Industry Interview: AAI Corporation
SOTECH 2011 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 (April)
Steve Flach
Division Vice President - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
AAI Corporation
Steve Flach is the division vice president for small unmanned aircraft systems at AAI Corp. Flach is currently responsible for development, production and fielding of Aerosonde and Orbiter product lines, as well as management of the Aerosonde Pty division in Melbourne, Australia. Flach was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has attended the Air Force Institute of Technology for program management certification and completed the leadership development program at the Center for Creative Leadership in La Jolla, Calif.
Q: Do you see a continuation of the trend toward increasing use of unmanned aerial systems, so that many missions can be performed without using manned platforms flown by pilots at risk?
A: We see an increasing trend based on a number of factors. The first is the fact that multiple payloads are now available for the size, weight and power of an Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system [UAS]. These advancements are enabling new payloads to enter the marketspace, and payload technology is advancing beyond the typical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] type missions.
New technology is moving toward signals intelligence, communications relays, small aperture radars and multiple payloads on single airframes. We also are seeing technology moving in the direction of optionally-piloted vehicles, where you enable unmanned operation but leave the cockpit in place in the event you want to put a human in the seat. Up to recently we have been teaming manned aircraft with unmanned assets to increase mission success. While the manned/ unmanned teaming approach continues, the focus includes moving toward an unmanned capability on standard helicopters and airframes.
Q: What new systems are being mounted on unmanned platforms?
A: We are primarily seeing a trend toward multiple payloads mounted on our unmanned systems. The capability that you are bringing to bear on these platforms evolves very quickly. Every two years you see new technology.
Q: What are your primary products?
A: Our main product in the unmanned marketplace has been the Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System for some time now. Shadow is a system that has proved itself in the field with distinction and continues to fill a critical mission role. In the category of small unmanned aircraft we have the Aerosonde UAS, which includes the aircraft, ground control station and the launch and recovery trailer. We also offer Orbiter, a smaller product in this segment that stems from a teaming arrangement with Aeronautics, an Israeli company. Orbiter is a small, electrically powered system that only takes essentially three man-portable backpacks to achieve a fully deployed system.
Q: How do your products aid the warfighter?
A: At this point, we support their ISR and communications relay missions with our small UAS. We have two configurations of the Aerosonde aircraft today: one with the standard ISR package and another with a radio relay. Before the end of the year we will demonstrate a system with both capabilities on a single aircraft, which is the trend we are moving toward. The beauty of the Aerosonde, and one of the ways it truly benefits the warfighter, is its open architecture. Aerosonde is easily reconfigured to allow multiple payloads or a change in payload. It also has a very small footprint in terms of personnel and equipment that can be operated with three to four people. Aerosonde is very expeditionary, as the equipment is contained in a HMMWV and one HMMWV trailer. From a shipboard standpoint Aerosonde has been integrated onto the M-80 Stiletto with no ship alterations. Considering Stiletto’s small size, if we can integrate on that platform we can integrate on any ship.
The other way we directly benefit the warfighter is efficiency and affordability. The Aerosonde UAS is providing many more hours on target than the competition for the same price. We conduct operations with our existing services contracts and we have continued to provide an efficient and operational effectiveness capability that is unmatched in unmanned or manned platforms.
Q: What new products are you developing, and what platforms would they be mounted on?
A: We are constantly developing new payload capability to be integrated on all of our platforms. Our newest platform will be arriving in the marketplace in the near term—a heavy fuel engine variant of the Aerosonde UAS that will include the multiple payload capability. This multi-functional payload on a single aircraft is enabled by providing more propulsion, both horsepower and electrical power, while providing the heavy fuel UAS some of our customers require.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: In cases where we are providing UAS as a service, we continually hear that we are doing more than just flying an aircraft for our customers. Our folks engage directly with the customer to ensure the system provides the greatest value and benefit without putting additional burden on our customer during the mission. Rather than just going out to fly the aircraft, we take the time to understand the context and requirements of the mission. Customers have recognized they can get a service contractor who is just going to fly the aircraft and steer the payload, but these contractors need to be told where to steer the payload or what to look for. Our experienced operators are more mission-oriented in providing an actionable intelligence picture by tracking or identifying points of interest or targets in a real-time fashion. ♦