Preview - UVS Info

UAV PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS: EUROPE
Europe develops new ranges of niche products
Austria
Schiebel Elektronische Geraete produces the Camcopter 5.1
S-100 range of VTOL UAVs; the company is collaborating
with the relevant civil aviation authorities to ensure that it is
able to operate in civilian airspace. Financing for the S-100
is reported to be sourced, in part, from the United Arab
Emirates.
Belgium
The most visible UAV programme in Belgium currently is the
acquisition of the B-Hunter to replace the Army’s Epervier
system. Epervier (Sparrow Hawk) was a reconnaissance UAV
developed and produced by MBLE Défense, which was
acquired by Thomson-CSF and is now part of the Thales
Group. Forty air vehicles were delivered from 1977 to equip
two platoons - one of which was stationed in Germany until
the Belgian armed forces withdrew from German
deployment. By the late 1990s it was apparent the system
was obsolete and it was eventually withdrawn from service
in 1999 after 22 years sterling service.
In late 1998 Belgium announced that the IAI Malat BHunter had won its UAV procurement competition, with
Sagem’s Sperwer and Oerlikon-Contraves’ Ranger systems
being the losing contenders. The contract is worth
approximately €88 million (US$73 million) and is for three
UAV systems, each consisting of six air vehicles and two
ground control stations and two ground data terminals. A
mobile maintenance facility with spares is also included. The
Camcopter - Schiebel Elektronische Geraete, Austria
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Belgian Army has targeted tactical image intelligence
(IMINT), target acquisition, battlefield damage assessment
and artillery fire adjustment as primary missions for BHunter, with mission growth potential coming in the areas
of ELINT and SIGINT (electronic and signals intelligence),
NBC detection, ECM (electronic countermeasures), target
designation, mine warfare and all-weather reconnaissance
using SAR and MTI sensors. Since 2002, all three systems
have been delivered to the army’s 80A UAV Squadron at
Elsenborn and full operational capability is scheduled for
the beginning of 2005 when the unit will be operationally
deployable (including missions abroad). The B-Hunter has
been given military flight certification in Belgium and the
Belgian Army is now regularly conducting training missions
with the B-Hunter in Belgian airspace under surveillance by
civil ATC. It has also been assigned a flight corridor to access
a temporary flight exclusion zone over the North Sea.
The B-Hunter has an automatic landing and take-off
(ATLND) system based on a laser tracker sensor to
automatically guide the air vehicle to a flare point.
The B-Hunter systems have been produced and delivered by
the Belgian Eagle consortium formed of SONACA s.a. (as
prime), Israel Aircraft Industries Malat Division and Thales
Communications Belgium. The first system was produced,
assembled and tested by IAI Malat while the second and
third have been jointly produced by SONACA and Thales,
according to SONACA. Total value of the basic contract is
€52.4 million, shared 56% by IAI Malat and 22% for each
of the Belgian Eagle consortium members.
Camcopter S-100 - Schiebel Elektronische Geraete,
Austria
UAV PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS: EUROPE
Hunter - Israel Aircraft Industries, Israel
For aerial target use, the Belgian Army is apparently still
using the hand-launched Ultima 14/225 it developed and
produced for itself. Originally designed by an Air Force
helicopter pilot in 1994 and produced for little more than
US$3,000 apiece, the Ultima is a simple, low-tech and lowmaintenance target used for SAM training - primarily for
the Mistral system - and requires minimal support.
In the civil field, the Belgian and European Union
governments have co-funded an investigation into a High
Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV by VITO - the Vlaamse
Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (Flemish Institute
for Technological Research) - known as PEGASUS (Policy
support for European Governments by Acquisition of
information from Satellite and UAV borne Sensors). This
somewhat contrived acronym covers a research study that
in two years aims to prove the concept of having a solarpowered UAV flying at heights of 12-20 km for periods of
several weeks and capable of providing 20 cm pixel
resolution coverage of a country the size of Belgium (over
100,000 km≤) once a year. Intended for mapping,
environmental monitoring, broadcast relay and similar civil
applications, the PEGASUS UAV is intended to carry a wide
variety of advanced sensor payloads, including LIDAR, SAR
and thermal imaging systems.
Meanwhile, Alexander van de Rostyne, an independent
developer, has manufactured a series of proof-of-concept
rotary wing micro-UAVs whose potential applications
appear to be limited only by the imagination of the user.
