Navy drone flies alongside fighter jets

 

The movement of jets aboard an aircraft carrier flight deck is often compared to a ballet, with sailors in multicolored shirts guiding fighter pilots and their jets in a tightly choreographed dance.

 So what happens if you add a robot to the human performers?

 The Navy attempted to answer that question Sunday aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, where, for the first time, the service's prototype of an unmanned stealth plane, the X-47B, took off and landed on a carrier flight deck alongside traditional fighter jets.

Russia Builds Israeli UAV

Back in 2004 negotiations to set up an Israeli UAV factory in Russia, as a joint venture, were stalled over potential problems with the transfer of UAV technology to Russia. The U.S. and Israel have been most successful in developing efficient UAVs in the last few decades, as a result of firms in both countries developing new technologies and manufacturing techniques that overcame many of the problems that hamper UAVs designed in Russia, China and many other countries. While UAVs are basically low-tech, putting them together so that they are effective and reliable has proved to be quite difficult. So there was some trepidation about transferring those UAV manufacturing techniques technologies to Russia, as the Russians might in turn transfer that tech, or high-grade UAVs, to countries like Iran, China, Syria or North Korea. It took a while to sort all this out. 

  

Russia first approached Israel to purchase UAVs in 2007. That resulted in Russia buying over fifty aircraft, including the Bird-Eye 400, I-View MK150 and Searcher 2. The Bird-Eye 400 is a 4 kg (9 pound) micro-UAV with a maximum endurance of 80 minutes, max ceiling of 320 meters (1,000 feet) and can operate 15 kilometers from the operator. It is mainly for the use of small infantry units.

 

The I-View MK150 is a 250 kg (550 pound) aircraft with a seven hour endurance, max altitude of 5,500 meters (17,000 feet) and can operate up to 150 kilometers from the operator. It can carry a 20 kg (44 pound) payload, which enables day and night vidcams. It can take off using an airfield, or from a truck mounted launcher. It can land on an airfield or via parachute. It is usually employed to support brigades. 

  

One model the Russians were also interested in was the Israeli Heron TP UAV. Equipped with a powerful (1,200 horsepower) turbo prop engine, the 4.6 ton aircraft can operate at 14,000 meters (45,000 feet). That is, above commercial air traffic, and all the air-traffic-control regulations that discourage, and often forbid, UAV use at the same altitude as commercial aircraft. The Heron TP has a one ton payload, enabling it to carry sensors that can give a detailed view of what's on the ground, even from that high up. The endurance of 36 hours makes the Heron TP a competitor for the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper. This is one UAV the Israelis are reluctant to part with, especially to Syria or Iran. The Israelis also don't want hostile nations to know any details of how the Heron TP operates.

 

With this $50 million purchase of Israeli UAVs, the Russians got some hands-on experience with the best stuff out there, and their engineers got a close look at how competitive UAVs are put together. Russia has been building UAVs for several decades, but has not achieved the kind of performance found in Israeli and American UAVs. Apparently, a close look at the Israeli UAVs persuaded the Russians that they would have a hard time just stealing the technology. So now they are, in effect, offering to buy the design and production technology, at least for the Searcher 2.

Australia seeks Triton superdrones for Indian Ocean overwatch

With elections looming and pressure for budget savings, the purchase of up to seven MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft has emerged as rare point of bipartisan agreement between Australia's Labor government and conservative opponents, but both sides are reluctant to discuss their wider strategic aims.

Rising Indian Ocean rivalries as China seeks to safeguard key energy lifelines loom behind an Australian push for a $3 billion fleet of maritime superdrones, which will likely boost intelligence sharing with the United States.

 "There's not a lot of new money in our policy, (but) we are going into Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, the Triton," said conservative defense spokesman David Johnston, who is likely to become defense minister following the September 14 elections.

The Triton, under development by Northrop Grumman, is the size of a small airliner with a 40-metre wingspan. It can cruise at 20,000 meters for up to 30 hours, sweeping a distance greater than Sydney to London with 360-degree radar and sensors including infra-red and optical cameras.

Both the government and opposition say the world's most expensive and advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will be used mainly to combat asylum seekers arriving in fishing boats from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and which have become a hot political issue in Australia.

"But it is not about detecting leaky boats. You don't need to spend billions of dollars to do that. This is about maritime security and surveillance in the Indian Ocean," a senior Labor insider with close knowledge of defense planning said.

"This is a force multiplier. It's better to think of Triton as a mobile satellite we can steer around the Indian Ocean," said the source, who declined to be identified because of sensitivity around what will be an Asia-first military purchase.

