UAV Focus

Up Up and Away

By Staff Reporter | July 9, 2007

It is probably stretching things a little too far to call a kite a UAV, but hopefully our readers will allow us this indulgence, because this is just such a nice thing to have happened.

As part of operation Maiwand in Andar district, Ghazni province in Afghanistan, Polish soldiers made humanitarian aid deliveries to poor families living in the area.

Everywhere they went, children crowded around the vehicles as the smiling soldiers pulled out boxes of shoes, clothes, school supplies and toys. But the biggest hit of all were the multi-colored kites that the soldiers unfolded for them.With big grins and excited chattering, the children jumped up and down shouting, “Patang! Patang!” (the Pashto word for kite.)“These kites are so much fun,” said Mahmad-Amid Hahn, a 12-year- old boy, as he made whooping sounds while his kite dipped and swerved in the air. “The Taliban would never give us these things.”

For the children who had never seen a kite before, some of the Polish soldiers stepped in to assist, unfolding the kites and showing them how to take off with a running start to get it airborne.

While the children enjoyed their kites and new shoes, the Polish also gave out school supplies as an encouragement for them not only to play, but to learn and attend nearby schools.

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New CTO at Insitu

By Staff Reporter | July 2, 2007

Mr Charlie L Guthrie has been appointed to fill the role of company Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Insitu, Inc.Mr Guthrie joins Insitu with more than twenty years of senior leadership experience as an aerospace manager and executive. Prior to accepting the CTO position, Guthrie worked for Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems as the Western Region Director of Advanced Capabilities Development. There he spearheaded advanced programs and development of new system concepts and technologies. In addition Guthrie has held multiple high-level positions at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, including Director of Unmanned Systems Prototyping and Advanced Concepts.

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Predators reach quarter-million flight hours

By Staff Reporter | June 29, 2007

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) — Airmen from the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron flew an MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle past the 250,000 flying hour milestone marking the historic milestone with a ceremony June 22 at Creech Air Force Base.

“This historic achievement in the evolution of air and space power underlines the United States Air Force commitment to unmanned aerial systems,” said Maj. Robert Forino, the pilot with the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron who flew the Predator past the 250,000 flying hour.

The Predator is a medium-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft. Its primary mission is interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets.

“The MQ-1 Predator is an aircraft system born into combat and has provided incredible combat capability since it entered service in 1995,” said Senior Airman Christopher Ayers, who was the sensor operator of the aircraft that flew past the quarter-million flying mark.

After the Predator was activated, it was deployed to the Balkans in support of NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia.

At that time the aircraft was strictly an observation platform that was launched, programmed and sent on a mission to observe a set of locations. Upon completion of the programmed mission, the aircraft would return to the launch area and the crew would review the video footage and either send the aircraft back to give targets a second look or send it to view the next set of targets.

Its capabilities have been constantly improved since the original version. Notable upgrades include the addition of satellite control allowing operation of the aircraft anywhere in the world from the United States; the ability to disseminate full motion video, real-time, anywhere in the world including ground forces; laser targeting and weapons capability; and numerous passive sensors.

“There are Predators airborne in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Because of what it can bring to the fight, the Predator is the most requested asset in theater,” said Col. Christopher Chambliss, the 432nd Wing commander.

Predator crews and support staff from the 432nd Wing continue to fly and fight around the clock, and passing the quarter-million flying hour mark is testament to their outstanding efforts, Major Forino said.

The Predator, and other Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles, support the joint fight with precision and flexibility unmatched by any other family of weapons systems and are helping to shape 21st century air and space power.

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CPI Acquires Malibu Research

By Staff Reporter | June 29, 2007

CPI has agreed to acquire all outstanding common stock of the privately held Malibu Research Associates for approximately $22.0 million in cash. In addition, CPI has agreed to make additional earnout payments of up to $15.0 million, which are primarily contingent upon the achievement of certain financial objectives over the three years following the acquisition. CPI intends to finance the acquisition principally using cash on hand. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of August.
Malibu Research Associates, which has approximately 90 employees, will be operated as an independent division of CPI based in Camarillo, Calif. The division manager will report to Bob Fickett, president and chief operating officer of CPI. CPI expects to strengthen Malibu Research Associates’ technical, operations and support functions after the acquisition. In its fiscal 2006, Malibu Research Associates generated approximately $18.0 million in revenue. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.

