Retour aux nouvelles

16 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial

Air Force Tests Contraption That Can Turn Any Plane Into a Robot Plane

Air Force scientists have announced that they had tested a robot kit that can turn virtually any plane into a self-piloting drone, through a program called ROBOpilot.

Why is that important? For starters, planes and drones are expensive. The drone shot down over Iran last month cost $220 million. For years the military has rushed to fund fabulous, exquisite drones of all shapes and sizes. Some, like the $15 million MQ-9 Reaper from General Atomics, are cheaper than manned military aircraft. But the big ones are more expensive than many types of civilian sport aircraft.

“Imagine being able to rapidly and affordably convert a general aviation aircraft, like a Cessna or Piper, into an unmanned aerial vehicle, having it fly a mission autonomously, and then returning it back to its original manned configuration,” said Dr. Alok Das, senior scientist with the Air Force Research Lab's, or AFRL's, Center for Rapid Innovation, in a statement. “All of this is achieved without making permanent modifications to the aircraft.” AFRL has partnered with DZYNE Technologies to produce the kit.

The system interacts with flight controls just like a human pilot, pushing all the correct buttons, flipping the switches, manipulating the yoke and throttle and watching the gages. “At the same time, the system uses sensors, like GPS and an Inertial Measurement Unit [essentially a way for a machine to locate itself in space without GPS] for situational awareness and information gathering. A computer analyzes these details to make decisions on how to best control the flight,” AFRL said in a statement. Once the flight is done, the kit can be pulled out and the plane reconverted to one requiring a human pilot.

On August 9, the system completed a two-hour test flight at Utah's Dugway Proving Ground.

In theory, the same or a similar technology could be applied to expensive fighter aircraft. And the military has said that the next, sixth-generation fighter will be optionally manned. But the military has expressed reservations about allowing autonomous software to undertake lethal actions, so don't expect to see ROBOpilot doing combat missions anytime soon.

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/08/air-force-tests-contraption-can-turn-any-plane-robot-plane/159211/

Sur le même sujet

  • Hyundai Rotem readies Multipurpose Unmanned Ground Vehicle for delivery

    1 décembre 2020 | International, Terrestre

    Hyundai Rotem readies Multipurpose Unmanned Ground Vehicle for delivery

    by Dae Young Kim South Korean defence and engineering prime Hyundai Rotem has been selected as the supplier of Multipurpose Unmanned Ground Vehicles (MUGVs) to the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. Hyundai Rotem announced on 24 November that it had won a contract from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to supply two MUGVs within six months under an accelerated acquisition scheme that aims to introduce new capabilities to the military. The company will also provide the associated support for the two vehicles. MUGVs are two-tonne multirole platforms that can be fitted with a range of mission equipment depending on the user's requirements. The type can be used to perform combat reconnaissance in heavily contested battlefield environments to improve the firepower and survivability of troops. The vehicle can also be used for supporting roles such as ammunition and expendable resupply, and casualty evacuation. The MUGV will be derived from Hyundai Rotem's HR-Sherpa UGV, a 6×6 multirole dual-use platform that is 2.7 m in length, 1.7 m in width, and 0.9 m in height. It weighs 1.6 tonnes in its baseline configuration, and up to two tonnes when fully loaded. The company will also supply an in-house remote-control weapon system (RCWS) and plans to arm it with a 5.56 mm light machine gun. The battery powered UGV is equipped with airless tyre technology and can turn on its axis. It is also equipped with a water-cooled battery and an integrated heat management system that supports long-distance driving in all-weather operations, and offers a claimed endurance of six hours when cruising at 5 km/h. It can also attain road and cross-country speeds of up to 40 km/h and 10 km/h, respectively. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/hyundai-rotem-readies-multipurpose-unmanned-ground-vehicle-for-delivery

  • Sprint toward new missile-warning satellites begins with first contract award to Lockheed

    16 août 2018 | International, C4ISR

    Sprint toward new missile-warning satellites begins with first contract award to Lockheed

    By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force is racing to kick-start its new accelerated program to buy next-generation missile warning satellites, awarding a contract on Aug. 14 to Lockheed Martin for the first three satellites in the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program. The award, which has a value of up to $2.9 billion, will allow Lockheed to do the design work, flight hardware procurement, early manufacturing and risk-reduction work necessary for a critical design review, the service said in a statement. Lockheed is set to provide the three geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites in the Next-Gen OPIR constellation. "As we develop these new systems, speed matters," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a statement. "We are focused on providing a missile warning capability survivable in a contested environment by the mid-2020s." More specifically, the Air Force has said it plans to launch its first Next Gen OPIR satellite in 2023, two years earlier than its original plan to begin fielding the replacement for the Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, which called for first launches in 2025. Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, was one of the biggest critics of the Air Force's original procurement strategy for a next generation SBIRS. In December, he called the service's plan to field the new constellation by fiscal 2029 “ridiculous” and said it could be done faster. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/space/2018/08/15/sprint-towards-new-missile-warning-satellites-begins-with-first-contract-award-to-lockheed

  • DND cyber force hindered by lack of staff and training, assessment team warns

    20 février 2024 | International, Terrestre

    DND cyber force hindered by lack of staff and training, assessment team warns

    Canadian military’s cyber force is being hindered by a lack of staff and training, according to an internal review.

Toutes les nouvelles