The U.S. Navy is still testing the Triton and has plans to buy 68, with the first due in service in 2015. Several will be based at Guam, the key U.S. base in the western Pacific, as part of a repositioning of forces in the Asia-Pacific as China's strategic clout expands into the South China Sea and beyond.

Critics of the U.S. "pivot" have warned that sophisticated drone and UAV aircraft could be destabilizing as Asian militaries seek to modernize with new submarines, warships and aircraft, including Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter.

ENERGY SUPPLY

The Indian Ocean has become one of the world's most vital routes for energy and raw material supply, with over 80 percent of China's oil imports transiting through the area. Japan, India and South Korea are also dependent on Indian Ocean routes.

Australia's Labor government, under pressure to make cuts in Australia's $24 billion a year defense budget, has asked the United States for information on the Triton.

But Johnston said a conservative government in Australia, traditionally a close U.S. ally, had already decided on seven to help with border patrols.

"Triton has the endurance to go from Broome (on Australia's northwest coast) or Darwin to Sri Lanka, do a couple of laps, and then come home without stopping," he said.

Both sides are reluctant to mention Chinese ships and submarines as a target of Triton surveillance, as Beijing is Australia's largest trade partner and bristles about Western efforts to contain its growing strategic clout.

Andrew Davies, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Canberra would be using Tritons for more than just border surveillance, and would push their security envelope well into the Indian Ocean.

One Triton, when complemented by Australia's intended purchase of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, can cover almost seven million square kilometers in one mission, twice the surface area of India.

"Tritons will be contributing to the military surveillance picture, and to the extent that Chinese military expansion is one of the things that needs to be kept an eye on, they will be doing that," said Davies.

He said the Tritons would effectively become the southern arm of a broad allied network that would see Canberra exchanging intelligence with the United States, which already rotates Marines and naval ships through northern Australia.

Johnston, whose conservatives have always favored the tightest possible U.S. alliance, said Australian Tritons would neutralize thoughts in Washington of Canberra's far-flung Cocos-Keeling islands being upgraded as a base for U.S. UAVs in the eastern Indian Ocean, just south of Indonesia.

"Darwin would be much more logical," he said.

New Chinese Clone Survives Heavy Legal Flak

A year ago a Japanese warship passed by a Chinese frigate that appeared to be flying a helicopter UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) off its helicopter pad. The Japanese took photos and passed them around. At first it was noted that the helicopter looked like the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter. Schiebel is an Austrian firm which markets the S-100 in many countries via the U.S. firm Boeing Aircraft. But Schiebel continues to sell the S-100 itself, and a little digging revealed that the Chinese had bought 18 S-100s in 2010. While the three S-100s seen on the aft deck of the Chinese frigate do look like the S-100, there also appear to be some differences. It appears that a Chinese firm copied the design of S-100 and created a workable S-100 clone.

 

European nations are not supposed to sell China weapons (because of an arms embargo), but the S-100s were apparently sold to Chinese police organizations (which is legal and the S-100 does have civilian users). One Chinese firm has since offered a helicopter UAV similar to the S-100. China has become more blatant in copying foreign designs, and then selling them to foreign customers and competing with the original. Suing the Chinese usually does not work, as Chinese courts favor the Chinese copycats, not the original creator of the technology.

 

The S-100 weighs 200 kg (440 pounds), can stay aloft six hours per sortie, and operates at a max altitude of 5,500 meters (18,000 feet). Max speed is 220 kilometers an hour. So far, some 200 S-100s have been sold to military and civilian customers.

 

Before the S-100 clone came along Chinese firms had already developed several helicopter UAV designs. For example, the Chinese V750 weighs 757 kg (1,665 pounds) and has a payload of 80 kg (176 pounds). Max speed is 161 kilometers an hour and endurance is four hours. The V750 can fly a pre-programmed route or be controlled by a ground operator (up to 150 kilometers away). The manufacturer is offering the V750 for civilian (scientific survey, search and rescue, police surveillance) and military uses. There are over a dozen other Chinese helicopter UAVs on the market, many of them very similar in appearance and performance to foreign designs.

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. has taken the lead in this area, with several models developed in the last decade. The one most similar to V750 is the MQ-8B Fire Scout which is operating in Afghanistan and aboard warships. The U.S. Navy developed, and put into use, the MQ-8B. A similar model, the RQ-8B, died because the U.S. Army already had plenty of UAVs that got the job done. The navy kept Fire Scout because helicopters are more practical on most navy ships (for landings and takeoffs). Navy Fire Scouts have been successfully used on frigates (in both the Atlantic and Pacific). There is a huge demand for UAVs in Afghanistan, so the navy sent some there.

