Author: Tony Murfin

Unmanned systems updates

Have you been to the gas station this week?

The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, along with the unrest in various universities across the United States in support of Gaza Palestinians, and the continued aggression by the Houthi rebels in Yemen against shipping, are impacting several aspects of our lives, including the rising cost of gasoline.

Since the United States began seeking out Houthi strongholds, it is now being reported that another MQ-9 Reaper drone has been shot down – making an apparent total of five such expensive U.S. UAVs lost over and around Yemen, according to US military reports.

Screenshot of a Houthi-released video of the downing of the MQ-9 Reaper drone (Photo: UAS Vision)

At $30 million each, compared to about $2 million for a surface-to-air missile, the Houthis are apparently ahead on cost. With a 50,000 ft ceiling, the Reaper is capable of avoiding short-range surface-to-air missiles. However, more visual or infra-red (IR) low-level detail may have been sought on this mission. In response, the U.S. military reported the downing of five Houthi UAVs over the Red Sea.

According to a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report, Iran is supplying the Houthis with attack UAVs and longer-range missiles, which are often, if not always, re-assembled, repainted and re-named locally. The DIA said that one of the favorite Kamikaze UAVs used is the Iranian Shahed-136/Houthi Waid-2, which is reported to have a range of almost 1,600 miles. Neither side has yet acknowledged which drones were brought down by the United States.

Shahed-136 (Photo: bbsferrari / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images)

However, around the same time, it was reported that perhaps two Houthi missiles hit the MV Andromeda Star oil tanker with reportedly little damage — no casualties were reported on the ship as it continued towards its destination Vadinar, India. Another ship, the MV Maisha, avoided a third missile. The missile landed nearby in the water, but the vessel put some distance between itself and the MV Andromeda, continuing safely.
The US/UK forces operating in the Red Sea have countered the more than 100 Houthi attacks on shipping with several airborne strikes on Houthi facilities. This renewed Houthi action over the weekend is thought to have been possible because they were restocked with weapons following the US/UK airstrikes, which slowed their attacks on shipping.

Hence the renewed threat to oil tanker traffic in the Red Sea has raised the already high threat level, and increased oil and gas prices at the pump are one of the consequences.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has bought 10 additional Chinese Caihong-4, which reportedly look and perform very similarly to the MQ-9 Reaper.

Caihong-4 looks very similar to the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
(Photo: OE Data Integration Network (ODIN))

The CH-4 can be used for both attack and reconnaissance. It features a flight endurance of 30 to 40 hours, a range of 2,200 to 3,100 miles and can carry up to six weapons.

This brings Pakistan’s complement to 20 CH-4 UAVs. The new purchase may be to offset India’s purchase of 31 General Atomics MQ-9s, which is included in a huge, recently approved $3.99 billion weapons purchase from the United States. The two countries continue to feud over the contested Kashmir region.

AeroVironment (AV) has developed an add-on for fielded Puma class hand-launched reconnaissance UAVs, which brings autonomy and machine-learning to a worldwide, mostly military fleet of thousands of air vehicles. Referred to as the Autonomy Retrofit Kit (ARK), with AVACORE software, the new update allows operators to command and control one or more vehicles autonomously. This provides computer vision capabilities and enables connection to a distributed, mobile comms network to access data for several separated operating groups.

ARK retrofit kit for Puma 3AE and LE UAVs (Photo: AV)

According to AV, autonomous operating tasking is possible when communications are jammed and the UAV is then still able to execute its mission without manual input. Updated computer vision allows finding, classifying, positioning and daylight or nighttime tracking of objects such as people, vehicles, aircraft and ships. AVACORE includes several software interfaces for different autopilots, sensors and radios to provide integration flexibility.

A neat way to provide significantly enhanced capability for already fielded airborne vehicles when they have some downtime.

