Introduction

Electrical power systems are critical to a UAV’s design and operation. Weight, operating temperature and efficiency of the power components have a major influence on performance parameters such as flight duration, payload, operating ceiling and range.

The choices in selecting an electric power system are dictated largely by the duration of continuous and peak power requirements for the mission profile. Unlike many other UAV subsystems, the power system supports both the platform and the payload. Depending on the mission, the payload will require electrical power while in flight. This power demand may range from tens or hundreds of watts for sensors or communications, or it may be tens of kilowatts or more for complex payloads.

Thermal management is also a consideration because much of the thermal load is often generated by electrical devices. The operation of hydraulic system components and other actuators is also closely related to electrical system design requirements for peak versus average power.

Electrical power is generated by a starter generator which is a critical component for ensuring the electrical system can meet the design objectives of the aircraft. The starter generator is mounted on the engine so that the drive shaft turns the rotor to produce electricity or connected to the engine via mechanical means such as a belt system.

If the electrical machine is only used to generate power for the onboard systems, it may be referred to as an alternator. A starter generator is also capable of starting the internal combustion engine (ICE) itself. It would be paired with an Electronic Engine Starter, a power electronics component that provides the commutation to the starter generator in order to rotate the ICE shaft to the cranking speed and torque.

Starter generators produce 3-phase AC voltages that varies with RPM and load. These are converted to DC voltage output by a Power Management Unit (PMU) or an intelligent Power System (iPS) which uses active rectification and regulation to supply outputs of one or more DC voltages from the variable AC input. Different onboard systems require different DC voltages. For example, the payload may use 12 volts while the avionics may use 5 volts.

A battery pack stores energy to ensure a continuous supply over the required minimum operating time. It can also be used for power to start the engine.

To download the rest of the white paper-Click on this link to be re-directed to ePropelled’s site.

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Can a fault be repaired already before it occurs?

That is the aim of a research project initiated by Rejlers, in which the possibilities of enhancing fault location and condition management of electricity distribution networks are examined with the help of hyperspectral cameras. The camera makes the invisible visible.

The image produced by a hyperspectral camera looks like a washed out black and white image, but it reveals more of its object than is visible to the human eye.

Rejlers’ expert Joona Ehrnrooth says that the camera is able to identify the materials and characteristics of various surfaces in the image.

“The camera images wavelength ranges which are invisible to the human eye. This way, specific ‘spectral fingerprints’ can be created of the materials imaged. Any deviations in the materials are also revealed.”

“In this project we are looking for answers, could the images be used for purposes such as analysing the rottenness of pillars, the condition of insulators, the rustiness of transformer machines, and oil leakages. The trees standing along the power line could perhaps also be analysed to determine their species or condition,” Ehrnrooth outlines.

“Hyperspectral technology enables a more preventive mode of operation,” says Tomi Öster, development engineer at Järvi-Suomen Energia, a company involved in the project.

“Our goal is to become able to find faults by identifying them in the materials before something has broken. Ideally this could result in a more reliable electricity supply as well as cost and energy savings.”

Rejlers believes in new technology and in its air force

The condition of electricity distribution networks is currently monitored and faults are located from the ground, on foot, and by helicopter, with drones also now seen as a promising option. Imaging is performed with conventional colour cameras, thermal imaging and infrared cameras and with laser scanners producing three-dimensional images.

Joona Ehrnrooth says that Rejlers firmly believes in the future use of drones. In addition to this, microtechnology has reduced the size of hyperspectral cameras to the extent that they can be attached to drones.

“Modern drones are capable of almost completely autonomous flight along pre-defined routes, and their operating times and performance have increased. We believe that the use hyperspectral cameras in addition to other cameras improves the reliability of analyses and observations,” Ehrnrooth reports.

“The research project expressly aims to determine the system package and the settings needed to carry out the inspection tasks and to find out how the materials collected during inspection can be used for automatically detecting what we are looking for.”

Hyperspectral imaging is a versatile tool

Hyperspectral imaging is not a new innovation. It has already been investigated and applied, for example, in the analysis of the health of vegetation, and on the production lines of factories for quality control and identification. Research Professor Eija Honkavaara from the National Land Survey of Finland, who is responsible for the project’s hyperspectral measurements, says that hyperspectral and drone technology and operation are developing fast.

“We have investigated the use of hyperspectral technology in applications related to the environment, especially in precision farming, forest inventories, measuring forests’ health and nutritional status, and analysing the quality of waterbodies. Hyperspectral analysis can be used on a broad scale for other areas of application as well, such as skin cancer research, examination of food composition and waste sorting, for example.”

At the same time, the legislation governing unmanned aviation is developing. Autonomous drone flights will soon become possible in this regard, too.

“There are many interesting questions related to the utilisation of the technology in the condition survey of electricity networks. Among other things, we are interested in the correlations between the wear of components and the hyperspectral images, in whether the technology can be used for achieving a better level of automation compared to traditional cameras, and in finding the most efficient artificial intelligence-based methods,” Honkavaara explains.

A technology still largely unused

The cameras to be used in the project come from the Finnish security and defence company Senop Oy, which offers night vision equipment, intelligent sensor technology-based solutions and system integration services to the authorities. Small hyperspectral cameras represent the newest technology developments of the company.

“They are ‘made in Lievestuore’,” as sales director Matti Rautiainen proudly says.

“The potential of the cameras is far from exhausted, and the entire industry has yet to be built up. The camera’s price is still comparable to that of a car, but this is already low enough for universities and research institutes to increasingly use the cameras in their research work.”

“The service provider layer for this technology is still completely non-existent, but as awareness of the hyperspectral cameras and their possibilities grows, their applications will also increase.

The ongoing research project is a very good example of the discovery of new possibilities.”

“If the project succeeds, it can create new companies and jobs for this niche industry of experts.”

New understanding for the benefit of the industry

Matti Rautiainen says that the data collected by a hyperspectral camera is not measured in tonnes but in truckloads. Joona Ehrnrooth is not worried about this.