 

The 1.5 ton Fire Scout is based upon the Schweitzer 333 unmanned helicopter, which in turn is derived from the Schweitzer 330 commercial lightweight manned helicopter. Fire Scout has a payload of 272 kg (600 pounds), a cruising speed of 200 kilometers an hour, max altitude of 6,100 meters (20,000 feet), and endurance of eight hours. The U.S. Navy plans to acquire over 160 Fire Scouts.

 

Several other navies have been testing helicopter UAVs on their warships, and this type of UAV seems destined to replace a lot of manned helicopters on warships and enable smaller warships (that cannot handle the larger manned helicopters) to operate unmanned helicopters.

First Chinese stealth drone 'ready' for test flight

The Chinese military is making preparations for the inaugural flight test of its newly designed unmanned combat vehicle, bringing the Asian powerhouse into the stealth technology race, Chinese media report.

China’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), known as the Lijian ('sharp sword'), is designed jointly by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group and Shenyang Aviation Corporation. The project was launched in 2009 and the drone's first ground test was conducted on December 13 last year.

The Lijian, which makes China the third country to possess stealth drone capabilities, is now ready for flight testing, China Aviation News reported on Friday.

The Chinese UAV is designed for use by the PLA Air Force and Navy Air Force for combat missions, China Aviation News reported. It may also be used for tracking and reconnaissance along China’s lengthy and occasionally contentious border.

Beijing’s ambitious efforts at developing its drone capabilities have not escaped the attention of Taiwan, which has quarreled with Beijing in the past over questions of sovereignty and national identity.

“Taiwan should be concerned about China’s development of large numbers of sophisticated military UAVs,” Ian Easton, a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, told the Taipei Times.

China’s stealth drone is third such unmanned combat vehicle in existence, after the X-47 designed by the United States, and the nEUROn, a collaborative effort of various EU companies.

The nEUROn was launched in 2005 following an order by the French Defense Procurement Agency. The program is a collaborative effort between French, Italian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek and Swiss defense companies.

The US Pentagon’s X-47 stealth drone, designed by Northrop Grumman, began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and is now part of the US Navy's UCAS-D (Unmaed Combat Air System Demonstration) program. The X-47 is still undergoing flight testing.

The unveiling of the prototype places the People’s Republic of China ahead of several nations in the development of stealth drone technology.

India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Sweden and Russia also have their own stealth UAV programs.

Iran unveils indigenous stealth reconnaissance, combat drone

Iran has unveiled its latest indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a reconnaissance and combat drone dubbed Hamaseh.

The drone was unveiled on Thursday during a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi.

“This drone has been built by defense industry experts and is simultaneously capable of surveillance, reconnaissance and missile and rocket attacks,” Vahidi said on the sidelines of the ceremony.

“This aircraft with its stealth quality can avoid detection by the enemy,” he added.

High altitude and long flight range are two other distinguishing features of the new Iranian UAV.

Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector in recent years and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

In August 2010, Iran unveiled its first indigenous long-range drone, Karrar, which is capable of carrying out bombing missions against ground targets, flying long distances at a high speed, and gathering information.

Shahed 129, characterized by a 24-hour nonstop flight capability, was another indigenously produced drone introduced in September 2012.

On December 17, 2012, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said Iran had launched the production line of the ScanEagle drones, adding that the IRGC naval and aerospace divisions were employing the UAVs.

Hamas Tried to Develop a UAV

Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers have been trying to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reveals.

A video published by the IDF Spokesperson shows Hamas conducting a test flight of the drone it was building. Over the past week, during the IDF’s Operation Pillar of Defense, IAF aircraft struck a stockpile of such UAVs.

Reports on Friday evening indicated that the Hamas developers of the UAV acquired the knowledge required to develop it in Iran and Syria.

The UAVs that the IDF destroyed can reportedly reach a distance of tens of kilometers from Gaza, including to Tel Aviv and north of it.

Channel 1 News reported that Hamas’s desire was to have a UAV similar to one flown by Hizbullah over Israel during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Last month, Israel shot down an Iranian-made drone that penetrated Israel's airspace. Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah later boasted that his group sent the unmanned drone over Israel. The group’s Al-Manar television network also broadcast a video which the network claimed simulates the route made by the unmanned drone.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi subsequently confirmed that Iran had provided Hizbullah with the drone, claiming his country’s “capabilities are very high and are at the disposal and service of Islamic nations.”