Finally, we have a short introduction to a new transport UAV being put together by a California company called MightyFly. The company is led by a woman who was highly instrumental in the success of the flight controls for the Zipline UAV, which is still blazing drone delivery trails overseas and now in North America — with more than one million deliveries. With advisory input from a retired FedEx exec, the team at MightyFly seems well on their way with both a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Part 135 application and a 20 mile ‘point-to-point’ flight corridor approval for test flights.

Cento gen 3 cargo drone (Photo: MightyFly)

The MF-100 prototype made its first flight and demonstration delivery in April 2021, while the third-generation Cento flew for the first time in December 2022. Cento has a 6’ x 1’ x 1’ cargo hold that can accommodate 96 small USPS packages, weighing up to 100lb and Cento and later models are expected to have a range of 600 miles at up to 150 mph. While their UAVs are currently all-electric, the plan is to add a gas/rotary engine to charge batteries to achieve this forecast range for the drone.

MightyFly has significant support from the U.S. Air Force Agility Prime program and the Air Mobility Command, who continue to invest in autonomous cargo developments as an alternative to leasing helicopters to transport parts, medical supplies and more. MightyFly came up with an auto-loading capability, which resolves the issue of a potentially changing weight and balance of a last-mile cargo drone.

May 15, 2024
Unmanned news
K1000ULE in flight. (Photo: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace)

There was a lot of press noise in December 2023 about DOD’s Replicator program– which has been interpreted as a project to field thousands of U.S. UAVs to counter a perceived weakness in the face of China’s options for waging UAV war. Then there was a move by the Replicator program office to better explain its approach. It was reported as having at least four concurrent elements:
1. Encourage U.S. industry to conceive and implement ways to overcome the new aspects of conducting war and possibly use more UAVs more often.
2. Let China know that the United States is already on the move to not only keep up with but exceed Chinese capabilities.
3. Overhaul the extremely burdensome and slow existing DOD procurement machine to make large, rapid acquisitions.
4. Invigorate DOD military services to quickly adapt to find ways to use UAVs in multiple offensive and defensive roles.
Presumably, lessons learned in Ukraine — where both sides have been throwing both improvised and specially designed explosive drones at each other — and U.S. Red Sea encounters with Houthi rebels — have helped to frame some of Replicator’s objectives.

Anyone who has labored through a DOD request for proposal (RFP), RFP response, competitive re-bid and maybe even more competitive re-rebid that potentially led to months of questions and waiting leading to an ultimate reward or disappointment can imagine what hoops the procuring agency had to jump through. They can also imagine the time that elapsed from the definition of a requirement to a written firm procurement specification, and approval of a procurement package.

Never mind the allocation of procurement staff, establishing a budget and then processing of possibly multiple responses – this is a complex, arduous and time-consuming task for both industry and the procurement agencies. With help from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), it is anticipated that acquiring and fielding thousands of commercially available autonomous drones will now go quicker.

Imagine the inertia needed to change the way that military services use the materiel they’ve acquired and how difficult it might be to change what is bought and how it is used at the very front end of a war effort. When the opposition chucks many, small, inexpensive, airborne bombs at you and you do not have an immediate answer other than a limited number of multi-million-dollar interceptor missiles, it can be very painful. Matching drones with drones is essential.

Replicator was initially envisaged as a $1 billion program over two years to counter this and other problems for the warfighter.

On March 23, Congress finally passed the FY 24 $825 billion defense spending bill — almost six months late — which contained $200 million for Replicator, and DOD began to scramble to find an additional $300 million for the program’s first year. It should work out as there is money currently unspent from the FY23 budget that DOD has already requested Congress to re-allocate, and there is only a little more than six months left for this fiscal year anyway.

It is rumored that AeroVironment, with its Switchblade 600 semi-autonomous, one-way Kamikaze UAV, may benefit from an early Replicator procurement. With an anti-armor charge, Switchblade weighs about 50 lb and can fly for 24 miles and up to 40 minutes before engaging its target, allowing adequate time for manual intervention.

The U.S. Navy has selected a solar-powered UAV from a California start-up because it is the best demonstrated commercially available option for their Marine Corps scouting group.

