Exail to supply Caméléon unmanned demining robots to Belgium Armed Forces
The Caméléon LG UGV includes remote operational capabilities and real-time hazard detection.
Sky-Futures and Bristow Group have carried out interoperability testing with a helicopter and UAS, Sky-Futures announced on 27 March.
The work is being carried out as part of a collaborative effort to offer a complementary service of manned and unmanned operations, and to ensure that UAS and helicopters can operate safely in the same airspace.
The test flight saw a Bristow Sikorsky S-92 helicopter hover 500ft above ground, while a UAS flew towards the helicopter, maintaining a horizontal distance of 200ft away from the aircraft. The UAS was stepped up in 100ft increments to an altitude of 400ft above ground level. The S-92 pilots were able to monitor the position and altitude of the UAS on their iPad during the entire flight, without actual visual contact of the device.
Nick Rogers, Sky-Futures chief regulatory and training officer said: 'These interoperability trials provided valuable insight and learning for safe operations between manned and unmanned aircraft using electronic conspicuity technology.
'As specific categories of commercial unmanned operations develop, we expect this technology to become a pre-requisite. Future airspace must be interoperable and Sky-Futures will continue to work with its trusted partner, Bristow, and regulators globally to safely realise this future.'
The Caméléon LG UGV includes remote operational capabilities and real-time hazard detection.
The UAS, which detects and tracks drone swarms, will be demonstrated to the US Air Force Global Strike team in January 2025.
Despite claiming there was no need for a drone corps, Army Aviation remains ready to address UAS and CUAS warfighter requirements, as it focuses on adaptability and rapid deployment across all levels of warfare.
Kiev and Moscow have been competing over who can better harness the ongoing revolution in military affairs caused by AI-controlled and human-operated robots and drones.
This time, the UAS flew into NATO airspace, though there is no evidence that they did so deliberately.
South Korea is rapidly advancing its UAV programmes and counter-drone capabilities in response to increasing threats from North Korea’s unmanned aerial systems.