Super Discovery: Very Large Format 3D Printing for military UAVs

After reading the title of this post, you may be thinking that the Super Discovery is merely a very large version of a standard 3D Production System.

Well, this is not the case: Some of the Super Discovery’s specifications are a bit unusual for 3D Production Systems. The minimum layer size, for example, is 0.5 mm, which may be perhaps not surprising. But the largest possible layer size, one that might be used when 3D printing large items, is 10 mm.

The manufacturer has installed a hot end that is capable of hitting an astonishing 450 ºC, making the Super Discovery able to attempt 3D printing of many strong engineering materials... in huge sizes. Their high-performance material capability is extremely interesting because it opens up the possibility of 3D Printing large production components for military UAVs, among other applications.   

This enormous 3D printer that uses pellets as input material, is developed and produced in Spain by a company that began developing 3D Printing technology five years ago. Prior to that, and still occurring, is their marketing of other manufacturing equipment, including CNCs, lasers, and the like.

What is the price of this massive machine? Well, it depends, because each machine is custom built. But you will find more info at:

http://integral3dprinting.com/impresoras-3d/gama-discovery-3d-printer/super-discovery/

Spain: New regulatory framework

Interview with the Madrid company Alpha Unmanned Systems that coincides with the publication of the approval of a new regulatory framework for drone activity in Spain.

Manufacturers of the Alpha 800, platform with 2.5 hours of endurance, 3 kg of payload capacity and 30 km of range with streaming video.

Israel shows its latest UAV interception technology

As leader in defense and heavy electronic warfare, the world has for many years looked to Israel for security and intelligence, and Israel’s defense industry has got  leading international companies exporting to countries across the globe.

It is the case of ORAD, an Israeli company based in Holon. According to Yossi Gofer, vice president of sales and marketing at the company,  its Drone Defense System DROM is the “most capable and cost-effective” system to counter the threat posed by hostile UAVs.

ORAD has already sold the system to clients in several countries including Portugal, Spain and Thailand. ¿Its main advantage? the cost reduction: Of course there are missile systems capable to shoot down a hostile UAV, but at $3 million per missile, this is an expensive way to down a device that may only be worth $200: As far as I remember, in August 2014, a Patriot missile shot down a drone that entered Israeli airspace from the Quneitra region in Syria close to the Israeli border. But the scene got worse two years after, when in July 2016, two Patriot missiles were fired at a hostile UAV that crossed into Israeli airspace from Syria: Both missed their target and the unmanned aircraft returned to Syria. Probably the Israel enemies still are remembering it and laughing. 

Technically, the DROM has a weight of just 38 kilograms and comes pre-engineered and pre-assembled to be easily deployed on land or at sea in any weather conditions, to detect an approaching UAV at more than 3.5 kilometers away and take its control. Very useful to fight against the Islamic State, that has used weaponized drones against both Syrian and Iraqi forces, and groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, who have sent UAVs into Israel and are said to have been working on upgrading the group’s UAVs for use in both offensive operations and intelligence gathering.

The latest version of the system also comes with an RF Detection Unit, that detects the presence of a UAV by analyzing signaling channels and radio transmissions. Once a UAV is detected, an alarm is automatically triggered and alerts the system operator of the UAV presence, to land it in a pre-defined location after intercepting it so any intelligence that may have been gathered does not fall into the hands of the enemy.

Airbus sees big growth in UAV market

Airbus Defence and Space believes the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market is poised for massive growth, and it is seeking to become involved in this sector, through technology like its Zephyr pseudo-satellite. (Read more)

Airbus presenta a THOR, su UAV impreso en 3D

THOR (Testing High-tech Objectives in Reality) es el UAV fabricado por Airbus a través de la impresión 3D.

UAVs para desastres naturales: La revolución electrónica humanitaria

El empleo de UAVs para intervenir en las crisis puede sorprender a más de uno: en general se considera que los drones son un gran adelanto para las operaciones de defensa y obtención de información, y los últimos avances han permitido recientemente su despliegue también en las regiones asoladas por catástrofes. (Seguir leyendo)

Thales España presenta su sistema de identificación y detección de micro-UAVs

El pasado 15 de Junio, Thales España ha realizado una demostración de su nuevo sistema de detección e identificación de micro-UAVs. El sistema consta de un conjunto sensórico Gecko-Squire, una consola de gestión del conjunto sensórico y un centro de Control. Por problemas de confidencialidad no se ha proporcionado el nombre de este proyecto, al cual han denominado, de forma temporal, Solución Nout. (Seguir leyendo)

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)

¿What could a Terror-Drone do to a passenger jet?