Denmark
Twelve Sperwer systems have been delivered to the Danish
Army, where they are known as Termfalken, but at the start
of 2005 they remain grounded and will probably not be
cleared for operational use until 2006, according to the
Danish Air Materiel Command.
The Danish military has given consideration to utilising
Termfalken in border control and surveillance operations as
Ultima aerial target produced by Belgian Army )on
launcher from Tasuma UK Ltd)
support to maritime patrol forces; however, the lack of
legislation for UAV flights in unrestricted airspace has
stymied any progress.
Several crashes of Sperwers have delayed the programme
and in 2004 only a very limited number of test flights have
been allowed.
Acquisition of further such systems by the Danish military is
currently seen as unlikely, at least in the short term, though
the country does have experience in the operation of aerial
target systems.
Finland
After extensive summer and winter trials in-country in
1998, Finland announced an order in September 1999 for
a single six-vehicle ADS Ranger system from prime
contractor Oerlikon-Contraves at an approximate cost of
$20 million. The first air vehicles - destined for use in an
artillery reconnaissance role - were delivered in October
2001, and the Finnish order included an option to buy a
further two systems by the end of 2002 - an option that
was not exercised. However, a follow-on order for an
additional Ranger system was placed with a RUAG
Aerospace-led consortium in 2003 following completion of
the evaluation phase. The new system, to be delivered in
2005, consists of five air vehicles and a full ground system.
It will join the existing system at Niinisalo where Ranger is
operated by the Army’s Artillery Brigade. While Niinisalo
serves as the home base, the brigade has set up several
temporary bases around Finland for potential deployment.
The system can also be tasked by the Air Force and Navy
although command and control would be retained by the
Army. The latest order also includes an advanced avionics
system for autonomous operation and navigation, stabilised
electro-optical payloads and an advanced communications
system. Training and integration will be carried out by
current Army personnel at Niinisalo. Ranger, which uses a
pneumatic launch system, possesses a maximum launch
weight of 275 kg (payload maximum of 45 kg), a wingspan
of 5,7 m, a speed range of approximately 100-240 km/h, an
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Ranger - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
operating ceiling of 5.480 m, a command link range of 150
km, and endurance of 5 hours (6 hours with auxiliary tank).
Training with these initial systems in target identification
and acquisition roles continues, and additional roles for
UAVs are under study. It has been widely reported that the
Finnish military has decided to abandon its long-debated
plan to acquire attack helicopters in favour of a new midterm procurement plan aimed at enhancing the long-range
striking power of the defence forces. Central to this plan,
according to YLE24 (an online Finnish news service) will be
the deployment of an unmanned aerial reconnaissance and
surveillance system, based on a platform yet to be
determined.
Local firm Avaruusteknikka produces a series of handlaunched aerial targets for use by the Finnish armed forces.
The AT97 has been in Army service since 1968 and the
enhanced, more powerful AT85 - intended for naval
gunnery training - since 1985. The Army also makes use of
Meggitt Snipe and the Northrop Grumman KD2R/BTT
target systems.
Ranger Control Station - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
Greece
The Greek Army joined the expanding list of users of
Sagem’s Sperwer system in July 2002 when it placed an
order for two complete Sperwer systems at a total cost of
€36 million including ground control stations and software.
The initial role foreseen for Sperwer in Greek service is
artillery reconnaissance and target designation, but a more
general surveillance role is also planned. Meanwhile the
Ministry of Defence is in the process of signing a letter of
intent with the French Délégation Générale pour
l’Armement to invest a significant sum in the growing
European UCAV project. Hellenic Aerospace Industries is
expected to join Dassault Aviation in the research and
development phase of the project, for which a prototype is
expected to fly in 2008. The Hellenic Air Force Research
Centre is also believed to have an ongoing development
project for a medium-range surveillance UAV yet to be
named.