Malibu Research Associates’ current programs include advanced antenna solutions for the airborne and ground nodes of the tactical common data link (TCDL) network for various platforms, including UAVs. TCDL is a high-bandwidth digital data link that transmits and receives real-time command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data between manned and unmanned airborne platforms and their associated ground-based and ship-based terminals.

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Fuel Cell/Battery Hybrid Gives Puma 5hr Duration

By Staff Reporter | June 27, 2007

With a wingspan of 8.5 feet and weight of 12.5 pounds, Puma is a lightweight, hand-launched UAS that provides aerial observation at line-of-sight ranges up to 10 kilometers.

Puma’s standard propulsion system comes equipped with rechargeable batteries with a listed flight time of 2.5 hours. The nearly five-hour duration of the Puma flight using fuel cell battery hybrid power surpassed the longest previous Puma flight achieved by AV using any technology. Looking forward, AV and Protonex expect Puma flight durations to increase further through optimization and continued development of the hybrid system.

AeroVironment (AV) (NASDAQ:AVAV), a leader in unmanned aircraft systems and efficient electric energy systems, today announced that it successfully flew its Puma small unmanned aircraft for nearly five hours while it was powered by an onboard fuel cell battery hybrid energy storage system. This successful demonstration marked the completion of the first task under AV’s contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the development of advanced propulsion technologies for unmanned aircraft.

The $4.7 million, five-year IDIQ contract calls for several development tasks designed to improve the efficiency and flight duration of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Other tasks under the contract include improvement of electric motor efficiency, integration of solar cells into aircraft wings, and the exploration of hydrogen storage technologies. For this flight demonstration, AV worked with Protonex Technology Corporation (LSE:PTX) to develop the fuel cell battery hybrid energy storage system, which included hydrogen generation technology licensed from Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ:MCEL).

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First MQ-9 Reaper at Creech AFB

By Staff Reporter | March 23, 2007

The MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s younger, yet larger and stronger, brother, the MQ-9 Reaper arrived March 13 at its new home at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

The remotely piloted aircraft completed initial testing in California, then flew more than 250 miles in two hours to land here. The aircraft was piloted by Lt. Col. Jon Greene, 42nd Attack Squadron commander. Along side him, was his sensor operator Senior Airman Aaron Aguilar, also of the 42nd ATKS.

I am truly honored to be the commander of the Air Force’s first MQ-9 attack squadron, said Colonel Greene. Our mission is to train MQ-9 crews and fly combat by this summer. Bringing the MQ-9 on line is going to take a fresh view on how we, as Airmen, train and employ.

The Reaper’s turboprop engine is able to run at 250 knots, can fly up to 40,000 feet and is able to stay in the air for more than 20 hours.

The newly arrived Reaper will begin flying training missions here by March 19 and the first formal training unit class will begin shortly after, Colonel Green said.

One of the big differences between the Reaper and the Predator is the Predator can only carry about 200 pounds (of ordnance). The Reaper however, can carry one and a half tons, and on top of carrying Hellfire missiles, can carry multiple GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, said Capt. Michael Lewis, 42nd ATKS flight scheduler.

By 2009, the 42nd ATKS should have 18 Reapers assigned for training and deployment purposes. The plan is for the Reapers to deploy by the beginning of summer, Colonel Greene said.

Currently, the 42nd ATKS works under the 57th Operations Group in the 57th Wing. By May 1, the squadron should fall under the 432nd Wing, the first wing totally dedicated to Predator and Reaper operations.

My squadron is excited about the opportunity of molding new pilots and sensor operators into razor-sharp, combat-ready aircrews. We will also develop the first-ever MQ-9 tactics, techniques and procedures to use in the current fight as well as any potential future conflicts, Colonel Greene said.

I am very proud of the Airmen in my squadron who have worked very hard to meet our goals and I look forward to embarking on this new era of air and space power, he said.

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