A collision between a passenger jet and a drone has left the plane undamaged but the aviation industry deeply shaken: ¿What could a terror-drone do to a plane? ¿How many drones are out there? ¿How many incidents involving drones have there been?  ¿What are the rules? ¿What can be done to cut the risk? The incident brings attention to the number of unregulated drones in the sky and the potential for a terror-attack. (Read more)

Phoenix Aerial Target System

PHOENIX has been developed specifically for the Defence Industry as a high performance training solution for a variety of artillery and air defence missile systems. It is able to simulate a realistic high speed threat in excess of 280 kts, with enhancements including a Miss-Distance Indicator (MDI), Infra-Red and multi-spectral smoke and also the integration of a Luneburg lense system to meet the targeting requirements of a wide range of weapon systems, including electro-optical and radar target acquisition.

The heart of the system is UAV Navigation's Flight Control System (FCS), an onboard autopilot capable of controlling all the onboard systems, including Engine Control Unit (ECU), all servos, parachute release, datalink, pyrotechnics (smoke etc), Luneburg lens system and MDI.

In addition, a complete Ground Control Station (GCS) is provided with the Visionair mission control software which runs on a standard PC. Training on the system is around 5 days

Read More: http://www.uavnavigation.com/company/news-and-events/phoenix-aerial-target-system#sthash.dtnKXEL6.dpuf

Spain: More than 1K UAV operators

¿Did you know how many UAV operators can you find in Spain? More than 1005. You will find their respectives names, activities, locations etc. through the following link:

http://www.seguridadaerea.gob.es/media/4305572/listado_operadores.pdf

Reglamento español sobre UAVs: Incongruencias

En el reglamento vigente sobre el uso de UAVs nos han llamado la atención tres aplicaciones que no acabamos de entender hasta qué punto está permitido llevar a cabo en España:

Publicidad aérea

Se pueden realizar actividades de publicidad aérea y emisiones de radio y TV aunque en un primer momento, y hasta que no esté aprobada la reglamentación definitiva, las operaciones que se pueden realizar se limitan a zonas no pobladas.

• ¿Conocen ustedes a alguien interesado en realizar publicidad aérea y/o  emisiones de radio/TV... sobre zonas NO POBLADAS?

Filmación de manifestaciones

Se pueden usar UAVs para grabar manifestaciones, pero siempre que no sea en zonas urbanas, con la salvedad de que tengan lugar en recintos completamente cerrados (incluyendo el techo).

• ¿Tienen ustedes noticia de alguna manifestación que NO se haya celebrado en zonas urbanas?
• ¿Tienen ustedes noticia de alguna manifestación que se haya desarrollado en un recinto CERRADO?

Fotografías o filmaciones en exteriores

Para la realización de fotografías o filmaciones en exteriores, con cualquier tipo de aeronaves , tripuladas o no, es necesario obtener una autorización específica de AESA, para ese tipo de actividad, en virtud de una Orden de Presidencia del Gobierno de 14 de Marzo de 1957.

David del Fresno Consultores

Asesoría Estratégica en Impresión 3D

http://daviddft.wix.com/david-del-fresno

Airbus seeks European OK

Airbus Defense and Space said it will now work with EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) to develop a certification process for civilian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) based on the process normally used for manned aircraft.

The application, which Airbus described as the first in Europe, was filed for the company's Atlante UAV, which is intended for a number of civil missions, such as surveillance of oil pipes, power lines and railways, as well as for use during natural disasters.

The Atlante was developed by Airbus in Spain. It weighs nearly 1,257 pounds and has a wingspan of 26 feet. "The launch of the Atlante application will help EASA to secure a world-leading position in the establishment of the appropriate regulatory framework under which such systems will be designed, produced and maintained. And it will enable Airbus Defense and Space to maintain a leading industrial position in this new and challenging civil aviation sector. UAVs represent a rapidly growing activity in commercial aviation that will have a very significant economic impact in the near future," said Miguel Ángel Morell, head of Engineering for Military Aircraft at Airbus Defense and Space.

