Selex Unveils Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

July 23, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

Selex's mini unmanned aerial system models include the Strix, Otus, Asio and Damselfy.

Programmed from a common ground station, these platforms are designed to fly automatically to designated waypoints and with automatic take off and landing, require no piloting skills to operate, according to Selex.

They can be used stand-alone or as a critical node in a fully integrated networked surveillance system with payloads that can be controlled manually at any time during the flight.

Strix can be launched by hand or catapult. Otus is designed to support tactical units with short range "over the hill" and "around the corner" intelligence and local situational awareness. Strix is designed for use by Special Forces and typically operates at 300-3,000 feet from the ground providing medium range surveillance and reconnaissance, said Selex.

Asio has a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) ducted fan system. It is specifically designed for "hover and stare" or "perch and stare" operations for local area surveillance. It can be used for forward scout missions and/or Special Operations support.

The mini UAVs, which were developed in collaboration with the Unmanned Technology Research Institute (U.T.R.I.) and Alpi Aviation, are primarily for military applications. All three systems also have civilian applications and can be deployed by law enforcement or emergency services as well as by commercial organisations such as railways and utilities, said Selex.

Damselfy also has VTOL capability and is designed to be effective in circumstances where VTOL is required for restricted space for launch and recovery operations. Damselfy has a vectored thrust combined propulsion and lift system.

Damselfly lifts and hovers on four pillars of air through independently directed nozzles coordinated by advanced avionics, said Selex.

This configuration enables Damselfy to have the hover capability of a helicopter but with wind gust resistance and a small landing and take off footprint. The technology resists lateral forces making it ideal for use on ships or for use in so called "urban canyons," said Selex.

Once airborne, the thrust nozzles swing back, allowing a transition to high-speed forward flight on its conventional wings. Damselfly will use the same common ground station as Asio, Strix and Otus and will, depending on the configuration, offer a variety of payload capabilities.

Payload capabilities include:

• PicoSAR, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which is designed to be a compact, lightweight airborne ground surveillance radar.
• PALS, an electronic support measure (ESM) system, which examines the radar emissions from ships and, by using a library of contact information, can passively identify and track vessels of interest.
• Gabbiano Radar, the latest Galileo Avionica airborne multi-mode surveillance radar. Gabbiano is a family of radar operating in X band and suitable to perform surveillance over ground, along coast and over sea in all weather conditions.
• The multisensor hyperspectral camera is a modular airborne hyperspectral camera developed by Galileo Avionica. It is composed of two electro-optical heads operating from the visible near-infrared (VNIR) to the shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands (0.4 to 2.5 micron) and has a digital data acquisition system. Creating a distinctive spectral fingerprint for every observed object including vegetation, minerals, gases and liquids, the camera is designed to assess the difference even if it is invisible to the naked eye.
• Electro Optical Surveillance and Tracking System (EOST) 45, based on a three sensors E/O payload, is suitable for light platforms (unmanned aircraft system, short-range aircraft and light helicopters) and uses, both during day and night and has a thermal imager operating in the medium wavelength spectrum.

Source: Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS).