US Navy foresees an uncrewed future for its surface and underwater fleet
The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.
Cyberhawk Innovations has completed the inspection of a Bulgarian company’s commercial internal steam boiler using a remotely operated UAS, it announced on 5 April.
The inspection was carried out at an operational thermal power plant and the project included a visual inspection of all equipment for integrity and damage assessment.
UAS technology was selected as the preferred method of inspection for this project to reduce the safety risk posed to personnel working at height as well as to overcome restrictions associated with working in confined spaces. Usually this type of inspection is conducted by technicians who are suspended on ropes to inspect the boiler’s internal structure. Zero GPS signal inside the tank and dark conditions added to the difficulty of the task for the UAS pilots.
According to the company, the inspection of the critical components was completed within a day, in comparison with rope access which would usually take between three to four days for the same workscope.
Philip Buchan, commercial director, Cyberhawk, said: ‘Our pilots undertake four levels of rigorous internal training and will typically require a number of years’ experience before being mobilised to our most challenging projects, such as offshore or internal inspection projects. The successful completion demonstrated the level of skill our pilots possess and the high quality reporting produced by our engineering team.’
He added: 'The boiler environment is very different from what we are used to; it’s a dark and dusty environment, presenting a whole host of additional operational challenges. The lack of GPS signal meant our pilot had to work with extra precision to produce the desired close visual inspection results.'
The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.
Tekever has manufactured the AR3, AR4 and AR5 UAS with all systems sharing common electronics and software architecture, which has enabled the reuse of ground segment elements within the new ARX UAS.
As the dynamics of aerial combat rapidly evolve, Chinese scientists have engineered a sophisticated air separation drone model that can fragment into up to six drones, each capable of executing distinct battlefield roles and challenging the efficacy of current anti-drone defences such as the UK’s Dragonfire laser system.
Advancements in air defence technologies have begun to reshape aerial combat dynamics in the Middle East, as illustrated by recent events involving the Israeli Air Force and Hezbollah.
Both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war have been using UAS for effective low-cost attacks, as well as impactful web and social media footage. Thousands more have now been committed to Ukrainian forces.
The US Army has intentions to develop light, medium and heavy variants of the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) as part of the branche’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle family.