Small UAV Market Estimated to Reach $582.2 Million by 2019

According to the new MarketsandMarkets' research report “Small UAV Market by Trends (Mini, Micro, Hand Held UAV), by Propulsion (Hydrogen, Electric, Solar, Lithium ION), by Payload (NBC Detection, Telemetry Systems, Software Systems, Meteorology), by Application (Civil, Military, Security), by Region & by Country – Global Forecast to 2014 – 2019″, the Small UAV Market is expected to register growth with CAGR of 21.70%, and reach 2.2 million by the end of 2019.

It provides information about the leading competitors in the global Small UAV Market and apart from a general overview of the companies; it also provides details on their financial positions, key products, their unique selling points and key developments. The report also analyzes the market share on the basis of payloads used in UAVs. The report highlights the revenue analysis of the small UAV market with respect to countries such as the U.S., Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan etc. This research report also segments the market on the basis of products, types, application and geography, country, forecasting revenues, market share and analyzing trends in each of the sub segments.

More info: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/small-uav-market-141134567.html.

  

Granada (Spain): UAV Scales New Heights as 3D Architecture Tool

Engineers from Spain's University of Granada are developing a remotely-operated Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capable of maneuvering in and around buildings to construct 3D models in unprecedented detail.

http://archive.wausaudailyherald.com/VideoNetwork/1786859817001/UAV-Scales-New-Heights-as-3D-Architecture-Tool

Spain transfers the technology to make the UAV DIANA

The Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) has signed an agreement with Brazilian  Aeronautics Equipaer Ind.   (Read more)

Spain: UAVs for Architectural Reconstruction

Arjonilla Studio in Segovia, Spain, is a specialized company (among other things) in video recording using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Click on the picture to see a flight demonstration of the exciting possibilities of UAVs in architectural reconstruction. The UAV was manufactured by the team of Arjonilla Studios and its typical applications include architecture and agriculture. In the words of CEO Javier Arjonilla, "Inspect old buildings from the top is a dangerous job. We have been able to accomplish the task by having all the tools at our disposal, in our study: The UAV, 3D modeling software, and more importantly, a team capable of carrying it out! "

More info: http://arjonillastudio.com

Spain: UAV Navigation recognized "Best Tech Company"

The Spanish UAV Navigation, a pioneer in the development of inertial navigation systems for unmanned aircraft avionics, was honored for his contribution to the energy and industrial sectors in the category Global Growth during the "II Spain Startup & Investor Summit 2013 ", held in Madrid. The closing event was presided over by the Prince of Asturias, who made the award to Guillermo Parodi, CEO and cofounder of UAV Navigation. (Read more)

Barracuda: A brief look

Development on the EADS Barracuda fully-autonomous, medium-altitude, long-range UAV began in 2003, and is backed by both Germany and Spain. Despite crashing during a 2006 test flight, which grounded the project for nearly two years, the Barracuda has since successfully completed more than a dozen test flights.

Barracuda is built from a mix of off the shelf components and custom hardware systems. Its entire fuselage — save for a pair of reinforcing wing spars — is composed of the same carbon fibre composite that covers the Eurofighter Typhoon. What’s more, the 8m long, 2.7-tonne demonstrator does almost entirely away with hydraulics — aside from the landing gear, the UAV operates entirely on electronic actuators. And while it isn’t as quick as the Taranis, the Barracuda reportedly packs a 14kN Pratt & Whitney jet turbine capable of achieving mach .85 with a 6000 m service ceiling and an estimated 200km operational radius.

For the foreseeable future, the Barracuda will remain a developmental test bed for future Cassian UAV technologies with hopes of eventually developing a system that can operate in unsegregated airspace alongside manned and civilian aircraft. And with both the nEUROn and Taranis gunning for deployment by the end of the decade, the skies over Europe are going to get crowded.

Spain: Europe Demos Heron UAV In Civil Air Space

 

The European Space Agency (ESA) and European Defense Agency (EDA) demonstrated a Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in civil airspace April 24 from San Javier Air Base in Murcia, Spain. (Read more)