The K1000ULE from KHAero in Emeryville, California is a long-range reconnaissance UAV.

With 24-hour flight endurance, extremely quiet and virtually radar-undetectable, the UAV provides the Marines with a suitable scouting tool – almost a launch-and-forget facility for day and night, most weather recon activities. It is also a relatively low workload for a team of only three to five personnel to transport and operate.

With vertical take-off and landing capabilities, the K1000ULE is ideal for covert autonomous operations from unprepared areas that a small squad might secure. The mission equipage includes full-motion video with target identification and classification and a secure communications systems.

With anti-jam, anti-spoofing multi-constellation GNSS, the vehicle can operate reliably in most signal-denied areas. It finds and automatically uses thermal columns to soar up to 20,000 ft and loiter undetected. It is capable of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight, can carry ADS-B for airborne collision avoidance and can be operated in swarms by a single operator when required – quite some UAV!

The Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie Wingman UAV was developed to work with and on-behalf of high-end airborne assets, such as the F-22 and F-35, and is termed an ‘attributable’ adjunct to these ~$90 million fighter/ground-attack aircraft. Autonomous, driven by AI, and stealthy, the jet-powered UAV carries General Aviation electronics, along with other military communications. It is said to cost in the $5 to 10 million range — which makes it somewhat disposable if it is sent into a “tight or risky” location from which its fighter escort should hold back.

With a 3,000 miles range, 45,000 ft ceiling and carrying capacity of up to 1,800 lb of under-wing armaments, the aircraft can be controlled from an accompanying aircraft as a “Loyal Wingman,” or from the ground and be dispatched to carry out an autonomous, independent mission, requiring approval by a person to release weapons.

The XQ-58A was recently flown with two U.S. Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida to demonstrate the capability for electronic attack and to fly alongside these fifth-generation high-end aircraft. The UAV autonomously detected, classified, and positioned multiple simulated targets during the exercise and provided target-tracking information to the F-35s.

The “Loyal Wingman” concept is still being developed and there are other companies, including Boeing Australia, flying competing prototype UAVs.

So, a more mil-spec tone to this month’s UAV updates, nevertheless a short recap of recent interesting unmanned, autonomous aircraft developments.
April 17, 2024
Unmanned aircraft update

Why was there a mix up in Tallahassee, Florida while trying to legislate for eVTOL air taxis and vertiports? Is China catching up on low-observable surveillance drones? And there’s news of an improved indoor UAV inspection system. This all appears to be happening in UAV-land this month.

Not sure what’s cooking in my home State of Florida on approval of anticipated vertiports for use by eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) and existing helicopter-type aircraft. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) published the findings of a state-formed aviation group in 2023 which appear to be pretty reasonable recommendations to ease approval of future vertiports – something seen as a major step forward for the introduction of eVTOL air-taxis in Florida. The Florida House passed Bill HB 981, which incorporated the FDOT findings and sent it to the Florida Senate for approval.

Now, Senator Gayle Harrell has introduced an amendment to the bill for review by the Florida Senate, which seemingly adds unwanted restrictions. So, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released an article criticizing the Senator’s proposed legislation as presenting additional hurdles for eVTOL introduction. AUVSI’s concerns with the Senate version focus on restrictive zoning language, which the Senator’s version has included as follows:

“Ensure that a political subdivision of the state does not exercise its zoning and land use authority to grant or permit an exclusive right to one or more vertiport owners or operators and authorize a political subdivision to use its authority to promote reasonable access to advanced air mobility operators at public use vertiports within the jurisdiction of the subdivision.”

In addition to the AUVSI article, an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) coalition of key industry leaders — including AUVSI and BETA, Eve, Ferrovial, Joby, Lilium, Vertical, and Skyports Infrastructure — sent a letter with critical comments directly to Florida House leaders. AUVSI has been and continues to be supportive of Florida DOT’s AAM plan and recommendations, and has supported the House version of legislation.