“Through Eija’s (Honkavaara’s) team, we have access to top-level expertise in the processing and analysis of the data produced by the camera.”

“In the final report of the project, we will present specifications for data processing and for the software platform. We will also compare the performance of the hyperspectral camera to colour camera technology and other common methods. In addition to this, we will report our research findings regarding the automatic identification of component condition observations and faulty states,” Ehrnrooth says.

As a result, operators in the energy sector will receive access to the models created in the study on the spectrum of the key components used in electricity networks both in their fault-free condition and in faulty states, and these spectrums will have been tested under field conditions.

Eija Honkavaara states that the strategical goal of the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute at the National Land Survey of Finland is exactly this: to provide research results for the benefit of industry and society.

“Hyperspectral technology allows for a better resolution than conventional cameras. This might be of critical significance in terms of the level of automation.”

“It is wonderful that companies such as Rejlers and the energy providers have the courage to examine the utilisation of this technology in their operations,” she sums up.

Tomi Öster of Järvi-Suomen Energia also sees a lot of potential in the technology.

“Development work can take years, as it is not enough to just get our hands on new information through the technology – we must learn to utilise it as well. This, however, is a truly interesting and significant research project for the future.”

More information:

Rejlers offers comprehensive expertise in the area of electricity distribution networks for the entire lifecycle of the network, from strategic consultancy to design, construction and condition management. The company is actively searching for and testing innovations that can produce added value for its customers. In addition to Rejlers, the research project related to the use of hyperspectral cameras also involves the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) at the National Land Survey of Finland, hyperspectral camera manufacturer Senop Oy, hybrid drone manufacturer Avartek Drones Oy Ab, software company Terrasolid Oy and power distribution network company Järvi-Suomen Energia.

The project is financed by the Electricity Research Pool (Sähkötutkimuspooli), Suur-Savo Energy Foundation, Järvi-Suomen Energia Oy, the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute at the National Land Survey of Finland and Rejlers Finland Oy. The project started in September 2020 and it will run until the end of October 2021.

Contact details

Rejlers Finland Oy, Joona Ehrnrooth, +358 50 463 5855, joona.ehrnrooth@rejlers.fi

National Land Survey of Finland, Eija Honkavaara, +358 40 192 0835, eija.honkavaara@nls.fi

Senop Oy, Matti Rautiainen, +358 40 763 6830, matti.rautiainen@senop.fi

Järvi-Suomen Energia, Tomi Öster, +358 50 363 3646, tomi.oster@sssoy.fi

For more info regarding Senop’s hyperspectral camera’s, contact Bob Schmidt, PH: +1 (810) 441-1457, email: bob@uavpropulsiontech.com. UAV Propulsion Tech is the US distributor for Senop. You can find more about these solutions here: https://uavpropulsiontech.com/senop/

The post UAV Propulsion Tech Post #40: Invisible faults in power lines can be revealed with a hyperspectral camera appeared first on My Blog.

I got the opportunity to visit the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this year to walk the show and see what new technology was being marketing in the urban air mobility (flying taxi) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/drone market.  I thought I would summarize some of the things I saw for those that didn’t get a chance to attend the show.  The CES show is one of the largest trade shows in the USA and I just did a fly-in/fly-out the same day because hotel rooms are crazy expensive during this week.  I arrived at 9:00 am and flew out at 9:30 pm and this allowed me enough time to walk the key areas of Westgate Lakes, Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Expo Center.  If you purchase tickets early, they are only $100 for attendees and it is a trade event so they do review your application and have to approve before sending you your credentials.

Here is a selfie in front of the Bell Nexus display.  I will show more about this display later.  I started at the North (Westgate) which had lots of smart city technology including several LiDAR companies.  I have detailed these below:

LiDAR

Ouster-LiDAR (San Francisco, CA-USA): https://ouster.com/

They have a wide range of LiDAR which includes OSO-ultra wide view, OS1-mid range, and OS2-long range.  They won a CES Innovation award for their OS2-128 long range LiDAR and are focused on transportation and drone opportunities.

SureStar – LiDAR (China): https://www.isurestar.com/en/

They also offer navigation and mapping LiDAR systems and even had a multicopter with a LiDAR sensor.

Livox – LiDAR  (China): https://www.livoxtech.com

Livox Technology Company Limited is a DJI company that was founded in 2016 through DJI’s Open Innovation Program.  Their big driver is low cost LiDAR systems for vehicles and mapping.

Polyexplore – LiDAR application solutions (San Jose, CA – USA): https://www.polyexplore.com/

They have a unique product that works with LiDAR and a camera system to give a more accurate picture of the area being mapped. The POLYSCANNER is a flexible, highly integrated Aerial HD mapping system which includes LiDAR, HD CAMERA, and GNSS/INS sensors.

Quanergy – LiDAR (Sunnyvale, CA – USA): https://quanergy.com/

Quanergy is focused on small solid state LiDAR solutions for navigation and mapping.

Velodyne LiDar (San Jose, CA – USA): https://velodynelidar.com/

One of the leaders in LiDAR just launched a very small LiDAR at the show called Velabit.

Urban Air Mobility-Flying Taxi

Bell Helicopter (Fort Worth, TX – USA): https://www.bellflight.com/

Bell had their Nexus UAM on display and even a small city with a hobby model of the Nexus flying between buildings.  I have seen this aircraft at the Heli-Expo and Xponential in 2019.  Very impressive.  They didn’t have their full size APT (Autonomous Pod Transport) drone on display (just a small model in the city display).  The APT is Bell’s delivery drone.

UBER/Hyundair (USA/Korea): https://www.uber.com/

Uber Technologies and Hyundai are working together on an Urban Air Mobility vehicle first displayed at CES2020.

ASKA – Flying Car (Mountain View, CA): https://www.askafly.com/

ASKA had a small booth in the Israel pavilion in the Sands Expo.  They are located in Mountain View, CA but also have a facility in Israel.  They are developing a personal flying vehicle that can drive and fly.  They didn’t have a vehicle on display so I have added a picture from the internet.

