USAF looks for RAAMs

No details as to the type or capabilities of the proposed AAM were disclosed, neither were proposed development and fielding timelines or contract values, but the AFLCMC (Air Force Life Cycle Management Center) Medium Altitude UAS Division disclosed on 7 March that it intended to award the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) a sole-source contract for the development of an MQ-9 RAAM (Reaper Air-to-Air Missile) Aviation Simulation (AVSIM) as the first step in the process of fielding such a capability.

The Reaper can currently carry up to 16 Lockheed Martin AGM-114P Hellfire missiles. It has also been cleared for the carriage of two GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs and the GBU-38 500 lb variant of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), and for mixed loads of these weapons. Now, the US Air Force (USAF) is looking to equip its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) with an air-to-air missile (AAM) capability for the first time.

To date, the Reaper has been employed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike missions only, and the inclusion of air-to-air combat in its mission set would represent a significant expansion of its capabilities. While such an enhancement would be a first for the Reaper, the USAF has fitted short-range AAMs to UAVs previously.

Airobotics desarrolla un sistema de vigilancia aerea completamente autónomo

La firma israelí Airobotics ha desarrollado un sistema de vigilancia aerea completamente autónomo, basado en el uso de UAVs. El sistema recibe un programa de vuelo y lo lleva a cabo de manera totalmente autónoma desde el despegue hasta el aterrizaje. Más aún: Si detecta un nivel de batería por debajo de un umbral establecido, regresa a la base y un brazo robótico le cambia las baterías para que pueda continuar la misión.

INAER Spain to use UAVs for Fire Spotting

During a presentation at the UNVEX16 event at Madrid–Cuatro Vientos Airport, Spain, José Luis Saiz, INAER Spain’s director of research and development, explained that the extensive experience of INAER Spain using EO / IR, SAR and LIDAR sensors for surveillance services, grounding that will allow them to become the first European operator to perform surveillance and observation activities in firefighting missions, not only daytime but also at night. (Read more)

Buenos tiempos para 3D Robotics

El gigante norteamericano de UAVs comerciales 3D Robotics Inc. ve grandes oportunidades en la venta de mini-helicópteros dotados de cámaras y sensores para propósito general.

Su crecimiento en estos ultimos años ha propiciado que en la actualidad su plantilla haya superado los 200 empleados, y sus directivos prevén un especial aumento durante este año en las ventas de UAVs de pequeño tamaño concebidos para aplicaciones amateur de tipo deportivo así como para aplicaciones profesionales relacionadas con la inspección de puntos de difícil acceso en edificios (tejados, cornisas, esculturas) e infraestructuras de tamaño mediano.

Su competidor principal a escala mundial es el OEM chino DJI SZ Technology Co., pues no en vano es el mayor fabricante mundial de UAVs para uso civil. Otro competidor relevante es AeroVironment Inc., pues no en vano es el mayor proveedor de pequeños UAVs para el Pentágono. Sin embargo, el principal obstáculo para su futuro en los Estados Unidos radica por un lado en las restricciones legales que existen, y por otro lado en la posibilidad de que, por su gran facilidad de uso,  sus aparatos puedan ser utilizados por grupos terroristas para cometer atentados. 

UAV Manufacturing with Stratasys

For components that “could not be done with standard milling procedures”, some UAV OEMs have turned to Stratasys 3D Production Systems. Watch this video to know more:

FDM makes custom parts for UAVs

In the growing unmanned vehicle market there is increasing demand for technologies that reduce time-to-market and lower development costs.

Until recently, most of UAV OEMs had been using various production techniques, such as CNC milling, mainly in the production of the aluminum core of its products.

This had become problematic on three levels:

•First, costs to produce increasingly complex and sophisticated parts were rising exponentially using traditional processes, such as CNC machining.

•Second, there was a critical dependency on sub-suppliers of CNC milled parts which tended to prioritize high volume contracts giving smaller orders a slower turn around.

•Third, some parts must be custom, meaning the company was producing even lower volumes with resultant increased cost for these parts.

To solve these issues, many UAV design engineers are reviewing various alternative technologies for more efficient production combining traditional production methods with modern in-house production techniques such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), that allows delivering of custom parts just in hours or days.

Replacing expensive and lead-time critical CNC-milled parts with in-house manufactured plastic parts, engineers are reducing the part cost to one third. Also, the plastic parts perform better technically, weighing less and providing better electrical insulation.