EADS 3 Sigma unit in Athens has developed the Nearchos
multi-role UAV, which is currently in use as a research and
Robonics, Europe’s principal launcher manufacturer,
produces pneumatic catapults for the launch of UAVs and
aerial targets. It has produced a truck-mounted fullyenclosed and heated launcher for the Finnish Army’s
Rangers. Robonics has exported two launchers to the
Netherlands for use with their KD2R aerial targets; however
these aerial targets are no longer in use by the Netherlands
armed forces, as they have decommissioned the KD2R
aerial targets. Robonics is also launcher supplier to EADS
Defence and Security Systems Division for use with that
company’s aerial targets and has been selected as the
launcher supplier by BAE Systems within the framework of
their bid for the UK CATS programme. The series of
launchers produced by Robonics is covered elsewhere in this
volume.
Sperwer - Sagem, France
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development platform examining a wide variety of roles,
including reconnaissance/surveillance, target acquisition,
electronic support/countermeasures (ESM/ECM), battle
damage assessment and civil applications. Nearchos has a
maximum take-off weight of 190 kg in its wheeled
configuration and possesses a wingspan of 5.1 m. Payload
capacity is between 51 and 92 kg, while its operating
ceiling is 7.620 m. Nearchos has a speed range of 100-220
km/h and an endurance capacity of between 8 and 12
hours. Current efforts, in collaboration with the Technical
University of Crete and the National Technical University of
Athens, are concentrating on collision avoidance
methodologies and the detection of ground fire in remote
areas.
Sperwer - Sagem, France
EADS 3 Sigma is also currently the primary provider of aerial
targets for the Greek armed services. The Perseas target, of
which over 100 have been built, is in service with the Greek
and French armed forces and with NATO training
establishments including NAMFI in Crete. The Iris - in both
jet- and propeller-driven configurations - and Alkyon targets
are both in service with the Greek Army and Air Force.
Targets in use in Greece from other sources include the
Mirach 100/4 (Galileo Avionica, Italy), the BQM/MQM-74
Chukar II (Northrop Grumman) and a variety of flexible
scaleable targets first revealed by Hellenic Aerospace
Industries in 1990.
A tender for a tactical UAV in Cyprus attracted bids from
STN Atlas Elektronik, now part of the Rheinmetall group in
Germany (KZO), IAI (Hunter), Aeronautics of Israel
(Aerostar/Aerosky) and Sagem (Sperwer). The contract was
initially awarded to Aeronautics; however Sagem protested
that the selection process had been irregular. The contract
was subsequently cancelled, though the requirement is
believed to be still active.
Netherlands
By the end of 2005 the Royal Netherlands Air Force is due
to have completed a study designated AD09-04 ADAM on
harmonising requirements by all the country’s armed forces
for a MALE UAV.
The results of the study will have a significant bearing on
the degree of participation by the Dutch government within
the EuroMALE programme (see elsewhere). During 2005 a
number of Duch companies has set up an association called
NIMUP (Netherlands Industrial MALE UAV Platform) to
assess the industrial implications of a Dutch MALE
programme. NIMUP includes ADS, the consultancy
company tasked with producing the AD09-04 ADAM study,
along with Stork Aerospace, Klein Poelhuis, the National
Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), Thales Nederland and TNO.
At the same time with the launch of the industrial phase of
the EuroMALE demonstrator programme underway (see
elsewhere), a number of Dutch organisations including
Stork-Fokker, TNO and NLR have expressed in interest in
joining the French-led EuroMALE industry team.
The RNLAF would like to see a MALE system with an
endurance capability of some 24 hours and a payload
capacity of 250-500 kg.
Sperwer operations continue to mature with training
ongoing at Het Harde base in the Netherlands as well as at
Mourmelon, France and at Bergen Hohne in Germany. The
Royal Netherlands Air Force granted flight certification to
the Army for operations using Sperwer in January 2002. If
current milestones are met, the Sperwer system is due to be
declared mission-ready in 2005 when it will be available to
undertake operations at home or abroad as part of an
international force.
FlyCam BV in Rotterdam - part of the RDM Aerospace
Group - has produced rotary-wing, VTOL UAVs, primarily
for the film industry, to which in excess of 20 units have
been sold to date. A military version has been demonstrated
to the Netherlands armed forces with development of the
vehicle initiated in conjunction with Delft University of
Technology and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR).
However, in early 2004 RDM filed for protection from
creditors on behalf of four of its subsidiary companies,
including FlyCam, citing lack of government investment in
advanced technologies as the primary cause of this course
of action. The extent to which this will affect FlyCam’s
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UAV PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS: EUROPE
ability to continue with development has yet to be
determined.