DRONES

XDynamics (USA/Hong Kong/Japan/China): https://www.xdynamics.com/

XDynamics makes high end consumer/commercial drones that compete with DJI.  They had several products on display.

Sinochip – Ag spray drone (China): http://sinochip.cn/enindex.html

Sinochip had several agricultural spraying drones on display.

Zero Zero Robotics (China): https://zerozerorobotics.com/

They have the V-Coptr Falcon drone that is more of a high end consumer drone.  50 min flight time and is a v-shaped bi-copter. 3-axis gimbal and 4k video camera. My picture from the booth wasn’t that great so I also included a picture from their website.

Autel Robotics – (Bothel, WA – USA): https://auteldrones.com/

Autel Robotics is a strong DJI competitor offering advanced consumer and commercial drones.  They had a nice flight display showing the output of their IR camera on a TV screen.

Doosan drones – (China): http://www.doosanmobility.com/en/#tech

Doosan is a large heavy equipment company but they are also producing hydrogen powered drones.  I have seen these before at the Commercial UAV Expo in Vegas.

DJI (China): https://www.dji.com/

DJI had a nice sized booth promoting their Inspire 2; Zenmuse X7; Ronin 2; Ronin-S; Ronin-SC; Master Wheels; Force Pro.  I love the Inspire mini and think I need to buy one.

PowerVision (China): https://www.powervision.me/en/

PowerVision has a suite of underwater drones and flying drones, including ones that are waterproof.  I took a video of their booth to show the drone being sprayed with water.  These are the guys who also do the PowerEgg drone.

Robotic Research (Clarksburg, MD): https://www.roboticresearch.com/defense/solutions/pegasus/

These guys have a really innovative drone called Pegasus that flies and also has a track system allowing it to drive on the ground.  The show unit was also equipped with the Velodyne Velabit small LiDAR sensor.

Sunflower Labs (San Francisco, CA – USA): https://www.sunflower-labs.com/

These guys have a unique home security drone that is stationed in a pod and they have remote sensors that when activated, allow the drone to provide surveillance of the area.  Pretty interesting. My picture from the show wasn’t that great so I added a picture of the system from their website.

UAVLAS – Landing assistance systems (Warsaw, Poland): http://www.uavlas.com/

FLIR – Drones and IR technology (Various locations in the USA): https://www.flir.com/

FLIR had their R80D SkyRaider drone on display and a new FLIR MUVE C360 multi-gas detector sensor for first responders.

GoPro – Cameras (USA): https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras

GoPro had a very large booth promoting their camera’s like the Hero 8 Black and the Max.  They also had a cool scuba display showing.

Insta360 – (Not sure whey they are located): https://www.insta360.com/

Nice suite of cameras obviously providing an option to GoPro.

And the FAA even had a booth: https://www.faa.gov/

I am glad I did walk the show.  Very interesting especially looking at the auto and television technology (not to mention the flying cars and drones of course).   There are better shows though that highlight the aerospace tech better so I probably won’t attend CES next year but maybe go every few years.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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Driverless Tractors For Agriculture And Farming

Why we need driverless tractors for agriculture and farming? Farming is a labor intensive activity. Most agricultural activities require some or the other kind of manual intervention. Plowing is no exception.

While the use of tractors has transformed the way plowing is done, the tractors still need a human driver to control them. While people are migrating to cities, there is a dearth of human labor in these remote farm locations. Progressive tractor manufacturers are already working on driverless tractors to help farmers meet the increasing global food demand. For an autopilot to control a tractor, it needs to accurately know its position, its speed and the direction of travel. INS technology which has been used for guidance of aircraft and UAVs for many years can be used for autonomously driven tractors.

This article explores how this technology can get deployed in this application

A.  Driverless Tractors: The Application Requirements

i. Accuracy: The driverless tractor requires very high positioning and orientation accuracy because crops are generally sown at a nearly constant separation from each other. Positioning accuracy of +/-10cm or better is desirable for this application. This accuracy is not achievable from pure civilian standalone GPS.

ii. Provision To Retrofit: Since a large number of tractors are already on the field, the ideal solution can be retrofit on existing tractors. This will allow a large number of farmers to adopt this technology for their existing assets.

iii. Compact: The autopilot assembly, which will also consist of a navigation system along with a steering control mechanism, has to be compact so that it can fit without occupying much space.

iv.  Cost: The entire agricultural application or the industry is extremely cost sensitive. For the solution to be accepted widely, it has to be cost-efficient.

B.  Role Of Inertial Navigation Systems In Driverless Tractors

If one evaluates all the possible options available to provide navigational guidance to tractors, compact (MEMS) inertial navigation systems combined

with a GPS/GNSS and RTK capability definitely stands out as the most viable and promising option.

Here are some advantages of INS-GNSS systems over other kinds of navigational systems:

i. Accuracy: Combination of INS-GPS offers better accuracy than GPS. Our Pollux INS, the micro-miniature MEMS INS from Aeron can offer centimeter level accuracy with an RTK set-up which is more than sufficient for the driverless tractors.

ii. Provision To Retrofit: Pollux can be used by both OEMs as well as manufacturers of retrofit kits which can be used to convert manual tractors to driverless tractors.

iii. Compact: Pollux is very compact in size, it is just 35 mm * 35 mm * 20 mm in size and weighs only 40 grams. This makes it a very ideal choice for OEMs as well as retrofit kit manufacturers.

iv. Cost: Pollux is extremely cost competitive, in fact, the lowest cost option with RTK capability. This makes the driverless tractor practically viable for large-scale use.

UAV Propulsion Tech is the US representative of Aeron Systems.  Go to: http://uavpropulsiontech.com/aeron-systems/  and contact bob@uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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Inertial Navigation Systems For Mobile Robots

Inertial Navigation System For Mobile robots or autonomous mobile robots are being increasingly used for domestic as well as industrial and other applications. Autonomous Mobile robots are the robots which move from one place to other in order to accomplish a given task. As it is quite intuitive, such robots will certainly need navigational assistance to travel from one point to the other. Along with the navigation, we also need a system for the localization of the robot as the navigation command will depend on where the robot is located in the first place.

