Defense News 03/11/2013

Copyright 2013 Defense News 03/11/2013 March 11, 2013 3:45 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA
Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page
www.dofonsonows.com March 11, zO1J |t|tsstKtws J7
|ts is tlt !| |rtm tlt !t+
ThoU.S. DofonsoAdvancodRo-
soarchProjocts Agoncy(DARPA)
wants toimprovo airborno intolli-
gonco, survoillanco and rocon-
naissanco to holp U.S. forcos
striko mobilo targots anywhoro,
dospito tho limitations of oxisting
mannod and unmannod aircraft.
Sookingtocombinothostrongths
of both land- and soa-basod ap-
proachostosupportingairbornoas-
sots, tho Tactically Exploitod Ro-
connaissanco Nodo (TERN) pro-
gram would uso smallor ships as
mobilo launch and rocovory sitos
for modium-altitudo, long-on-
durancofixod-wingUAVs, DARPA
said. TERNaims to mako it much
oasior, quickor and loss oxponsivo
for DoDto doploy ISRand striko
capabilitios almost anywhoro.
It'slikohavingafalconroturnto
thoarmof anyporsonoquippodto
rocoivo it, instoad of to tho samo
static porch ovory timo," said
Daniol Patt, DARPAprogramman-
agor. Enabling small ships to
launchandrotriovolong-onduranco
UAVs on domand would groatly
oxpand our situational awaronoss
andour ability toquickly andflox-
ibly ongago in hot spots ovor land
or wator."
To familiarizo potontial partici-
pantswiththotochnical objoctivos
of TERN, DARPAwill host a pro-
posors' day March zO. For dotails,
visit: http://go.usa.gov/zgx1. Rogis-
trationclososMarch18at noonET.
li #+ttr |+s's Ktw !rit|s
A systom dovolopod by ro-
soarchors at tho U.S. Army's Nat-
ick Soldior Rosoarch, Dovolop-
mont and Enginooring Contor,
Dopartmont of Dofonso Combat
Fooding Diroctorato, would holp
bring wator to soldiors in tho
fiold, oithor cool or hoat it, and
thon koop it that way for days at
a timo. Tho systom includos a
high-stross collapsiblo wator bag,
a bovorago cooling unit and an
insulatod bag that holds tho stan-
dard b-gallon wator can or tho
collapsiblo wator bag.
Gotting soldiors to hydrato suf-
ficiontly in oxtromo tompora-
turos, such as thoso oncountorod
in Afghanistan, has always boon
a challongo, said Bon Williams
with Combat Fooding's Systoms
Equipmont and Enginooring
Toam. Pooplo aron't drinking
onough bocauso thoir wator is
1OO dogroos," ho said. But if it
was 4O-dogroo wator, of courso
you'd drink moro. Your stamina
also incroasos."
Tho bag, mado of 1ObO donior
nylon matorial and coatod with
silicono rubbor, can bo air-
droppod from up to bb foot, al-
lowing rosupply without roquir-
ing holicoptors to land.
0orp||ed o] N|che|e Sarage.
!r+isis&!imsl+tits
F0w80 8
!!I
!K|K|K
& !|M||!|K
I|KK|
|lis |rtm |+r
8, L408N 8I80N
Gotting a romotoly pilotod aircraft
on and off tho ground can bo a
tricky oporation. Northrop Grum-
man is botting that a choap training
aircraft, about a quartor of tho sizo
of a Roapor, will holp pilots loarn to
do it.
Tho Sandshark is a small UAV
that can do multiplo touch-and-goos
for about a hundrodth of tho cost of
ono Roapor or Prodator practico
flight, according to Karl Purdy, who
runs now UAV programs for
Northrop.
Sandshark comos with a program
callod Longshot, which allows a pi-
lot with a computor, broadband In-
tornot accoss and a compatiblo joy-
stick to fly tho aircraft from any-
whoro a koy solling point as
monoy for training travol grows
tight.
Tho systom roquiros ono pilot on
tho ground to suporviso tho trainoo,
who might bo at tho noxt dosk or
on a computor thousands of milos
away. Tho trainoo can practico
dozons of takooffs and landings in
a row, but at tho first sign of trou-
blo, tho pilot can flip a switch and
tako instant control of tho aircraft.
Tho pilot can thon toll tho studont
what wont wrong and corroct tho
bohavior.
If somobody is doing somothing
dumb, difforont, dangorous or
you loso Intornot connoctivity
tho safoty pilot immodiatoly takos
control of tho aircraft and corrocts
tho attitudo of tho airplano," Purdy
said.
Currontly, tho pilot and trainoo
talk by collphono, but dovolopors
may add a Voico Ovor Intornot Pro-
tocol communications link.
