24 November 2022
by Olivia Savage
Sparrow (pictured), attached to a third-party UAV, which is lifting a 5 kg mock payload. (Janes/Olivia Savage)
A novel air-ground payload transfer device intended for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been trialled at the British Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) Sustain & Protect (S&P) programme at Portsmouth Naval Base.
During AWE on 22 November, BMT Global demonstrated Sparrow, a prototype robotic unit that enables the autonomous delivery and collection of payloads from a UAV.
Attached to a UAV, Sparrow can autonomously descend and ascend to deliver and collect payloads, it thereby allows the UAV to remain at a suitable height while avoiding the difficult urban terrain beneath, James Campbell, Sparrow project lead at BMT Global, told Janes at AWE.
Campbell said that the system is actually “best described as a suspended UAV”, this is because it has four fans like a quadcopter and is fully autonomous, able to manoeuvre itself, and identify objects on the ground. The key difference with Sparrow is that the fans are designed to counter wind and enable manoeuvrability, rather than for lift.
28 March 2024
by Yaakov Lappin & Jeremy Binnie
Oron arriving at Nevatim Air Base in April 2023. (Israeli Air Force)
The Oron intelligence-gathering aircraft is carrying out missions in support of Operation ‘Iron Swords' against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on 26 March.
“The aircraft became operational quickly for use in Operation ‘Iron Swords' and has already recorded hundreds of operational flight hours and close to 100 sorties,” the MoD said in a statement.
Developed by the MoD's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the Oron is a Gulfstream G550 business jet equipped with an advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar produced by IAI subsidiary Elta, as well as electro-optical and signals intelligence (SIGINT) sensors and advanced data-processing systems.
“What makes Oron unique is its ability to perform a wide range of intelligence missions in the same sortie and to transmit in real time to all relevant entities,” the MoD's statement said. It added that the aircraft can collect a larger volume of information than any other Israeli platform.
28 March 2024
by Oishee Majumdar
Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle taking off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 21 March. The rocket carried a US satellite, which includes an experimental communications payload developed by the NZDF. (Rocket Lab)
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has launched an experimental communications payload into orbit with the help of a research satellite developed by the US Navy's (USN's) Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
This communications payload, named ‘Korimako', will “allow defence scientists to conduct space communications research”, the NZDF said on 28 March. Korimako is the first payload to be launched into space by the NZDF.
“A team of scientists from the NZDF's Defence Science & Technology (DST) will monitor and interact with Korimako via our Whangaparaoa Ground Station, north of Auckland,” the NZDF added.
The NZDF said initial tests conducted by the DST indicate that Korimako is “operating as expected”.
“[Korimako will facilitate DST to conduct research that] aims to build practical experience in space science and technology, test processes for New Zealand government space operations, and generate knowledge to enable future NZDF and wider government space development,” David Galligan, DST director, said.
27 March 2024
by Gareth Jennings
One of four Reaper UAVs now operated by the RNLAF. As well as doubling its fleet to eight, the Netherlands plans to upgrade its Reapers with a raft of enhanced capabilities. (Royal Netherlands Air Force)
The Netherlands is to equip its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a raft of enhancements over the next three years, the manufacturer said on 27 March.
Following previously disclosed plans by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to double its fleet size from four to eight air vehicles, GA-ASI spelled out some of the capability upgrades that the service intends to add.
“Upgrades to their aircraft [will] include capabilities such as maritime radars, a communications relay, extended range fuel tanks, electronic support measures (ESM), and weapons,” the manufacturer said.
As noted by Lieutenant Colonel Jan Ruedisueli, the commander of the RNLAF's 306 Squadron that operates the type, the Netherlands plans to use its Reapers across an increasing range of mission sets for its national and NATO needs. “With these upgrades, we will support NATO's ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] and maritime surveillance missions throughout Europe,” he was quoted as saying by GA-ASI.
A novel air-ground payload transfer device intended for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been tri...
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