As robots and their use become widespread, low cost yet highly precise localization and navigation systems are required for the robots. Before we actually have a look at different technics.

A. Let Us First Understand The Ideal Navigation System For Robots

• Low cost: Since robots are set to become a commonly available resource, they will be produced in large quantities. To facilitate large-scale production, the INS that is used should be low cost. The costly navigation system will take the cost of robots high.
• Compact: Since the robots should be highly space efficient, the navigation system itself will have to be very compact.
• Secure: As the number of robots increases, their security will be a key concern. A widespread hacking attack on robots is not a remote possibility. To eliminate these attempts, the navigation system will have to be hack-proof.
• Accurate: Since robots operate in a small environment and will be dealing with picking, moving objects and other similar actions, the required accuracy is very high.

1. Following Are The Multiple Options Or Systems Available For Providing Navigational Assistance To The Mobile Robots

• Inertial Navigation Systems: Inertial navigation systems comprise of Gyroscope and accelerometers which determine acceleration in a given direction. The acceleration is double integrated to calculate the distance traveled by the robot in a given direction which is used to calculate the end location. A large variety is available as far as inertial navigation systems are concerned. Various technologies can be used to manufacture INS. Use of FOG (Fibre Optic Gyro) or RLG (Ring Laser Gyro) technologies results in highly accurate INS with minimum error. On the other hand, these systems are very costly to manufacture and large in size. This makes these systems unfit for the robotics application. The third technology available for manufacturing inertial navigation systems is MEMS – Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. MEMS technology helps in producing low-cost compact inertial navigation systems but lacks the required precision and accuracy. The output of these systems drifts away as the induced error increases over time.
• GPS/GNSS: While GPS or GNSS is one more option for robot navigation, it certainly has more limitations than advantages. First of all, the accuracy and positional accuracy of these systems is questionable. At the same time, availability of GPS signal in indoors is highly unreliable. One more major concern about GPS/GNSS is its susceptibility to getting hacked or manipulated. Since this is a major safety concern, as more awareness develops about these systems, the preference for this mode of navigation will go down.
• Camera-Based Localisation Systems: Another possible mode of communication is the use of a camera which determines the position of the robot in the room/given space and that data is processed to generate navigational commands. This systems also make use of lights, ceiling fixtures, tile design etc. to compute the exact location of the robot. These systems are still in nascent stage and will need some time to mature.

• INS-GPS/GNSS Hybrid System: Another possible solution for autonomous mobile robots navigation is a hybrid system of MEMS inertial navigation systems and INS-GPS. These systems primarily depend on a MEMS inertial navigation systems for localization and navigational assistance. As well all have seen earlier, the output of these systems tends to drift away as the induced errors increase. The GPS signal can be used periodically to nil out this error and get precise locations. One more point worth considering is the evolution of MEMS INS. Though MEMS inertial navigation Systems were once upon a time known for lack of accuracy, the progress in the filtering algorithms has increased the reliability of these systems considerably.

B. This Hybrid System Comprising Of MEMS Ins And GNSS Has a Large Number Of Advantages Over The Other Systems Discussed?

• Low Cost: These systems are highly affordable. This makes them highly suitable for mass-scale production and use.
• Secure: Since these systems primarily use an independent inertial navigation system, and rely on GNSS signal only on correction, they are much more secure than only GPS/GNSS based systems.
• Accuracy Of The Output: The accuracy of the output of these systems is far better than standalone GPS/GNSS systems. One point to note is, due to advances in algorithms and filtering technics, one can get accuracy and precision comparable with RLG and FOG systems from MEMS systems.

Here Is a Table Which Compares All These Technics On Various Performance Parameters:   

The above table makes it very clear that for an application like autonomous robots, MEMS-GPS/GNSS hybrid systems are the best available option.

UAV Propulsion Tech is the US representative of Aeron Systems.  Go to: http://uavpropulsiontech.com/aeron-systems/  and contact bob@uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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I like to close out the year with highlights and news from the various companies represented by UAV Propulsion Tech here in the US. It has been a busy and productive year as highlighted below.  First, we have added several new companies and their advanced UAV hardware solutions.  These include:

NEW UAV Solutions:

Aeron Systems – India:  Aeron is a fast growing tech company based in Pune, India that offers a wide range of tech-driven products and solutions under Inertial Sensing and IoT verticals. Backed by strong technical knowhow and refined algorithms, Aeron’s products offer premium features at an attractive price point. I have included their MEMS inertial navigation systems and Galileo digital magnetic compass solutions.  http://uavpropulsiontech.com/aeron-systems/

Pegasus Aerospace (Destin, FL – USA):  Pegasus have designed a line of 3D printed unmanned aerial vehicle airframes in 3 sizes (3m, 4m, 5m wingspan). Vulcan UAS airframes were designed and developed from the ground up to be manufactured using additive manufacturing technologies such as a 3D printer. It was designed to be a portable, low-cost production and maintenance UAS. Vulcan UAS is a light weight, rapid deployment system for both military and commercial applications requiring low altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).  http://uavpropulsiontech.com/pegasus-aerospace-3d-printed-uav-airframes/

HES Energy Systems (Singapore):  HES Energy Systems is a leading enterprise in Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology for Aerospace, Military, Defense, and Commercial applications. Over the past 10 years, HES has been developing and delivering high performance and lightweight Integrated Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems all over the world. HES own in-house Research and Development team delivers quality and high performance products developed around the customers needs.  Solutions include gaseous/liquid/solid fuel cells for UAV’s and a hydrogen fuel cell multicopter.  http://uavpropulsiontech.com/hes-energy-systems/

Fuel System Solutions – Including Fuel Safe bladder tanks (Redmond, OR – USA):   UAV Propulsion Tech has over 20 years experience in automotive fuel systems and 10 years in UAV fuel systems. We can develop complete fuel tank systems or supply fuel system hardware. We are now offering Fuel Safe bladder and molded fuel tanks, in-line fuel pumps, fuel level sensors, ultrasonic fuel flow sensors, and systems engineering for these solutions. http://uavpropulsiontech.com/fuel-systems/