AUVSI believes Senator Harrell’s version would have created uncertainty and provided anti-AAM voices with a powerful tool to delay vertiport construction through drawn-out litigation. This language was widely viewed as problematic by both industry and lawmakers with whom AUVSI has collaborated during Florida’s state session.

Fortunately, on March 7th the Florida House refused to concur with the Senate’s amendment. Now, however, the bill appears to be stalled and the Florida Legislature has packed up and gone on vacation for the summer.

As things have progressed, we initially had the B2 ‘Spirit’ Strategic Stealth Bomber, a world first for the USAF and Northrup Grumman who built and fielded the secret, 172 ft wingspan, ‘radar-invisible’, tailless, long-range, defense-penetrating aircraft that has become a legend in its own right. Introduced in 1988, only 21 were produced.

Then we had the 66ft wingspan RQ-170 ‘Wraith’ Stealth-UAV built by Lockheed Martin for USAF/CIA and introduced in 2007. Used in a reconnaissance role, some have hinted that it may have replaced the U-2 spy plane in some roles – nevertheless, it’s a big drone that could imply long-range, high-altitude snooping.

So now enters the Chinese ‘Sky Hawk’, a jet-powered, low-observable drone with only a 23 ft wingspan; which has an uncanny resemblance to both the B2 Spirit and more so the RQ-170 Wraith.

We are told that the design of this UAV has recently undergone significant ‘enhancements’ and that flight testing of the variant has begun. Although smaller than the US RQ-170, the design is intended to enable ‘stealthy’ overflights of other territories. One of the recent additions is a V/UHF communications capability and the potential that brings for in-flight collaboration with fighter aircraft (aka US Loyal Wingman program) and autonomous operations once instructed.

Inspecting areas inside operational facilities can lead to major difficulties for first-hand physical access by maintenance/inspection personnel. Flyability in France has developed a drone that can operate inside a spherical cage encasing the whole vehicle, while still being able to receive radio commands and transmit video and data. Elios 3 is the latest product, which has been used in numerous successful inspection missions and has collected video to verify detailed machine and plant status.

Now a critical area of verification which has been especially difficult to obtain has been added, which enables the measurement of object thickness using Ultrasonic sensing. The Ultrasonic Testing (UT) that the new probe makes possible allows thickness measurement of building walls, pipe walls, corrosion build-up, beams and a whole slew of previously unmeasurable, hidden features that may have gone without full inspection in the past.

Customers of Flyability’s inspection drone in the oil, gas, chemical, and maritime industries have encouraged the addition of thickness measurement for some time, so Flyability hooked up with Cygnus Instruments to develop the UT measurement probe which has now been successfully ‘grafted’ into the Elios 3 drone.

The Flyability drone can enter and explore closed/confined spaces that were previously dangerous and were perhaps almost impossible for people to physically inspect, so the addition of UT capability greatly enhances an already good thing!

So, efforts by Florida to quickly adapt to the coming age of eVTOL, and to Vertiports which will allow people to gain access to air taxis, seems to have come into some sort of conflict with AUVSI – the very proponent for this mode of UAV transportation. We’ll have to see how this is resolved, as it surely will be.

Technology catch-up by the Chinese developer of the Sky Hawk low-observability drone appears to be something to keep an eye on for a while. And meanwhile, new options for an autonomous indoor drone may be something the maintenance/inspection industry has been seeking for some time.

March 20, 2024
Final grounding for Ingenuity?

NASA’s Ingenuity took this picture on Jan. 18, 2024. The sand-dune, rock-less area where Ingenuity last
showing the shadow of its damaged rotor blade. (Image: NASA)

It appears that the little extraterrestrial drone that could has come a cropper on Mars and now will not be flying again – it is permanently grounded. The Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) crew managing Ingenuity was running a regular scouting trip over a featureless sand-dune area on Dec. 22, 2023. Suddenly, the UAV’s visual navigation system malfunctioned, which led to a hard emergency landing.

