Thales UK, A groundbreaking development programme led by prime contractor Thales UK has seen the successfully controlled flights of an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) direct from a Royal Navy warship, marking the first time full UAV control from a warship has been achieved in the UK.
Led by Thales UK, Team JUEP (Joint UAV Experimentation Programme), carried out the recent trials at the Benbecula range off the North West coast of Scotland, as part of 'UAV Support to Maritime Ops', a branch of the Ministry of Defence's Joint UAV Experimentation Programme.
The trials were intended to fully explore the operational utility of UAV systems with emphasis on the potential contribution that they can make to future maritime Network Enabled Capability (NEC). Their success is strong indication of Thales UK's commitment to developing innovative defence solutions across divisions, and highlight an ongoing commitment to interoperability between systems covering land, sea and air.
During the trials small fixed-wing UAVs were launched from a land-based catapult and handed over to the ship based control station onboard HMS Sutherland, a Type 45 frigate. During one of the flights the ScanEagle UAV achieved a flight duration of eight hours and 14 minutes and was recovered to land with sufficient fuel for an additional five hours on task, a development that underlines the potential of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) systems in the maritime field.
In all, the trials were completed within six months of the contract being award to Thales UK, and a key component in this successful completion was the use of the Thales Synthetic Environment facility, located in Crawley. The facility enabled the planning, familiarisation and rehearsal of missions, highlighted as having saved considerable range trials time.
Forward from this Team JUEP is investigating extending the trial into alternative missions and scenarios. Potentially, this could include UAV integration with air surveillance and control platforms such as Sea King Mk7 helicopter, the development of which Thales UK has played a key role in, working in conjunction with the Royal Navy and MoD.
Last year Thales was selected as preferred bidder on the contract for the MoD Watchkeeper tactical UAV programme, intended to provide the UK's armed forces with a globally deployable ISTAR capability.
BACKGROUND NOTES:
1. ScanEagle is launched autonomously via a pneumatic wedge catapult launcher and flies pre-programmed or operator-initiated missions. It can be retrieved using a “Skyhook” system in which the UAV catches a rope hanging from a 50-foot high pole. The patented system allows ScanEagle to be runway independent and operate from forward fields, mobile vehicles or ships.
2. In August 2004 ScanEagle completed the longest flight ever recorded by a UAV launched and retrieved at sea – 16 hours and 45 minutes. During ScanEagle's record-setting flight, it did aerial surveillance of sea conditions and ships in Puget Sound, Washington, demonstrating the type of mission anticipated for shipboard operations. For a vehicle of its size, ScanEagle's endurance/payload combination is unmatched. The ScanEagle “A-15” — the company's current model — can remain on station for more than 15 hours. Future planned variants will have an endurance of more than 30 hours.
3. The UAV is four feet long and has a 10-foot wingspan. ScanEagle is the first small tactical UAV with an inertially stabilized turret. As standard payload, ScanEagle carries either an electro-optical or an infrared camera. The gimbaled camera allows the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets, providing real-time intelligence to users.
4. Thales UK's defence activities encompass optronics, air defence, sensors, communications and naval systems. The company is the UK's second largest defence contractor and has been a supplier to the MoD since the First World War. Thales employs 11,000 staff in the UK and 60,000people in 50 countries. In 2004, Thales UK's revenues were
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