batteries, it will be used to break down stored water by hydrolysis, to produce hydrogen and oxygen. These elements will power fuel cells at night. Raytheon is developing the Isis radar system, which employs antennas weighing only 1.8 kg/metre 2 . It combines a 600- metre 2 UHF radar to detect ground targets, and a 100-metre 2 X-band radar for aerial targets and tracking. The Isis demonstrator is expected to fly in 2013, and – as part of its tests – to operate in the target-rich environment of the Florida Keys for 90 days. The production Isis is expected to be 300 metres long and have antennas totalling 6000 metre 2 . It will provide a detection radius of 600 km against small cruise missiles, compared to the 300 to 375 km of fixed-wing AEW&C aircraft. The US Air Force may in future take a more active role in the development and operation of high-altitude airships, if only to reduce its dependence on expensive commercial satcom links. 4 armada Compendium Drones 2010
CASTING A LONGER SHADOW UNMANNED CAPABILITIES REACHING ACROSS THE BATTLESPACE AAI has proven itself time and time again as a leader in unmanned technology with the Shadow ® Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and One System ® Ground Control Station. Approaching 500,000 flight hours, Shadow has soared over the battlespace, bringing critical tactical information to the warfighter on the ground, in the air and at sea. Building on its leadership in unmanned technology, AAI has advanced its control systems, Aerosonde ® Small UAS, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and manned/unmanned teaming concepts to new heights. With successful tests of multiple UAS control, and manned/unmanned teaming, the sky is no longer the limit, but the beginning of future technologies being applied today toward tomorrow’s challenges. Find out more about the growing shadow AAI casts over the UAS industry at RSC_AAIReg@aai.textron.com. aaicorp.com © 2010 AAI Corporation. All rights reserved. AAI is an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. Shadow is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation. AAI and design is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation. Aerosonde is a registered trademark of Aerosonde Pty Ltd., a strategic business of AAI. One System is a registered trademark of the U.S. Army. Helicopter photo courtesy U.S. Army.
Page 1 and 2: Compendium by Drones Europe Wakens
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Page 10 and 11: The Lockheed Martin Tracer (Tactica
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Page 18 and 19: Raytheon delivers proven ISR with i
Page 20 and 21: A160T Hummingbird Boeing 10.67 10.9
Page 22 and 23: Aerostar 4.50 Payload: 50 kg Stabil
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Page 26 and 27: tomer be found, the Evo could make
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Page 33 and 34: ONLINE Stepping ahead of the techno
Page 36 and 37: Even light helicopter drones, like
Page 38 and 39: turrets are Elbit, Flir, L-3 Wescam

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