When the autonomous navigation system did not have any landmarks to match its digital reference map, it reverted to an emergency landing. Maybe the poor guy should have had a few moments to gather its airborne wits and to come down softly, but alas at the same time the connection with the rover was lost, he dove for cover and broke a chunk off at least one of the counter-rotating blades. This now apparently prevents further take-offs. Mars’ atmosphere is only 1% as dense as Earth’s, so those rotors need all their designed lift capabilities to grab enough ‘air’ and get the 4 lb helicopter airborne. The flight control system may be unable to cope with the resulting compromised lift profile. Either way Ingenuity’s flying days are over, according to NASA.

Conceptual design for the Sample Recovery Helicopters
(Image: Aerovironment/ NASA/ JPL)

Ingenuity completed 72 flights over the course of three years, surpassing its original 30-day mission to prove the possibility of a miniature, autonomous helicopter flight on Mars. After its initial four flights, NASA and JPL chose the UAV to scout out safe paths for the Perseverance rover from an airborne perspective.

All is not lost for Ingenuity, however. AeroVironment, the UAV manufacturer that co-developed Ingenuity with NASA/JPL, has been awarded another contract to design and develop two prototype ‘sample-return’ helicopters for NASA’s next major Mars expedition.

Building on Ingenuity’s design, the new UAV will have wheels and a grappling contraption to pick up sample tubes, which could assist in the Mars sample recovery mission. Perseverance is currently expected to be the lead in transferring cached sample tubes to the new Sample Retrieval Lander for return to Earth, but the new helicopters provide a different backup option on Mars for pick-up and transport of the tubes.

Back here on Earth, the latest tragic news from the Middle East — the UAV attack on the US Tower 22 military outpost in Jordan which cost three soldiers their lives and injured at least 34 others — appears to have been due to a lack of defensive capability. Earlier news releases indicated that the kamikaze UAV had arrived at the same time as the expected return of a U.S. UAV from the base, implying that defenses may have been taken down temporarily. It now seems that there was little active defense to prevent the attack.

The attacking UAV reportedly came in very low, and the base was unable to track its approach. The base is said to have defensive signal jamming capabilities, but without radar visibility of the UAV and knowing an attack was in progress, the jammers may have been ineffective or inactive.

Tower 22 was thought of as a low-risk-of-attack U.S. base, perhaps supporting another U.S. base in Syria with logistics, so no active drone suppression system had been provisioned. This assessment, and those for similar bases in the area and around the world, may perhaps have to be revised and sufficient active defenses may need to be installed.

While U.S. and Ukrainian forces deal with attacking drones, Iran has unveiled its latest addition to its arsenal of one-way killer unmanned aircraft.

Image: Iranian Military Media

Iran displayed the Shahed-238 in public in November 2023, so there may have already been enough time to get some of these very fast-flying vehicles through the manufacturing process and begin deliveries to Russia and Iranian proxy agents. The advantage of jet-power is of course significant speed over propeller-driven variants, while the range may be significantly less for the same fuel capacity. The disadvantage for the United States and Ukraine is that most fielded conventional UAV detection radars have difficulty seeing fast targets in time to activate and aim defensive weapons.

The situation for Ukraine and the United States in the Middle East appears to be worsening as large numbers of Iranian-supplied and locally manufactured kamikaze UAVs are pumped into the war zone and ‘hot spots’ in the Middle East.

It is sad that Mars aerial views may be limited as Ingenuity seems to be permanently grounded, and the Middle East doesn’t sound too safe to be hanging around in either! Further escalation of prices might be expected, too, as a good part of the volume of cargo ships settle into sailing around Africa. Let’s look for better news in the coming months.

February 21, 2024
Kamikazi UAVs and X-Wings

A UK judge just jailed a student for building a UAV. How could that be? Well, the 3D-printed UAV built by a guy in his room at home was only part of the story. It turns out that his jailing was perhaps more related to his connection to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and his apparent intent to use this UAV loaded with explosives or a chemical weapon to attack ISIS enemies.