Under development as a feasibility study for the Royal
Netherlands Army by Dutch Space is MATE (Man-Portable
Aerial Terrain Explorer), a close-range battlefield surveillance
mini-UAV intended for use at company or even platoon
level. Launched by compressed air from a contraption
resembling a mortar and belly landing at a predetermined
site, this low weight (6 kg) UAV is intended to be a low-cost
and immediate surveillance resource for battlefield
commanders.
The TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory in The Hague
are developing a miniaturised SAR (Synthetic Aperture
Radar) for possible UAV installation. Based on existing
technologies, the radar will be capable of operating in highand low-resolution modes and is intended to weigh in at
less than 50kg. It is intended to provide mapping and MTI
(Moving Target Indication) capabilities to the operator.
Poland
Poland is negotiating the acquisition of US UAVS systems
from the US Department of Defense as part of
compensation for Polish involvement in the US-led ‘Iraqi
Freedom’ operation.
tactical UAV system instead. Moreover, there are conflicting
requirements and priorities between the Air Force and the
Army in this area and it is unlikely that both services will
emerge as acquisition winners.
Meanwhile indigenous UAV research is still underway in the
country.Polish aviation companies and research institutes
have long had a well-deserved reputation for inspiration
and innovation. OBRUM (Osrodek Badawczo Rozwojowy
Urzadzen Mechanicznych - Research and Development
Centre for Mechanical Appliances) revealed two UAV
programmes in 2000 and both remain in development at
the time of writing. The OBRUM Bee hand-launched micro
UAV is being developed as a potential reconnaissance
platform, although the payload and system weights (70 g
and 170 g respectively) limit the choice of available sensors.
Maximum speed of Bee is currently about 50 km/h and
endurance around 10 minutes, though development to
improve these figures to 60 km/h and 20 minutes
respectively continues. The OBRUM CamBat mini UAV is
somewhat larger (payload of 300 g and maximum weight
of 1.7 kg) and is also aimed at reconnaissance/surveillance
missions. Vehicle-launched, CamBat has a cruising speed of
40km/h and endurance of approx 15 minutes, though
development to improve this to 40 minutes or more
continues.
Switzerland
Poland’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has said it
plans to field two different classes of UAVs by 2010 and the
current negotiations centre on the transfer of tactical US
systems such as Hunter.
The Polish Air Force has also stated it would like to acquire
two MALE UAV systems by 2009 as part of Poland’s
contribution to the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance
(NATO AGS) programme. The Air Force is focussing on a
“Predator-B” class of air vehicle with a range of at least 500
km and would like to acquire two systems (possibly up to
eight UAVs). Budgets for this, however, remain in serious
doubt and Poland may opt for a less-costly short-range
Ranger - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
86
Switzerland is one of the very few countries in the world
where military UAVs operate in civilian managed airspace.
The Swiss Air Force operates its fleet of ADS-95 Rangers
throughout the country, including over populated areas.
For example, in March 2005 the Swiss Army conducted
daytime training flights with a Ranger UAV in the
Lucerne/Stans area; on behalf of the Uri Cantonal Police
and within the scope of these training flights, the volume of
traffic on the A2 national highway was observed from an
altitude of 1500 - 3000 meters. The joint Army/Cantonal
Police exercise was the first opportunity for both sides to
UAV PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS: EUROPE
Ranger - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
evaluate in the usability of such flights for traffic control.
Observations on traffic incidents on the north-south axis
were reported to the traffic police operations center in
Goschenen.
The RUAG ADS 95 Ranger was developed originally to meet
Swiss Army requirements for a rugged UAV which could
operate in a cold, mountainous environment. Following the
1985-86 evaluation of four Israeli IAI Scout UAVs, it was
developed by the Swiss Federal Aircraft Factory (now RUAG
Aerospace), in collaboration with Israel Aircraft Industries
(IAI). Trials of the ADS 90 prototypes were conducted by the
Swiss Army in 1990. The Swiss Air Force duly ordered four
ADS 95 production systems (28 air vehicles) in December
1995 in a contract worth $232 million. Deliveries began in
1998 and were completed in 2000. As well the
development of a ruggedised airframe, Ranger is notable
for the mobility and autonomy of the ground control
station (GCS) and launch platforms.
