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.
UAVOS has completed the first full-scale test flight of the R22-UV helicopter converted to a UAS, the company announced on 29 April.
During the flight, all scheduled tests were performed including fully automatic take-off, en-route flight and landing. Tuning of UAS control settings was completed as well. The flight, with duration of more than one hour, was fully self-piloted reaching a height of up to 2200ft.
Autopilot, servo drives, sensor system and additional backup power supply were installed into an R22-UV. During the conversion, the aircraft electrical system was upgraded, manual control was removed and the fuselage was altered. The pilot seats were also removed and replaced by additional fuel tanks.
Next, the aircraft will be tested for cargo delivery in automatic mode. Flights with duration of more than six hours using additional fuel tanks and a payload for monitoring the land surface are also planned. The operational limitations of the UAS will also be checked during night flights and flights under severe weather conditions. The possibility of using spraying equipment to use the R22-UV for agricultural purposes will also be tested.
The unmanned R22-UV helicopter is powered by a gasoline engine and is able to deliver cargo or carry payload with a total weight of up to 330lb with a maximum take-off weight 1400lb. The converted aircraft has ceiling of 13,780ft and has a top speed of 189kph. The UAS is designed to carry high-precision, heavy professional equipment 88lb for a wide variety of missions. The UAS can also carry Lidar, SAR, heavy optical equipment and gas analysers.
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.
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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.