3D-printed drone seized by anti-terror officers and rear access panel (Image: West Midlands CTU/PA)

The experts who analyzed the vehicle stated that it was only partially built and appeared somewhat ‘primitive’ in its construction. It would seem that an explosive charge or chemical weapon would need to be located with its fusing circuitry at the front end of the UAV, and maybe the enclosure was rather an access panel to aid the build process.

It is unclear whether the protruding black item towards the front of the UAV is either a GNSS or communications antenna. This antenna would normally be placed on the upper skin and relatively close to the autopilot or comms radio. It is possible that there is a communications/control signal antenna at the top of the vertical stabilizer. Rudimentary landing gear can be seen aft of the control surfaces of the wing, but the rear propulsion does not appear adequate for the size of the vehicle. Not a bad attempt to create an amateur UAV, but a pretty bad idea for the guy involved to intend it to be a kamikaze, one-way drone for ISIS — he received a 20-year sentence.

Both Russia and Ukraine continue to churn out new models of one-way UAVs, which they enthusiastically hurl at one another. Russia unveiled a new swarm drone known as ‘Product 53’ which apparently has the ability to seek and identify targets autonomously.

With a payload of only 3-5 kg it cannot inflict severe damage on major targets, but the plan is apparently to bombard an area with large numbers of Product 53 controlled as a swarm.

So, Russia’s latest software-driven, sophisticated kamikaze UAV is a far cry from the primitive, partially constructed, 3D-printed UAV which lead a UK court to jail its constructor. Much more was obviously made of his encrypted online contacts with ISIS and his intent to inflict potential death and destruction on behalf of a terrorist group.

On a far brighter note, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project known as Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE), which first went out to industry for proposals back in 2021, has now moved into Phase 3 build and manufacture following a successful Phase 2 Critical Design Review (CDR).

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company subsidiary, has been authorized to begin building a 7000 lb X-wing manned/unmanned aircraft. The aircraft is intended to prove out a design for aerodynamic control without the use of moving surfaces.

Illustration of proposed X-Wing aircraft (Image: DARPA)

Elevators, flaps, slats and rudders on conventional modern aircraft require significant internal hydraulics and/or cabling and actuators throughout the airframe, which add to the complexity, and potential failure modes, aerodynamic drag and weight. Most current UAVs emulate these flight control systems and use external control surfaces.

The DARPA X-Wing aircraft may use compressed air jets or even electrical discharges emitted at critical actuation points along its outer surface to ‘gently push’ the aircraft from its existing path through the airstream, which allows the remote pilot to maneuver the aircraft. Known as Active Flow Control (AFC) this technology has been prototyped to one extent or another in recent years, but this DARPA/Aurora project aims to prove the concept.

For the demonstration aircraft, normal moving control surfaces will be installed and retained. The aircraft will initially be flown using these standard airflow controls to form a baseline for how the aircraft performs. The control surfaces will then be locked down and the aircraft will be flown using AFC, and the performance will be compared to the standard controls baseline.

Understandably, the earlier phases of the project likely worked through the required control systems for the unique X-wing configuration. Aurora may have been well positioned to provide such flight control systems, autopilot and software from its store of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) technology — the basis for the operation of autonomous air vehicles.

Building illicit UAVs intended for terrorism may not be one of the best academic projects to undertake when you’re an ISIS supporter; Russia and Ukraine appear to be in a race to mass produce ever more sophisticated UAVs; and DARPA/Aurora appear to be headed to a relatively heavy prototype air vehicle demonstrating not only X-Wing technology, but also active flight control. Overall, there is a variety of news on UAVs in various configurations and applications.

January 17, 2024
More about eVTOLs

Airbus is working with a team to develop a “hybrid” approach to electric aircraft, which means that their experimental aircraft is not only using electric power — with electric motors and propellors (propulsers), an 800-volt battery, and a hi-voltage distribution and control system. It also has a conventional turbine which supplies torque to a conventional propeller and generates electrical power to maintain charge for the 800-volt battery.

