unmanned vehicles millitary

8/2/2019 Unmanned Vehicles Millitary

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Unmanned vehicles represent the new cornerstone of themilitary. The U.S. Armys Future Combat Systems (FCS)augmented its latest manned ground vehicles (MGVs) withan array of unmanned air and ground vehicles. The U.S. AirForce and Navy also have a number of unmanned vehicles inthe works and deployed around the world.

Because of their lower cost, these vehicles are quickly find-ing their way into every military organization on the planet.The U.S. Army expects 15 brigades to be equipped with com-plete FCS vehicles by 2030.

The U.S. Air Force uses Northrop Grummans Global Hawksurveillance aircraft to provide high-resolution synthetic aper-ture radar (SAR) images with 1.0/0.3-m resolution (WAS/Spot) (Fig. 1). It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles ina day, with a maximum endurance of 35 hours. Powered by anAllison Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine, it also has a

ceiling of 65,000 ft. The 32,250-lb unmanned aircraft featuresa 130.9-ft wingspan and a payload of 3000 lb as well.Some of the rugged subsystems within the Global Hawk

come f rom Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Comput-ing, including the Integrated Mission Management Computer(IMMC) and Sensor Management Unit (SMU). An IPv6 Giga-bit Ethernet network provides the communication between

various modules.As with most remote-control vehicles, the Global Hawk

utilizes wireless communication. Consequently, pilots can belocated on the other side of the planet. Removing the pilot fromthe aircrafts equation requires additional hardware, but it elimi-nates an even greater amount of hardware needed to support a

human occupant.Th e MQ -1 Predat or (Fig. 2) and the MQ-9 Reaper

(Predator-B) are medium- to high-altitude, long-enduranceunmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that pack a punch. In addi-tion to surveillance chores, they can be armed with a range ofpayloads including the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomband the AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles.

The 432d Air Wing from Creech Air Force Base (AFB),located near Indian Springs, Nev., is the first wing thats totallydedicated to operating the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper.

The U.S. Air Force UAV Battlelab flight test and developmentfacility at Creech AFB is dedicated to developing UAVs. Itsone of six original Air Force battlelabs operated under the Air

Warfare Center.The Predator, smaller than the Global Hawk with its 66-ft

wingspan, can carry smart bombs in addition to heavy sensorpackages up to 1.5 tons on external hard points. Though notas fleet as an F-16, the Predators endurance of 14+ hoursputs it in high demand on the battlefield.

As with the Global Hawk, Predator crew size isnt limitedsince it operates at a remote site. Shifts of pilots and operatorscan handle a single vehicle, and work on unmanned vehiclesin general is moving toward a single pilot controlling multiple,semi-autonomous vehicles at once.

This can also allow specialists to quickly move between

input sources by simply clicking on the appropriate window oftheir command console. Having a team available means pilots

Bill WOng

EmbEddEd/SyStEmS/SoftwarE [email protected]

fe a t u r e

Designed for carrier-based launch and recovery

and scheduled for deployment by 2011, the X-47B

UCAS is just one part of the growing arsenal of

unmanned military vehicles. Its designed for

intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and

time-sensitive targeting/strike missions. (courtesy ofNorthrop Grumman Corp.)


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and operators can be fresh even when the vehicle has been in theair for half a day.

Youre in The ArmY now

The air may be great for junior birdmen, but plenty of unmannedvehicles roam down on the ground, too. Theres even a range ofsmall unmanned ground vehicles (SUGVs) like the Dragon Run-ner from Foster-Miller (Fig. 3) or iRobots PackBot (see Real-World Robotics: An Appetite For Construction atwww.electronicde-sign.com,ED Online 8076).

Standing only 5 in. tall, the Dragon Runner will give the Ener-gizer Bunny a run for its batteries. Its designed to operate even afterbeing tossed through a window two or three flights up, over a wall, ordown a flight of stairs. This lets operators place the robot close to itstarget before it proceeds under its own power. For great video of the

Dragon Runner in action, go to www.automatika.com/downloads/DR_Tough_Cookie.avi.

Foster-Millers 350-lb Modular Advanced Armed Robotic Sys-tem (MAARS) is the follow-up to the popular Talon and Talon-based Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance DetectionSystem (SWORDS). These platforms address a range of applica-tions, from explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) to offensive capa-bilities like the Predator, albeit with bullets instead of missiles.