Iran Attempts and Fails to Shoot Down U.S. Drone

An unarmed U.S. military Predator surveillance drone was fired at by Iranian military jets last week in international airspace over the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon disclosed on Thursday.

Officials stressed that the U.S. drone had never entered Iranian territory and that the entire incident occurred in international airspace.

The drone was not hit by the plane's gunfire and was able to return to its undisclosed base in the region, the report said.

At a Pentagon briefing, spokesman George Little told reporters that the incident had occurred last Thursday at approximately 4:50 a.m. Eastern Time when an unarmed Predator drone "conducting routine surveillance" over the Gulf "was intercepted by Iranian Su-25 Frogfoot aircraft and was fired upon with guns."

The incident occurred 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coastline, Little said. The internationally recognized territorial limit of waters and airspace begins 12 nautical miles from a nation's coastline. Though Little did not disclose where the incident occurred, a defense official told ABC News that it occurred in the northern part of the Persian Gulf east of Kuwait.

The White House and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta were informed of the incident as quickly as it happened, as were relevant members of Congress, reported ABC News. The incident was not disclosed until Thursday when CNN was first to reveal the details of the incident.

Little said that the Pentagon does not talk about classified missions like the one the Predator was undertaking, but decided to go public with details following "the unauthorized leak."

Little said that the United States communicated to Iran via Swiss intermediaries that "we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters over the Arabian Gulf consistent with long-standing practice."

He described last Thursday's incident as the first time that an unmanned American aircraft has been shot at over the international waters of the Persian Gulf.

When asked if the United States considered the shooting an "act of war", Little said he was "not going to get into legal labels."

He added, "The reality is that we have a wide range of options, as I said before, to protect our assets and our forces in the region and will do so when necessary." He later acknowledged that no manned American aircraft had responded to the incident.

Last December, Iran boasted that its military forces had shot down a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 stealth UAV.

The U.S. later admitted that one of its drones is in Iranian possession but did not say that the Iranians shot down the spy plane. Iran then presented video footage of the U.S. drone it shot down.

Pe

UAV - Sifting Through The Wreckage In Israel

An examination of the Iranian UAV that was shot down over Israel on October 9th revealed that some of the components were from Germany. This is no surprise, as Iran has been smuggling industrial goods from Germany for decades. While Germany has become increasingly aggressive in halting this smuggling, the goods still find their way to Iran, often via third or fourth countries and lots of false documents.

Meanwhile there is still a lively debate over what the purpose of the October 9th UAV flight was. Most Israeli experts appear to believe it was a publicity stunt, because Iran and Hezbollah were desperate for a win, any kind of win, given the problems they are having in Syria and with the stronger Iranian embargo (they can’t sell most of their oil) and the resulting economic crises. Some say the Iranian UAV was the first of hundreds and an attempt to see if some of these UAVs, armed with explosives, could attack Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona. Iran claims it has sent many UAVs into Israel, but the Israelis doubt it.

Meanwhile Iran continues to develop new UAVs. Earlier this year they introduced the Shaparak. This UAV weighs about 100 kg (220 pounds), has an 8 kg (16 pound) payload, and endurance of 3.5 hours. The Shaparak can operate up to 50 kilometers from the operator and at altitudes as high as 4.5 kilometers (15,000 feet). The October 9 UAV might have been this model, operating automatically via GPS guidance (from one preprogrammed point to another). If so, it was a one way trip because of the short range of the Shaparak (about 1,000 kilometers).

The Iranians have been developing UAVs since the 1980s. The ones used most frequently are the Ababils. This is an 82 kg (183 pound) UAV with a 2.9 meter (9.5 foot) wing span, a payload of about 35 kg (77 pounds), a cruising speed of 290 kilometers an hour, and an endurance of 90 minutes. The Ababil is known to operate as far as 249 kilometers from its ground controller. But it also has a guidance system that allows it to fly a pre-programmed route (using GPS) and then return to its ground controllers for a landing (which is by parachute). The Ababil can carry a variety of day and night still and video cameras. There are many inexpensive and very capable cameras available on the open market, as well as the equipment needed to transmit video and pictures back to the ground.

The Ababil has been seen in Sudan and Lebanon, where Iranian backed Hezbollah has received about a dozen of them. The Israelis feared that the low flying Ababils could come south, carrying a load of nerve gas or even just explosives. Using GPS guidance such a UAV could hit targets very accurately. Moreover, there's nothing exotic about UAV technology, at least for something like the Ababil. Iranian UAV development got a boost from American UAVs received in the 1970s (Firebee target drones).

