As drone technology becomes more advanced, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will increasingly be used to perform a wide range of critical missions in which manned flights are dangerous or impractical, according to experts at IDEX.<\/p>\n
A wide range of UAVs are on display at IDEX, ranging from small, man-portable, rotary-wing variants designed to be carried by on-the-ground tactical units, to larger, weaponised versions that currently patrol and carry out frequent strikes in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other active combat zones.<\/p>\n
Among the companies displaying drones at IDEX is Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary which produces light-weight UAV\u2019s, one of which, the ScanEagle has the ability to fly unnoticed over targets for up to 24 hours at altitudes at almost 6,000 metres, depending on payloads.<\/p>\n
Since first seeing active service over the skies of Iraq in 2004, ScanEagles have accumulated almost a million flight hours, many of them over active battlefields worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it really enabled the operator is a new picture of the battle space. They were better able to understand enemy combatant movements, and they were better able to take control of that battle space,\u201d said Mark Bauman, Associate VP of Insitu Defense.<\/p>\n
The drone\u2019s main benefit, Bauman said, was that it allowed troops \u201censure the safety and security\u201d of their forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a game charger to have eyes in the sky keeping watch over those forces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The alternative, Bauman noted, would have been to put a manned asset – such as a helicopter – in harm\u2019s way, or to rely solely on the capabilities of those on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s only a two-dimensional view, versus getting overhead and obtaining that three-dimensional view,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Insitu\u2019s airframes take off with the assistance of a catapult-like pneumatic launcher, and are recovered using a hook and cable – meaning they can be installed in remote areas where runways aren\u2019t available, or even on moving ships.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a runway independent system that allows for a quick-setup…you can launch, recover and tow everything with a pickup truck, and that\u2019s a pretty innovative concept,\u201d Bauman noted. \u201cThere\u2019s a requirement for this type of capability in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Thomas Jones of S-Plane Automation – a South African company that specialises in turning manned aircraft into \u201coptionally-manned\u201d or unmanned versions – noted that in the future the world will likely see unmanned vehicles take over in a wide variety of missions in which it would\u2019t be suitable, or safe, for a pilot to fly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s safe to do that, and you can do so without any loss of life,\u201d he noted. \u201cAdditionally, automation gives an added value to an (aerial) system. If you take out to pilots, that can be replaced with a full payload.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unmanned systems, Professor Jones added, can be put to a variety of \u201cpara-military\u201d uses in which an aircraft may require the ability to remain airborne for amounts of time that would be impossible if pilots were sitting in a cockpit, for sometimes upwards of 20 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnmanned systems could be useful for providing security at an event, for example, or for border security missions,\u201d he said. \u201cAnything that is dull, dirty or dangerous, but in which you need the ability to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bernd Debusmann Jr. (Chief Reporter)<\/p>\n
EDJ 80 target drone display at the Etimad Holdings Pavillion during Opening of International Defense Exhibition and Conference held at ADNEC Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi, February 19,2017.- Picture by Ryan Lim<\/strong><\/p>\n