Land-based vehicles tend to have more challenges than air-or water-based vehicles because terrain and obstacles are majorissues. Aircraft often die when they hit obstacles. Underwater

vehicles operate in a similar open environment, but at slowerspeeds. Likewise, surface water vehicles function in a relatively

open 2D environment.

underwATer ChAllenges

The U.S. Navy is fol lowing a s imilar trend of large and smallremote-controlled underwater vehicles. For example, BostonEngineering and the Franklin Olin College of Engineering areteaming together under a U.S. Navy grant to create GhostSwim-mer, which will use Boston Engineerings FlexStack. The Flex-Stack computer is about the size of a coffee cup.

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) tend to be more chal-lenging because of power issues. Nonetheless, a variety of com-mercial and military solutions is out there. Autonomous under-water vehicles (AUVs) such as the Bluefin Robotics deep-water

Bluefin-21 BPAUV(Fig. 4) and Hydroids Remus 100 oftenfollow the design of torpedoes or submarines and utilize con-ventional propellers for propulsion (see Robobusiness 2007, EDOnline 15723).

The Bluefin-21 BPAUV can operate for 18 hours at 3 knots.Its 455-KHz sidescan sonar can cover widths up to 150 m with a7.5- by 10-cm resolution. The BPAUV also can operate at depthsup to 200 m. Its self-contained navigational systems dont requireacoustic beacons for positioning. The Bluefin-21s battery mod-ules can be changed in under 2 hours, providing a fast turnaroundtime. Possible uses include mine detection.

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2. The 432d Air Wing from Creech Air Force Base

in Nevada operates the medium- to high-altitude,

long-endurance MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9

Reaper (Predator-B).

1. Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded

Computings rugged Integrated Mission

Management Computer (IMMC) can be found

inside Northrop Grummans Global Hawk.

3. Designed to run upside down, Foster-

Millers Dragon Runner can be thrown into

an environment before operating by remote

control.

4. Bluefin Robotics Bluefin-21 BPAUV is an

autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle.

5. The inflatable Protector from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems can operate autonomously or

under remote control.


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B

The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Protector operates atopthe waves (Fig. 5). It can run autonomously or be remotely con-

trolled. It has been used for a range of missions, including anti-ter-ror force protection (AT/FP), intelligence, surveillance, and recon-naissance (ISR), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarinewarfare (ASW), and anti-mine warfare (AMW). It can be used forlong-range standoff surveillance or to patrol naval vessels.

The highly maneuverable, 30-ft Protector is based on a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. It has a low profile for a stealthy visual and

radar footprint. A diesel engine drives water jets, giving the Protec-tor a top speed of 40 knots. It can sport a range of devices, including

a Mini-Typhoon stabilized machine gun. On-mount cameras allowday and night operation. Navigation can take advantage of GPS andinertial navigation system (INS) support. The Protector can also uti-lize radar, forward-looking infrared (FLIR), and laser range finders.

unmAnned ChAllenges

Lighter, cheaper, more compact designs are definite advantages tounmanned vehicles, as is removing the human component f romharms way. Most unmanned vehicles carry heavy pricetags, butthese robotic vehicles are more disposable than their mannedcounterparts, allowing for their use in more dangerous situations.

Not all is rosy when it comes to unmanned systems, though.Issues of response time, field reliability, bandwidth, and even

congestion of frequencies used to control vehicles arise in the realworld. Response time is something any multiplayer gamer willrecognize. Lag, the delay between tapping a control and a visualresponse, is often part of a game, but it can mean running a robotoff a cliff or stopping in time. Anticipation helps, but real-worldconditions can work against a reasonable response.

Bandwidth will be an issue with any wireless solution and evensome wired solutions. The Packbot from iRobot has an option todeploy a fiber-optic cable behind itself, which provides plenty ofbandwidth, though wireless solutions have to contend with otherdevices or robots. Various schemes can be employed to improvebandwidth utilization, yet sorties may still need to be scheduled iffull utilization would exceed the communication limits.