Iran also has a larger (174 kg/382 pounds) Mohajer IV UAV, the latest model of a line that began in the 1980s. The Mohajer II is about the same size as the Ababil.

. UAV Growth Continues

Even though the American war in Iraq is over and the one in Afghanistan is winding down, the U.S. still has a growing UAV fleet. The most numerous UAVs are the micros (under 5 kg/11 pounds), like the Raven. There are several thousand of these still in service and they are very popular with ground troops. The Raven’s take a beating and often don’t survive more than a few months of combat. Most micros are Ravens but there are nearly a thousand other models.

The larger (over 100 kg/220 pounds each) UAVs are growing in number and last longer. The U.S. Army has 450 Shadow 200 UAVs and another 20 on order. The U.S. Marine Corps also has 52 Shadow 200s. The army has 20 of the 1990s era Hunter UAVs, which are being retired next year and are being replaced by the new Grey Eagle. There are 40 of these in service and another 110 on order.

The U.S. Air Force has 175 Predators (and is not buying any more) and 40 of the larger Reaper (and plans to buy 480 more). Then there is the much larger (business jet size) strategic UAV. Currently this consists of various models of the Global Hawk, with 14 in service and over fifty planned or on order by the air force and navy. Then there are the helicopter UAVs, but only the navy has found these essential and over 60 Fire Scouts are on order by the navy.

The CIA has a force of about 30 Predator and Reaper UAVs and wants another ten Reapers. It was the CIA that pioneered the use of Hellfire missiles on UAVs and doesn’t say much about what it does with their robotic air force. That’s because the CIA UAVs often operate in areas where the U.S. won’t admit there are American UAVs or wants to be discreet (like Pakistan).

Robocopter arrives

After unmanned drones, pilotless helicopters are taking to the sky to deliver supplies to troops

Unmanned attack aircraft, such as Predator and Reaper, have become a familiar part of modern warfare. But an army, famously, marches on its stomach, and campaigns can be lost as easily by a lack of supply as by a lack of firepower. That, combined with the increasing squeamishness of rich countries about taking casualties, is leading to the use of a new type of drone in the form of unmanned helicopters to deliver supplies. Pioneered by the armed forces, these hovering robots will also find civilian roles.

Two unmanned helicopters have been flying experimental combat missions delivering goods to American marine outposts in Afghanistan since December 2011. The project has been such a success it has twice been extended and may well run until September 2013. The helicopters in question are modified versions of the K-MAX, built by Kaman, an American aerospace firm. They are used in a number of military roles and in civilian jobs, such as logging and power-line construction, as a sort of airborne sky-crane cum delivery truck.

Strange bird

The K-MAX (pictured above) is a “synchropter”, with two sets of intermeshing blades, synchronised so as not to hit each other. It looks ungainly, but it is a robust system. The rotors turn in opposite directions to cancel out torque, the twisting action which requires conventional helicopters to use a tail rotor—a hazardous appendage. The modification for autonomous flight was carried out in a joint venture with Lockheed Martin, a big American defence contractor. By August the two K-MAXs had flown 485 autonomous sorties carrying over 900 tonnes of cargo.

The K-MAX was selected because it can carry over 2,700kg, which is more than its unladen weight. Unlike many large fixed-wing drones, which are flown under remote control by ground-based pilots, a modified K-MAX flies autonomously along a programmed course using GPS to navigate via specified way points. It can also be operated by remote control. The craft use a number of sensors, some of which Lockheed Martin is keeping mum about. These give the helicopter an awareness of its surroundings which is precise enough for it to land in total darkness. The American army is interested in adding a sophisticated camera to survey landing sites and spot potential threats. The camera could also help direct a helicopter from the ground and be used in civilian roles, like fire fighting or search and rescue.

The army has also suggested fitting some form of self-defence, like a gun which the camera could be used to aim. At present the K-MAX has no defensive systems, but Lockheed Martin says the helicopters could easily be fitted with armour, machine-gun pods or flares which could be fired as decoys to divert ground-launched missiles. But this would eat into its cargo-lifting capacity.

The unmanned K-MAX carries its cargo externally on a 25-metre cable. The helicopters are monitored as they fly autonomously to a forward operating base, where a marine controller on the ground takes over using a portable device to direct the drop. However, the helicopters can deliver a load to given co-ordinates without any human intervention. Jim Naylor of Lockheed Martin says the craft have been tested with radio beacons placed where the drop is needed. The K-MAX then delivers its cargo to within three metres.

The K-MAX has a four-hook carousel, so it can drop off supplies at several locations in one mission. As confidence grows the marines have been experimenting with new techniques. In May they carried out the first “hot hook-up from hover”, which involved attaching cargo while a K-MAX was in flight. This is faster and takes less time than landing to pick things up.

The top speed of the K-MAX is only about 100 knots (115mph), but it has all the virtues of unmanned aircraft: it never gets sick, tired or goes on leave. Helicopter pilots are a scarce resource who take years to train. Terry Fogarty, in charge of unmanned systems at Kaman, says that the single-pilot-manned K-MAX can be flown up to 12 hours a day on logging operations, requiring a change of pilots. In its unmanned form a K-MAX might fly for most of the day. Moreover, if pilots are grounded by reduced visibility during, say, a dust storm, the unmanned version keeps going.

Other systems for autonomous helicopters are being developed. One, called HERMES—or less elegantly the Helicopter Remote Manipulation of External Slingloads—has been produced by Advanced Optical Systems, an American firm, for the US Armed Forces. It uses sensors on an unmanned helicopter to locate a load and pick it up automatically without having anyone on the ground.

Safe landings

Hazards such as buildings, trees and power lines in the drop zone can be a problem. But the American navy’s Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) first surveys an area to locate such problems before selecting a suitable landing site. It then plots a safe approach route to land without help from a ground controller.

This is straightforward enough in benign flying conditions, but the aim is to be able to do it on a steep, unprepared slope in high winds. Although autonomous, an AACUS-equipped craft can communicate with people on the ground to let them know where it is landing. It could be used not just for delivering fuel, ammunition and other supplies, but also for evacuating casualties. (Though there are concerns about carrying injured people on a robotic aircraft without a doctor or a medical attendant on board.)

If the K-MAX assessment continues to be successful, the next stage could be an order for more pilotless helicopters by the marines. The army may also be interested. And commercial applications would follow. A change in the rules on airspace regulation would be required for civilian use of drones really to take off, especially in areas where other aircraft operate. Aviation authorities are looking at this, but want to see progress on autonomous safety systems.

An American start-up, Matternet, envisions using small unmanned electric helicopters with a 2kg payload to transport medicine, vaccines and blood samples in remote places. The user puts a package in the load bay and presses a button for the helicopter to take off and make its delivery. Andreas Raptopoulos of Matternet says the firm hopes to conduct a feasibility trial in the Dominican Republic later this year.

Larger electric helicopters could transform the economics of unmanned transport. E-volo, a German company, recently won the Lindbergh prize for innovation, awarded by an American foundation set up to commemorate Charles Lindbergh’s pioneering New York-to-Paris flight. E-volo has produced a flying machine it calls the Volocopter. With 16 rotors, it looks like a scaled up version of some flying toys, although one that is big enough to carry an adult. Given suitable software, unmanned Volocopters could become flying delivery vans, bypassing congested roads. Indeed, one website recently offered to deliver tacos with miniature robotic quadcopters. It was a spoof, but one day fast food really could be delivered this way.

 Volocopter under human control

German Heron UAV unit nears 1,000th mission

Rheinmetall Airborne Systems expects to complete the 1,000th operational flight of a leased Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 unmanned air vehicle in Afghanistan during October, as the German government nears a decision on whether to buy a medium-altitude, long-endurance surveillance system outright.

Flown in Afghanistan under a service provision deal since June 2010 in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Germany's three Heron air vehicles had logged a combined 10,800 flight hours by the start of this month. Used in conjunction with two ground control stations, the aircraft are flown from Mazar-e-Sharif air base.

Up to two of the UAVs can be flown simultaneously, with the longest single sortie having lasted 28h and 50min, says Christian Glaser, the company's senior maintenance manager supporting the Heron operation. Rheinmetall Airborne Systems personnel are responsible for maintaining the aircraft around-the-clock, with its pilots also conducting take-offs and landings. German military personnel manage the operational activity, which is based around intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.

With a background in the German air force's air defence organisation, Glaser has completed 15 four-week deployments to Afghanistan in support of the programme in the last two years.

Berlin recently signed a two-year extension worth about €75 million ($97.4 million) to its interim UAV deal, which will see the current service continue until at least the end of October 2014. The German government has been considering the acquisition of a fully owned system, with the Rheinmetall/IAI-promoted Heron TP and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator B in contention.