UMS Skeldar hones sense-and-avoid for V-200 UAS

A file photo of the V-200 UAS. UMS Skeldar has refined the unmanned aircraftʼs detect and avoid technology as part of the wider European Detect and Avoid System project. (UMS Skeldar )

UMS Skeldar aims to make further size, weight, and power (SWaP) reductions to the detect and avoid (DAA) technology used by its V-200 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) following recent live flight demonstrations, the company told Janes .

The demonstrations took place in October, with the V-200 proving automatic manoeuvre capability around intruder aircraft, including both co-operative and non-cooperative collision course scenarios, according to the company. It said the test was “a key milestone as part of the European Detect and Avoid System development, led by Saab [the parent company of UMS Skeldar].”

The V-200 UAS combines a range of active and passive sensors for detection, including radars, electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) cameras, automatic identification system (AIS), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

The DAA technology in the recent flight demonstrations was the smallest in terms of SWaP demands that UMS Skeldar has integrated to date, said Torgny Lindquist, V-200 UAS product manager. However, UMS Skeldar is collaborating with Saab to develop smaller equipment “in the near future, including newly developed antennas that can fit onto even smaller UASs”.

It has been particularly challenging to reduce the size of the antenna, he added. However, further reductions are possible, he said.

UMS Skeldar is planning new demonstrations over the coming years, with a goal of further reducing the form factor of the technology. This will be important due to growing European and US demands relating to DAA capabilities, he added.