The GCS is normally housed in a shelter that accommodates
the mission commander’s post and is mounted on a truck
and includes consoles for the pilot and observer, plus a
plotting/navigation console. Manual, automatic, and preprogrammed flight control options are available with
RAPS - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
Ranger - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
environmental parameters updated continuously and fed
back to the GCS. Data transmission is via microwave
primary and UHF back-up up-link, with a microwave band
video and telemetry down-link. In Switzerland a RUAG
mobile hydraulic catapult is used to launch the air vehicle,
mounted on an all-terrain vehicle. In 2001, RUAG
introduced an upgraded launcher known as “Archer” - a
trailer-based system which is air-transportable and
independent of a user’s truck fleet.
The air vehicle itself is designed for real-time day and night
observation, reconnaissance and surveillance, with
interchangeable modular payload packages. The UAV’s
body is constructed of composite materials with highaspect-ratio wings mounted low on the fuselage, twinboom tail and a single rudder and is equipped with an
emergency parachute. Special attention was given to
weatherproofing and airworthiness.
The maximum payload is 45 kg (99.2 lb), with an endurance
of five hours. The standard sensor is an IAI Tamam MOSP TV
camera with zoom capability and a FLIR sensor; options are
a laser range-finder/target designator, communications
relay or EW payload. It is powered by a 31.5 kW (42.2 hp)
Hirth F 31 two-cylinder two-stroke engine; two-blade fixed-
Ranger - RUAG Aerospace, Switzerland
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UAV PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS: EUROPE
pitch pusher propeller. Another feature of the Ranger is its
automatic landing capability - based on the Autoland
Position Sensor (RAPS) system (RUAG Aerospace), which is
deployed close to the landing area. This comprises a laser
radar and TV camera which points towards the approaching
UAV, illuminating it by IR pulses which are echoed back to
the RAPS by the retro-reflector. From these returns, RAPS
determines UAV distance and azimuth or elevation angles,
while the TV camera gives the operator visual information.
Meanwhile UAV research has been a principle area of
research at the Measurement and Control Laboratory
(IMRT) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
Zurich. The main research interests are: robust flight
controls for unmanned helicopters, integrated navigation
systems (INS/GPS) and aircraft guidance algorithms.
Previous research has yielded high bandwidth and high
precision helicopter flight controls. The current research
effort focuses on closed-loop aerobatic flight controls for
fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
The IMRT also has considerable experience in integrated
navigation system miniaturization and embedded computer
designs dedicated to UAVs. Current student projects include
high level trajectory planning for automated missions, as
well as simulation and control of blimps. IMRT has a high
level of co-operation with weControl, a spin-off of the IMRT
research group. weControl specializes in miniature flight
control systems for unmanned rotary and fixed-wing
aircraft; the company’s core knowledge base is focused on
expert knowledge in system theory, in particular sensor data
fusion and robust control theory, embedded computer
system design and real-time software programming.
weControl produces the wePilot1000 flight control system
which has been developed for small helicopter UAVs where
weight and power requirements are major constraints. The
wePilot performs attitude stabilisation and position control,
Heron - Israel Aircraft Industries, Israel
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as well as automatic take-off and landing. The ground
control station software, designated “weGCS”, allows the
operator to control the helicopter either with joystick
commands or by executing pre-programmed missions
defined by way points.
In cooperation with SurveyCopter (France), which develops
small helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, weControl has
proven the performance and maturity of its flight control
system at various occasions for military and civilian
customers
Turkey
In late April 2005 it was reported that Turkey’s Defence
Industries Undersecretariate (SSM) and Turkish Aircraft
Industries (TUSAS) had signed a deal worth more than $180
million with the Israeli UAV Partnership (IUP) for a number
of medium-altitude long endurance UAV systems,
understood to be based on the Heron platform.
A total of 10 UAVs, along with surveillance systems and
ground control stations are included in the deal. All systems
are due to be delivered by the end of 2007.
IUP comprises Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Elbit , with
IAI providing the air vehicles and Elbit the ground control
equipment. Turkey’s air force and army will each receive
four air vehicles and the navy two.
The Israeli solution edged out the US General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems’ Predator UAV to win the deal.
Another beneficiary will be Turkey’s indigenous aerospace
sector. With Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) - which has
now taken the programme from civilian-control TUSAS and payload supplier Aselan becoming responsible for up to
30 per of the contract price.