And there are plenty of reasons to want more bandwidth. Oneis vision fidelity. More cameras and sensors can improve situ-ational awareness for pilots and operators. They also allow moreinformation to be sent back instead of being stored in the vehicle.In many instances, data must be stored in the vehicle because thebandwidth required to transmit it is simply too great.

Bandwidth and reliability are two reasons why the U.S. Navy islooking at multi-antenna multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)

wireless technology f rom Silvus (Fig. 6). The technology is now

being tested at Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Com-mand, as reliable communication is critical to remote operation.

8. Act/Technicos RAIDStor RAID system provides

conduction-cooled storage for the SAFE OPS test

vehicle.

6. The multi-antenna MIMO wireless

technology developed by Silvus is being tested

at SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) prior

to incorporation into unmanned vehicles.

7. Mercury Computers PowerBlock is

a conduction-cooled platform that can

house a range of computational platforms,

including the IBM Cell processor.

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Other challenges include power and cooling. Most unmannedvehicles operate in rugged environments, requir ing electronicsto be sealed. This tends to wreak havoc on electronics that liketo generate lots of heat, so low-power operation and low-powerdevices are always desirable.

Cooling often remains an issue, even with low-power approach-es. Mercury Computers PowerBlock highlights the trend towardscompact, rugged platforms (Fig. 7). Its literally a black box thatcan house anything from a multicore PowerPC to a Cell proces-sor (see CELL Processor Gets Ready To Entertain The Masses, EDOnline 9748).

Used in the SAFE OPS test vehicle, Act/Technicos RAIDstoremploys conduction cooling (Fig. 8). It provides network booting formultiple single-board computers as well as data-recording storage.Often, though, conduction cooling isnt enough. This is wherealternatives such as liquid cooling come into play.

SprayCool uses a two-phase liquid-cooling solution. The trickis that SprayCools technology can work with air- or conduction-cooled boards with minimal modification. SprayCools enclosuresare sealed while providing high levels of cooling.

FPGAs can keep things cool by doing more in parallel whilerunning at slower speeds than todays quad-core power consumers,but they need to run in a rugged environment. Actels ProASIC3/EL FPGAs meet this challenge, running at more than 250 MHzat 125C. The companys Flash*Freeze mode lets them switchfrom low-power mode to full operation in less than 1 s. TheA3PE600Ls static power consumption is only 0.55 mW at 25C.

AuTonomous ChAllenges

Remote-control vehicles dominate military applications becauseof their reliability. Keeping a human in the loop can be important,because making critical decisions with limited or contradictoryinformation is still best done by people.

This works well with remote-control vehic les as long as com-munication can be maintained reliably. Unfortunately, reliable com-munications isnt always possible. It may not even be desirable insome instances, since it could potentially give away the position ofthe robot or its controller.

The current state of autonomous affairs is highlighted by com-petitions like DARPAs Grand Challenge and its recent UrbanChallenge, where teams built autos that faced demanding courseswithout any drivers at all (see Autonomous Vehicles Tackle The UrbanJungle, ED Online 13115).

Fully autonomous military vehicles with limited intelligence likecruise missiles are used already. But applications such as groundvehicles require greater intell igence due to the more complexenvironment and conditions. A flying cruise missile always endsin destruction, which isnt a desirable characteristic for groundvehicles designed to deliver supplies.

Still, a semi-autonomous mode is of ten attainable. In semi-autonomous mode, a robot vehicle will be given a simple commandsuch as fly a particular route and notify the pilot or operator if thesensors detect something interesting. Likewise, having a vehiclefollow a person or another vehicle is a comparatively easy task.

Be they large or small, airborne or aquatic, unmanned vehicleswill continue to improve and be deployed more heavily in the future.

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TEL 310.326.4700 FAX 310.326.3311 WW.PELICAN.COM/E DAll trademarks and logos displayed herein are registered andunregistered trademarks of Pelican Products, Inc. and others.

For answers to all your OEM questions,go to www.pelicanoem.com/ed

ONE CASE, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

Your equipment demands the best protection.

In a Pelican Protector Case, your sensitive

electronic unit will be safe from harsh handling

and extreme environments. Its watertight, dust

proof, and chemical resistant. Plus, there are 41

sizes in the line.


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unmanned vehicles millitary

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