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ISTAR drones will Heros for be fully equipped mission success RICHARD SCOTT
PHOTO: SELEX GALILEO LTD
Leonardo has signed a multimillion euro contract with prime contractor QinetiQ to supply PicoSAR active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars to equip new unmanned intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) vertical take-off/landing unmanned air systems (UASs) ordered by the Canadian Armed Forces. QinetiQ earlier this month announced that it had been awarded a C$51 million contract to deliver an ISTAR solution, based on the UMS SKELDAR V-200 UAS, to meet the needs of Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The contract will be delivered from QinetiQ’s UAS manufacturing and operational facilities in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Developed and manufactured by Leonardo in Edinburgh, UK,
PicoSAR offers high-performance ground surveillance capabilities – including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging and Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) modes – in an extremely compact package. SAR/GMTI allows for the delivery of effective all-weather, high-resolution ground mapping and surveillance capability for ISTAR missions. The new ISTAR UAS will also carry electrooptical/infrared (EO/IR) payloads supplied by L3 WESCAM. According to L3 WESCAM, the order represents the company’s first contract with QinetiQ in Canada, and the first orders for the MX-8 and MX-10D EO/IR turrets in the Canadian market. UMS SKELDAR is a joint venture between Sweden’s Saab and UMS AERO GROUP of Switzerland. According to the company, multiple V-200 air vehicles are due to be delivered in the third quarter of 2019.
UVision Air is highlighting its tactical Hero family on Booth 728 with its Canadian industrial partner, Twenty20 Insight. In focus are the lightweight man-packed Hero-30, the smallest of the Hero family fitted for asymmetric warfare against heavily armed guerrilla groups, and the Hero-120, the largest member of the short-range Hero systems, which is designed for longer loitering time with enhanced warheads for missions against armoured vehicles including main battle tanks and fortifications. The man-portable Hero-30, deployable within minutes, with 30 minutes of autonomy and a range of up to 40km, is said to be ideal against moving targets such as light vehicles, speedboats and dismounted armed forces. Weighing just 3.5kg, including a 0.5kg warhead, it enables a forward force under attack to react immediately, without being exposed; recognising the threat from above and attacking with high accuracy.
Canada’s Arctic in safe hands Space Flight Laboratory (SFL, Booth 1036) is highlighting the upcoming Canadian Gray Jay Pathfinder R&D microsatellite project, writes Günter Endres. Gray Jay is a three-unit formation-flying microsatellite constellation being developed by SFL for the Department of National Defence’s science and technology organisation, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), to support Arctic surveillance technology demonstration under the All-Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) programme. Surveillance solutions support the Canadian government’s ability to exercise sovereignty in the North and provide a greater
awareness of safety and security issues, as well as transportation and commercial activity in Canada’s Arctic – objectives outlined in Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged. The SFL microsatellites being developed for Gray Jay will include multiple sensors on a constellation of microsatellites operating in close formation in low Earth orbit to allow quick and timely detection and identification of surface or airborne targets. These concurrently obtained sensor observations are expected to improve the responsiveness of detection and follow-up, which may not be straightforward or timely when individual sensors are located on non-collaborating satellites.
The versatile Hero-120, also man-portable, has powerful penetration capabilities with an anti-tank multi-purpose warhead and an extended flight time of 60 minutes. Its precision loitering capabilities and pinpointed strikes enable operations against moving targets in populated areas or remote locations with minimal collateral damage. The Hero-120 includes advanced abort capabilities, is simple to operate and has multiple launch options. The Hero family includes seven loitering munitions systems designed for different missions at various ranges. They all enable precision attacks on targets using warheads of various types and weights. Other features are extremely low noise and thermal signature, and integration with highly advanced, stabilised electrooptic day/night cameras. Deployable from air, land and sea, the Hero systems can gather intelligence via an ISR day/night sensor.
SFL’s Microsatellite Science & Technology Centre (MSTC) in Toronto
SFL, a self-sustaining speciality lab established in 1998 at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), is one of the world’s leading developers of next-generation smaller satellites featuring advanced attitude control and formation-flying technology. It has built more than 25 nano- and microsatellites with more than 100 cumulative years of successful operation in orbit.