Alpha Unmanned  Systems (Madrid, Spain): Alpha Unmanned Systems developed a custom ground control station (GCS) to operate their Alpha 800 UAV system. The GCS has been proven on that system and is now being offered to other UAV customers that are looking for a customizable GCS. It allows two persons to operate, one flying the aircraft and the other controlling the payload. You can find more details regarding this solution below. Contact us with your requirements and we can let you know cost/timing. We can customize or give you a “base” system that you can do your own customization. http://uavpropulsiontech.com/alpha-unmanned-systems-ground-control-system/

ePropelled (Cardiff, Wales – UK): ePropelled is a leader in magnetic engineering innovations that dramatically improves electric motor and generator efficiency for aviation, aerospace and electric vehicle applications.  UAV solutions include electric motors to drive propellers and starter/generator solutions for engines. http://uavpropulsiontech.com/motors/

Key News/Achievements from represented companies:

February 6th, 2018: Perfect Performance by Sentronics Flowsonic® Fuel Sensors at Daytona Rolex 24

February 16th, 2018: MicroPilot now flies transitioning VTOL UAS

March 8th, 2018: Neva Aerospace Turbines go into production in France.

April 25th, 2018: Neva Aerospace announces further boosts in power of VTOL optimized turbines.

May 1st, 2018: UMS SKELDAR acquisition of Hirth

June 13th, 2018: MartinUAV’s V-Bat achieves 15,000ft and and 50 miles at JIFX.

Martin UAV V-Bat in Field

September 28, 2018: HES Launches Record 140g Pressure Reducer. 

October 5th, 2018: World’s First Hydrogen-Electric Passenger Plane will Soon Take to The Skies with Zero Pollution.

OCT/NOV, 2018: Aviation Maintenance Magazine – Hirth Expands Support.

November 8th, 2018: HES Energy Systems Launches 3-hr Hydrogen Multi-rotor Designed and Built in the USA.

November 23rd,  2018: German two stroke engine pioneer announces global market focus and lauches new website.

Key UAV News for the Week:

• This new suicide drone delivers a big bang in a small body
• Airbus Helicopters VSR700 Demonstrator Flies Unmanned
• Israeli Technology Defeated Gatwick Airport Drones
• Who is Behind Middle East Drone Market?

Industry Events for January:

• Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2019), JAN 8-11, Las Vegas, NV –  USA. https://www.ces.tech/
• The Unmanned Systems Expo Europe (TUS Expo), JAN 17/18, Rotterdam, Netherlands. https://tusexpo.com/

Quote for the week:

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” – Albert Einstein.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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NEXT GENERATION IN PROPULSION NOW

ELECTRIC TURBOFANS FOR UAVS, DRONES AND LIGHT ROTORCRAFT

European Sustainable Propulsion (ESP SAS), a member of the Neva Aerospace consortium, is now building electric turbofans (ETFs) for the OEM market. Now engineers can create superior drone solutions: safer, more compact and with scheduled maintenance for plug & play propulsion blocks.

ATHENA A

Compact: Diameter 25 cms /9.8 in.
Internal redundancy: 2 separate stages, 2 motors, and 2 ESCs – all integrated.
High thrust density: up to 4kgf (8lbf)
Efficient: high power loading as measured in kg/kW.
Available to order.
Made in France.

European Sustainable Propulsion SAS, based in France, is the exclusive manufacturer of this patented propulsion technology and has already delivered over 30 ESP electric turbofans to development teams in Europe and North America.

A brief specification is given below:

You can find out more info about this advanced distributed propulsion technology by visiting my Neva Aerospace page at http://uavpropulsiontech.com/neva.   UAV Propulsion Tech is the US representative for  Neva Aerospace and  can provide their advanced propulsion solutions for drones/UAV’s/flying car applications. If you have any questions regarding these solutions, please call or email me at: bob@uavpropulsiontech.com.  PH: +1 (810) 441-1457

Key UAV News for the Week:

• Piaggio Aerospace seek receivership
• United States Marine Corps Procures the New InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 sUAS System
• 3-hour Endurance Hydrogen Multi-Rotor from HES
• AWHero’s communications trials with Wildcat

Industry Events for April/May:

• Maritime Information Warfare 2018, NOV 26/27, London, UK, http://www.smi-online.co.uk/
• Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference, NOV 28, Amsterdam, Netherlands, https://unmannedcargoaircraftconference.com/
• I/ITSEC 2018 – The Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, NOV 26-30, Orlando, FL-USA, http://www.iitsec.org/
• UAS TAAC 2018 – Unmanned Aircraft Systems Tactical Analysis and and Applications Center, DEC 4-6, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM-USA, https://taac.nmsu.edu/

Quote for the week:

“A ship is always safe at the shore but that is NOT what it is built for.” – Albert Einstein

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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The post UAV Propulsion Tech Post #35 – Next Generation in Propulsion Now appeared first on My Blog.

Reprinted with permission from Neva Aerospace.   Written by Robert Vergnes-Chairman & Co-Founder of Neva Aerospace

Engineers have always had a lot of fun with flying car concepts but, while most of what we see these days is CGI, we dismiss it as pure hype at our peril. There’s good science and good thinking behind it. The underlying engineering is going to change our world – just not quite in the way the popular headlines would have us believe.

Current battery technology still restricts flight time to no more than 20 minutes; we do not have agreed standards or airspace regulation in place; we do not have a certified ‘sense and avoid’ technology to enable autonomous vehicles to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of pilots and/or air traffic controllers.  So we are not really expecting flying taxis in civil airspace within the next few years – but we do need to prepare for the future. The Gartner Hype Cycle has autonomous vehicles more than 10 years away, let alone flying cars.

‘Flying cars’ are just the tip of an emerging iceberg – an avatar of a strategic new technology of transportation. For transportation, they are the visible part of what PayPal co-founder and early LinkedIn and Space X investor Peter Thiel describes in his best selling book as going  Zero to One. Zero to One is creating something really new, not just trying to improve or mass market something that already exists (Thiel’s “Zero to n”).