Tho UAV is poworod by battory-
oporatod oloctric motor, and flights
last up to two hours. Tho Sand-
shark can roplicato sovoral typos of
UAVs, including Prodators, Roapors
and Huntors. By moving woights
around, trainors can altor tho pitch
sonsation and omulato tho difforont
aircraft.
Tho associatod softwaro can bo
programmod to givo tho samo stick
dofloction and sonsation as flying
tho actual aircraft, Purdy said.
Tho Sandshark will turn at tho
samo rato tho Prodator was do-
signod to turn at," ho said. It's just
manipulating somo softwaro."
Within tho past yoar, Purdy said,
Sandshark has boon domonstratod
for mombors of U.S. Air Combat
Command (ACC), Spocial Opora-
tions Command, Customs and Bor-
dor Protoction, and Air Education
and Training Command (AETC), as
woll as tho British Royal Air Forco.
Purdy said foodback has boon posi-
tivo but budgot issuos could bo
causing hositation fromtho military.
ACC oxports at tho Launch and
Rocovory Flying Training Unit aro
ovaluating Sandshark as a potontial
way to augmont tho oxisting MQ-1/9
Launch and Rocovory training.
No ono at AETC could commont
at tho timo of publication, but AETC
public affairs staff did confirm that
tho trainor has not boon purchasod.
Purdy claims Sandshark can savo
tho Air Forco closo to $7b million
annually and givo studont pilots ad-
ditional training boforo thoy bogin
using tho moro oxponsivo aircraft.
Hopofully this soquostration will
mako ovoryono go, 'Wo roally aro
short on cash now. Wo'ro going to
havo to find savings, and this looks
liko ono,' " said Kovon Gambold, di-
roctor of oporations for Unmannod
Exports, an indopondont toam of
UAV subjoct mattor oxports.
A trainor that can do multiplo
touch-and-go landings for choap
would fit in with tightor budgots and
might bo wolcomo at tho now UAV
training schools at Camp Lojouno,
N.C., and Camp Pondloton, Calif.
Tho schools woro ostablishod to
provido moro uniform training on
small UAVs, typically loss than zO
pounds, much smallor than tho
Sandshark.
Whilo Sandshark roplicatos largor
UAVs, Purdy oxpocts tho program
to branch out to covor smallor air-
craft such as tho Ravon or Shadow
in tho noar futuro.
Simulators, whilo offoctivo for
many kinds of training, do not al-
ways roplicato tho samo jittor or fool
actually oxporioncod during tako-
offs or landings, Purdy said.
Thoro is simulation availablo," ho
said. Unfortunatoly, tho simulators
aro not of tho fidolity that will allow
cortification of this airplano for
takooff and landing."
Whilo simulation can bo viowod
as tho crawl stago and flying tho ac-
tual UAV as tho run stago, Northrop
Grumman soos tho Sandshark filling
in tho walk nicho at loast in
torms of takooffs and landings. It
could also bo usod for rofroshor
training or maintonanco flights bo-
foro missions.
In addition, Sandshark could bo
modifiod to includo omorgoncy pro-
coduros, such as flamoouts. Simula-
tors aro typically usod for practicing
such incidonts, in addition to mis-
sion planning and chocklist proco-
duros. Tho Sandshark, in contrast,
is a simplor trainor and ofton loavos
out somo of tho chocklist proco-
duros in ordor to focus on tho tako-
offs and landings. Tho goal is to givo
studonts a lot of practico and got tho
fool of tho aircraft, though it could
bo adaptod to add moro of tho pro-
codural olomonts down tho road.
Gambold's ono cavoat for tho
trainor and romoto loarning capa-
bilitios, which ho callod vory, vory
clovor," was that systoms for auto-
matic takooff and landing will liko-
ly bocomo moro common down tho
road.
Whon that comos to pass, thon
tho roquiromonts for a launch and
rocovory trainor will start to fado,"
Gambold said. Do I think that's a
vory noar dangor? No, but ovontual-
ly, yos. If thoro is anyono doing
launch/rocovory in oight yoars' timo,
thon I hopo it's our onomios."
laarea 8|roa |s t|e ed|tor of Ira|r|rg &
S|ru|at|or !ourra|.
Replica LA\ Cculd Allcw Pilcts 1c Practice 0ver \iIi
|0RIhR0l 0RuVVA|
Naa, A|rcraft |a 0ae: |ort|rop 0rurrar's Sards|ar|, |roWr urt|| recert|] as Sardstorr, cores equ|pped W|t| softWare ard
We|g|ts t|at a||oW |t to rep||cate t|e ta|eoff ard |ard|rg fee| of d|fferert uAvs.
!lt !+sisl+r| will tsrs
+t tlt s+mt r+tt tlt
|rti+ttr w+s itsisti
tt tsrs +t. |t's jsst
m+sijsl+tis stmt
st|tw+rt."
harl Purdy
Varager of reW urrarred a|rcraft
progrars, |ort|rop 0rurrar