SOTECH 2009 Volume: 7 Issue: 7 (September)

With sadness, KMI Media Group announces the passing of our friend and co-worker, Copy Editor Diana L. McGonigle, who died August 15. A skilled editor with a fierce dedication to accuracy and timeliness, Diana had been a valued member of the KMI team since 2005. She will be missed.

Camcopter

When Schiebel’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Camcopter S-100 recently took to the air at the Paris Air Show, it was the first unmanned aerial system to do so at the event.

The VTOL capability eliminates the need for a prepared area or additional launch and recovery equipment. It navigates via preprogrammed GPS waypoints, or can be operated manually through a simple, yet highly stable, flight control system. The S-100, like its predecessor, is capable of landing on helicopter deck-equipped ships without the use of additional landing equipment. The fuselage is a carbon fiber monocoque providing maximum capacity for a wide range of payload/endurance combinations. In a standard configuration, the AV is capable of carrying a 55-pound payload for up to six hours.

Dagmar Leitgeb: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ITV and LSV

The internally transportable vehicle (ITV) and the Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) were fielded to the U.S. Marine Corps’ 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment in preparation for its deployment with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The LSV, specifically designed to fly internally in the MV-22 and CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and the CH-53 and MH-47 aircraft, is used in a variety of operations such as reconnaissance, raids, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, and airfield seizures in support of over-the-horizon amphibious operations, irregular warfare and enhanced company operations.

The LSV provides the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander with a vertically transportable, high mobility, weapons-capable platform. It can carry enough fuel, water, ammunition and food for a 3-day mission, while safely transporting a crew of four. The LSV can be equipped with an M2 .50-cal., MK-19 or MK-240G machine gun, further enhancing the unit’s mission performance and survivability.

As the third leg of the USMC’s triad of land-based fire support for expeditionary operations, EFSS is the primary close-in fire support system for vertical element of the ship-to-objective maneuver force, providing expanded fires support to amphibious and expeditionary operations. The system is composed of a pair of prime mover vehicles, the 120 mm M327 rifled mortar weapon, a new family of 120 mm insensitive munition rifled ammunition and ammunition trailer.

UAS Payload Thermal Management

SprayCool, a developer of advanced thermal management solutions for the DoD and industrial customers, announced today that its liquid cooled enclosures were included in the first test flight of Northrop Grumman Corp.’s airborne signals intelligence payload (ASIP) aboard a Block 30 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system. One of the most significant new capabilities on Global Hawk is the addition of a Northrop Grummandeveloped signals intelligence sensor. SprayCool enables ASIP’s critical electronics to be installed in the unpressurized compartments of the Global Hawk UAS.

The recently completed flight test of an ASIP sensor on the U-2 aircraft verified the successful application of SprayCool technology in a high altitude environment. Global Hawk testing further supports the use of this technology on a high-altitude, long-endurance platform. A series of flight tests are planned over the next few months to validate all aspects of ASIP performance on Global Hawk. An initial production contract on Global Hawk ASIP chassis was awarded to SprayCool in the summer of 2008. SprayCool is also on contract to provide SprayCool chassis for a scaled derivative of the baseline ASIP sensor, which will fly on another platform.

“SprayCool technology enables ASIP to use commercial off-the-shelf electronics alongside very high-end electronic systems in a single sealed enclosure,” said Matt Gerber, president and chief executive officer of SprayCool. “Unpressurized operation at high altitude requires a thermal management solution that supports both heating and cooling of electronics, as well as provides complete environmental isolation. SprayCool’s chassis does all that, and more.”

Marie Hartis: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Special Operations Forces Support Activity (SOFSA) is a 10-year program that provides comprehensive logistics support services for virtually any item unique to the SOF. USSOCOM issued the FPR request in early June.

“Our team has brought together tremendous capabilities from across the Boeing enterprise and our industry partners to support the SOF warrior, and we continue to demonstrate our ability to manage complex programs,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president, Boeing Global Services & Support. “We have put together a solution for the customer that meets all requirements.”

Boeing and its SOFSA teammates, Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) and K-2 Solutions, have proven leadership in logistics support services, including experience in maintenance and repairs, supply chain and asset management, and information technology.

Boeing already provides USSOCOM with the majority of its rotary wing fleet, including the MH-47G Chinook, AH-6 Little Bird, CV-22 Osprey and A-160 Hummingbird platforms. CSC provides experience supporting the warfighter on the ground and through logistics systems. It has world-class business systems and is the logistics information system provider for the U.S. Army. K-2 Solutions brings extensive experience in SOF logistics and operations.

UAV Mission Computers

Parvus Corp. has announced the successful first flight of the Aurora common mission computer (ACMC) units onboard the Excalibur—a new tactical unmanned combat air vehicle designed to combine high speed and vertical flight using unique turbine hybrid electric propulsion.

The ACMC is part of Aurora common avionics components, and the Excalibur flew with two units. Jean-Marie Bourven, Aurora ACMC product manager, reported that “the ACMC key considerations were to use industry standards to support long-term system evolution and reliability.”

The ACMC computer is a small-form factor rugged computing system based on Parvus’ COTS DuraCOR 820 subsystem, designed to accommodate the environmental and physical requirements of Aurora’s airborne vehicles. The computing architecture for this Parvus subsystem is based on a low-power mobile Pentium CPU, solid state memory, Linux operating system, military-grade power supply, and various peripheral and network inputs.

“Parvus has a long history of successfully supplying key military contractors, such as Aurora, with advanced MIL-grade commercial off-the- shelf computing solutions tailored to specific UAV platforms,” said Les Goodman, president of Parvus Corp. Excalibur is the third program from Aurora to use the ACMC units from Parvus. Aurora’s other tactical systems operating with these customized systems include GoldenEye 80. ♦

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