In an era where ‘high tech’ can mean little more than an App, longer-term development projects can be a hard sell to investors.  Look behind the claims and predictions that are obviously hype, however, and we are witnessing, in real time, innovation that will fundamentally change our society, and will do so within our lifetime. While the well might run dry for investment in low-tech hobby drones, the potential rewards from next-generation commercial, electric and autonomous transportation are stratospheric – the smart money already knows that. Meanwhile, for civil and military users of transport technology, the implications of having no strategic view and relying on old, capital-intensive and operationally expensive vehicles are also enormous.

Transportation underpins social success

As Jeremy Rifkin reminded us as long ag as 2002 in his book The Hydrogen Economy, transport & energy are necessary for sustainable, dynamic civilisation. More efficient and affordable transport is critical for a dynamic society and the economy that supports it, and n the 21st century a pre-requisite for that is less fossil fuel consumption and much more cost-effective technologies (lower CAPEX and  lower OPEX). The  technology underpinning the current flying car concepts is pushing the boundaries for efficiency for all forms of movement of people and goods – it is driving the wide-reaching transport revolution that successful and secure societies need.

Don’t dismiss the development work that has already taken place – while it may not emerge as airborne Uber, this technology is laying the foundations for the future.

Distributed propulsion – the catalyst for Zero to One in electric aviation

Project teams have been trying to get a flying car off the ground for decades without success. So why should we think heavy-duty vehicles will ever fly? Well, the last 20 years have seen huge improvements in the efficiencies of BLDC (brushless DC motors); and calculators for flight controllers. Most important is our growing understanding of Distributed Propulsion. It is Distributed Propulsion (DP) that makes this a real, feasible   Zero to One technology. Distributed Propulsion is not yet taught in Universities but strategists need to be aware of it.

The most accurate description so far is the one from NASA. It’s not an easy read, but it does explain how DP applies to fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft (helicopters) and x-wing-VTOL craft. In summary, DP is the use of many small engines to replace one or two larger ones. A quadcopter drone is a DP  implementation for rotorcraft, for instance.

With modern electric BLDC motors and batteries and flight controllers modulating multiple small electric motors, DP can become a reality. And it is scalable! Developers of electric drones have embraced it, and are looking beyond the commodity hobby and camera drone market. It is these companies and their technology and service providers that are the ones to watch.

In 2009, Prf. David Brotherton-Ratcliffe, co-founder of Neva Aerospace, made a significant step forward when he conceived a flight theory for scalable 3D distributed propulsion (3DDP). By 2011, David and I, had started to popularise this as the “Axioms for 3D Distributed Propulsion” – which we now often refer to as the Axioms of Brotherton-Ratcliffe. They describe the necessary requirements for successful engineering using Distributed Propulsion.

Clearly, the move to electric DP is a Zero to One revolution. With scalable 3DDP, it’s scope is magnified. The move from old fossil-fuel twin-thermal-turbines to new electric DP is feasible for all vehicles (cars, trucks, helicopter, airplanes) which can have tens or even hundreds of electrical motors/thrusters. It improves safety, reduces CAPEX and reduces OPEX and it allows for new types of designs for transportation systems.

And the revolution has started. Already relatively low-tech drones have entered our everyday-life from small toys and cameras/survey drones (who could not have been awed and inspired by the Intel drones display that opened the 2018 Winter Olympics?) to light-professional multi-copters. The momentum is building fast and DP is being applied to wide range of transport needs. Let’s have a look at the current state of  in more detail – the progress that is being made should give you pause for thought.

February 2018 saw the successful  manned flight of the Ehang-184,  a heavy-x8x2-multicopter (pictured). This machine is the perfect example of a rotorcraft distributed propulsion heavy multi-copter. It is also very close to the original electrical multi-copter flown by Volocopter from Germany in 2016. The flight time is probably limited around 15 minutes, but it will get better and the overall cost at some point might be less than the one of an electric car! This is very interesting from an economic and social point of view as it may change the transport landscape drastically.

The only critical hurdles delaying development of electric heavy-multi-copters are battery energy density and, for unmanned & remote piloting, a certifiable flight controller. Nevertheless, we are very close to a major shift in transport technologies.

Then, with the possibility of no more thermal helicopters, no more small but heavy and polluting airplanes requiring 50 hrs-checks, the economic arithmetic will take over. Suddenly the CAPEX will plunge by 5 times or more (20 times?) and the OPEX as well will be reduced by 6 times or may be much more (30 times?).

My view of the coming revolution

The first markets impacted will likely be ultra-light and light helicopters, and it will  propagate rapidly, to ultra-light and light airplanes, and then to heavier helicopters and regional airplanes. EasyJet is already looking into such kind of design.

At the same time, DP is likely to impact other B2B markets where wheeled vehicles are used such as goods transportation within cities, construction, tractors, handlers, cranes and security, police and defence systems – and maybe some taxis, after all.

The cost cutting around maintenance (MRO) will be huge when changing from thermal engines to electric DP for aeronautics. Incumbent businesses in the small and medium sized turbines and turbo-fan markets such as Pratt & Witney, Safran/Turbomeca, GE, Bell, Airbus, Boeing, etc will see their helicopters, sub-regional and regional airplanes and turbines related businesses squeezed out in the small and medium sized markets – MTOW up to 2 tonnes at first. Their old technologies, dating back to the 1950’s will be replaced by cheaper and safer electric DP aircraft and rotorcraft. My guess is that this change will spread much more rapidly than the incumbents believe and/or could even react to.

The incumbents in the EU & US have started to wake up and seek to copy Chinese and European startups, but there seem to be more PR luck than real engineering success going on there. They have understood that the fate of their old technologies is doomed, but are they really ready or able to change sufficiently?

The status quo is on borowed time

The incumbents are a de-facto oligopoly living on thermal turbines and turbo-fan fossil fuel technologies. They have enjoyed nearly 70 years of high CAPEX sales and lucrative maintenance contracts. But this game is over.

Attempts to un-man their airplanes or helicopters are futile because they do not fundamentally change the revenue model. Operators would still need to pay high prices for MRO and have pilot(s) remotely anyway. In any case,  pilot costs for helicopters or airplanes are usually less than 5% of OPEX, compared to 60% for six-figure maintenance costs, so why bother to un-man such old and expensive technology at all? Already we see several major helicopter operators are getting rid of their smallest helicopters and focussing their fleet on the heavier craft. They can see that electric multi-copters are likely to scale up to 2 tonnes MTOW soon. This MTOW will rise, but even 2 tonnes MTOW is lot of transportation!

As I said earlier, transport is the lifeblood of an economy. Faster, cheaper, more flexible transport is an all-around win, reducing infrastructure costs (road, rail, etc…) as planners grapple with a growing and increasingly dense urban populations. We know well that change can happen fast as soon as it becomes is economically viable – that time is coming for electric aviation.

Defense implications

In the defense sector the shift to electric distributed propulsion is going to be shock and awe for the incumbents. A Boeing AH-64 Apache costs around $14M, an Ehang-184 could probably go now probably for less than $1M. That’s 14 Ehang-184s for the price of 1 AH-64, without the expensive maintenance.

As prices of electric heavy-multi-copters will go down, a military force could have 50 to 100 times more helicopters flying for the same budget as one old thermal helicopter!

You don’t need to be a military strategist to see the threat posed by tens of thousands of cheap, small, electrical armed helicopters. Unmanned and cheap, they will be almost as disposable as a missile. Conventional craft will be easy prey on the battlefield for masses of heavy-multi-copters. The main factor that is stopping this scenario from becoming true tomorrow is battery technology and that, too, is fast moving.

Meanwhile, it seems that the short-term focus for NATO remains on atomic submarines and other ultra-expensive armaments from another age. Whatever the future for NATO, for the Eurocorps and national armies, the electric aviation revolution, manned and unmanned, is a threat that needs to be addressed.

Equally worrying is the balance of knowledge power. Boeing and Airbus are far behind the Chinese on DP, as their recent prototypes of heavy multi-copters shows. As of February 2018, the  Airbus Vahana maiden flight was just 53sec, not a fact Boeing was keen to share. Astonishingly, they had missed the fact that distributed propulsion has different laws than the usual aero-design they are used to.

What must we do?

To recap: the “flying cars” trend is just the tip of an emerging iceberg of a much more strategic field: Distributed Propulsion (DP). DP is a new technology of transportation for defence and civilian uses. It will have massive impact on our civilisation and has the potential to change the balance of power between count ries (right now China has a clear lead) and to empower illicit non-governmental organisations, organised crime and terrorism. I have been advocating these views for long time already and today I hope NATO  strategists will open their eyes to the fact that electric DP is not just about pretty flying cars. It is of massive strategic importance – too important to be left to the consumer PR hype cycle.

Right now, I meet a lot of entrepreneurs, usually with modern Palo-Alto-T-shirt-look, who nevertheless still think of aero-design and markets the old way. For them it is just a gold rush  and they seem to have very poor real understanding of what they deal with technically, economically and politically.  Their outlook is Thiel’s “0 to n.”

I advise them to  read NASA’s work on distributed propulsion first, then Neva Aerospace’s work on 3D distributed propulsion. Then make sure they  re-read the history of VTOL starting with the Moller flying car back in 1980. Finally, they should ask themselves why Volocopter and Ehang are the only one to really fly properly today.

The big issue is the DP driving down the cost of aerial transportation, and the revolution is imminent in our globalised economy. Europe and North America risk being left behind with nothing but a few CGI concepts and PR stunts, while the spoils go to the countries with governments, militaries and entrepreneurs that dared to go from “0 to 1”.

Robert Vergnes is co-founder and chairman of the Neva Aerospace European consortium. Neva focusses its R&D on 3D distributed propulsion and electric turbines – which components of any DP-powered vehicle.

You can find out more info about this DP technology by visiting my Neva Aerospace page at http://uavpropulsiontech.com/neva.   If you have any questions regarding these solutions, please call or email me at: bob@uavpropulsiontech.com.  PH: +1 (810) 441-1457

Key UAV News for the Week:

• Aeronautics and Mahindra partner for shipborne UAS
• Airbus unveils drone to inspect airplanes
• With the fastest delivery drone in the world, Zipline eyes US market
• Russia jamming US drones in Syria

Industry Events for April/May:

• SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, APR 15-19, Orlando, FL-USA,  www.spie.org
• Global Robot Expo, APR 18-20, Madrid, Spain,  http://www.globalrobotexpo.com
• Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems, APR 25/26, London, England,  www.smi-online.co.uk
• AUVSI’s Xponential, APR 30-May 3, Denver, CO-USA, https://www.xponential.org/
• Uber Elevate, MAY 8/9, Los Angeles, CA-USA, https://www.uber.com/info/elevate/
• SOFIC, MAY 21-24, Tampa, FL-USA, http://www.sofic.org/
• Unmanned Marine Systems, May 16/27, London, England, http://www.smi-online.co.uk/

Quote for the week:

“Dreams have always expanded our understanding of reality by challenging our boundaries of the real, of the possible.” – Henry Reed

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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I thought it would be good to close out the year with highlights and news from the various companies represented by UAV Propulsion Tech here in the US. It has been a busy and productive year as highlighted below.  First, we have added several new companies and their advanced UAV hardware solutions.  These include:

Eli Airborne Systems – Estonia:  I wanted to add more COTS (consumer off the shelf) hardware that doesn’t require R&D effort.  Eli has a nice pneumatic launcher that used to be offered by MicroPilot in the US.  They were looking for a new US company to offer this product so I started offering this in April 2017 along with their parachute release mechanisms.  www.uavpropulsiontech.com/eli-airborne-systems

Reventec, LTD – United Kingdom:  I have a fuel system background and worked 14 years in the automotive fuel delivery market developing/marketing in tank fuel delivery modules.  I was looking for a company that offers advanced fuel and engine sensors and found Reventec.  They have advanced sensors that they provide to the Formula 1 racing market and have an excellent reputation in that market.  These advanced sensors are also suited for UAV applications.  They include capacitive fuel level sensors, ultrasonic fuel flow sensors, engine temp sensors, rotary position sensors and speed sensors.  I started offering Reventec sensors in May 2017.  www.uavpropulsiontech.com/reventec

Neva Aerospace – UK/France:  There are several companies with a roadmap to develop a flying car and Neva is one of those companies that has advanced electric turbofan (ETF) solutions that are optimized for static thrust and  VTOL operation.   They provide ETF’s, drones based on their ETF’s and eventually will be offering a certified flying car.  ETF’s are a great solution for UAV developers who are looking for a VTOL solution that needs static thrust for vertical take-off combined with propellers or gas turbines for forward flight.   I started offering Neva ETF solutions in May 2017 and just returned from the UK/France for training on this advanced UAV technology.  www.uavpropulsiontech.com/neva

Coral Partners Nova Ray ROV – USA:  I have expanded from unmanned aerial vehicles to submersible remote operated vehicles for underwater inspection/mapping.  Nova Ray’s ROV can be tethered behind a boat and maintains stability up to 10knots increasing the mapping efficiency.  They have solutions that can operate at 305m, 550m, 1500m & 4000m depths.  I started offering these solutions to the military and oil/gas markets since August 2017.  http://uavpropulsiontech.com/nova-ray-rov/

No longer representing Orbital UAVe – Australia: As of OCT 2017, I am no longer representing Orbital in the USA.  Orbital has brought business development in house as they expand into the USA with their recently announced production facility in Hood River, OR.  I have worked with Orbital since 2000 and wish them continued success.

Key News/Achievements from represented companies:

• Successful flight of Hirth 4201 EFI gasoline engine in MartinUAV V-Bat UAV http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/successful-flight-of-hirth-4201-efi-gasoline-engine-in-martinuav-vbat-uav-436665.php
• PulseAero displays Radius 65 at XPonential in Dallas with Hirth 4103 gasoline engine to increase endurance.

• New product – OTUS-U200 with IP56 capability.  http://uavpropulsiontech.com/OTUS-U200 Brochure
• DST now offering rentals so you can rent/try before you buy. http://www.dst.se/product-rental/product-rental-otus.
• Police HD EO/IR solution for Robinson helicopters available with certified Meeker Aviation gimbal mount.

• Volz Servos DA15N actuators have been successfully flying in Aerosonde Mk4.7 SUAS since 2010 achieving over 200,000 flight hours.  http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/volz-servos-da-15n-actuators-have-been-successfully-flying-in-aerosonde-mk47-suas-since-2010-achieving-over-200000-flight-hours-443879.php
• New Products:
  • DA36LP – Low profile 36mm servo.
  • DA30HT – High torque 30mm servo.
  • OPV – Optionally piloted vehicle electromagnetic clutch for DA26, DA26 redundant, DA30 or DA30 redundant servos.
  • DA15N ISS – integrated servo saver clutch now available on DA15N.
  • Submersible – We now offer submersible options for our standard DA26 and DA30 servos.  These submersible servos have been tested at depths down to 19,600ft.

• MicroPilot now has autopilot transitional strategy for VTOL to horizontal flight.  https://youtu.be/65ga9qDAkUM
• MicroPilot has added a blog with helpful autopilot info. https://blog.micropilot.com/

Coming in 2018:

I plan to add more companies to be able to offer more UAV hardware solutions.  Discussions going on to add these solutions in Q1.  More to follow the rest of the year.

• Inertial navigation systems.
• Hyperspectral cameras
• 3D printed airframes

Key UAV News for the Week:

• New photo shows Boeing’s massive Stingray drone
• Mine disarming drone to be used in Syria.
• US Army partners with Marine’s on 3D printed drones
• Airbus and Williams team on Zephyr battery technology

Industry Events for January:

• Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology, JAN 30/31, Rome, Italy. http://www.smi-online.co.uk/defence/europe/Maritime-Reconnaissance

Quote for the week:

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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The post UAV Propulsion Tech Post #32 – 2017 Year in Review appeared first on My Blog.

I am the US rep for MicroPilot and market their autopilots to US UAV customers.  I have permission from MicroPilot to re-print a Blog Post they have on their website titled “Going, Going, Gone..” from November 14, 2017 about UAV/drone fly away.   Drone fly away is a big issue especially as more and more hobby, commercial and defense aircraft are using civilian airspace.   MicroPilot autopilots minimize this risk thru design of the hardware & software, product validation testing (component, true hardware in loop and flight) and production procedures which includes 100% HASS testing.  Here is a link to a White Paper from MicroPilot that shares “How to Choose a Reliable UAV Autopilot Vendor”.

If you have any questions regarding MicroPilot’s autopilot solutions, please call or email me at:  bob@uavpropulsiontech.com.  PH: +1 (810) 441-1457.  Here is the original link to the MicroPilot Blog “Going, Going, Gone..”.

You can also visit my MicroPilot page at www.uavpropulsiontech.com/micropilot or MicroPilot’s website at www.micropilot.com.

Key UAV News for the Week:

• China Test Fires new Laser Based C-UAS
• UAVE Demonstrates Long-Endurance Fixed-Wing UAVs
• Watch this all-electric ‘flying car’ take its first test flight in Germany
• UMS SKELDAR launches new R-350 VTOL platform as part of ‘dynamic duo’ line up with flagship SKELDAR V-200

Industry Events for December:

• Maritime Information Warfare 2017, DEC 6-7, London, United Kingdom. http://www.smi-online.co.uk
• UAS TAAC 2017, DEC 4-7, Santa Fe, New Mexico-USA. https://taac.nmsu.edu/

Quote for the week:

“The only source of knowledge is experience.” – Albert Einstein.

UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.

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The post UAV Propulsion Tech Post #31 – Perspectives on UAV Fly Away appeared first on My Blog.