Airbus EchoPulse demo aircraft. (Photo: Airbus/EchoPulse)

The team working with Airbus includes Daher, which has modified its TBM 900 turboprop aircraft to add the electrical system, motors and props supplied by Safran. Airbus has developed the 800-volt battery and the Flight Control System for the aircraft, through which any future autonomous capability would likely be brought about.

The decision to try this ‘hybrid’ approach may have been influenced by Volvo, which is pressing this approach for the Series 90 and 60 of its hybrid Electric Vehicles (EV). Combining recharging by an internal combustion engine with a battery and electric drive system greatly extends the range of this model, greatly reduces its gas consumption, and minimizes the hunt for rare recharging outlets.

It would seem that the principal benefit from the Airbus team development could be the 800-volt DC battery design, and the high voltage distribution/control/recharging system when they are potentially spun off and applied to other manned/unmanned eVTOL passenger aircraft. The basic problem for eVTOL aircraft is payload and range – is that something that a huge energy reservoir such as this battery system could support?

Airbus EchoPulse demo aircraft. (Photo: Airbus/EchoPulse)

Developed by Airbus Defense and Space in Toulouse, France, the 800-volt DC battery system delivers up to 350 kilowatts to the electric system on the aircraft. The battery was derived from earlier versions that were flown on Airbus CityBus eVTOL demonstrator and FlightLab helicopters. The Lithium-ion battery weighs in at 350 kg (772 lbs.) and is mounted in an enclosure of the belly of the EcoPulse demonstration aircraft.

Airbus reportedly plans on taking this high energy-density battery into its commercial aircraft business. But the main market could be for hybrid eVTOL aircraft, which can carry this heavy battery and its control system and to benefit from the massive energy density.

Meanwhile, as the Russian-Ukrainian war drags on with both sides throwing at each other increasing numbers of ‘kamikaze’ UAVs carrying explosives, interest has recently been growing around a 2020 report out of St. Petersburg Electro-technical University in Russia that critiques the Russian air defense system. According to the report, these defenses are poorly adapted to detect or destroy vehicles as small and slow-moving as UAVs.

Ukrainian UAV troops were only recently pictured assembling weaponized drones for their one-way trip to Russian-owned targets.

Photo released by General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

The explosive carriers are frequently simple racing UAVs. In one released photo, an inexpensive quadcopter is taped together with plastic explosives and an RPG warhead using adhesive tape. Nothing has to be very durable, just durable enough to last for its short one-way trip through Russian defenses.

The Russian air defenses rely on several tracked and/or wheeled mobile systems using both guns and missiles. This includes radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles, such as the Pantsir-S1, the Tunguska, the Tor, the Strela-10, and the Igla-S man-portable missiles, all of which are designed to combat high-speed jet aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. At the same time, UAVs are slow and very small in comparison.

Unfortunately, the missiles ‘ poor target detection capability and detonation control systems appear to be the culprits for the inability to strike down UAVs. Tor radar has been seen to only detect at 3-4km (1.8 -2.5 miles), while the minimum operating range is about the same. Thus, misses are reportedly more likely than taking out attacking drones. While the system may be somewhat ineffective, the cost of using missiles is huge.

A Ukrainian UAV recording within close range of a Russian Tor defense system has captured video of a missile hurtling past and failing to bring it down. Similar results have been found with both the Pantsir-S1 and Tunguska defense systems.

For the close-in gun and cannon defense systems, Russian tests demonstrated that to raise the probability of a direct hit to just 50% for an attacking drone at a distance of 1.3 miles, between four to 13 thousand shells would need to be fired. This is significantly more ammunition than one Tor system can fire in one volley without reloading, even at 5,000 rounds/minute of which it is capable.

Ukrainian war strategists continue to acquire thousands of UAVs each month, while its troops continue to throw them against their Russian invaders with improvised explosive payloads. Meanwhile, as of December 2023, Congress is continuing negotiations over another $61.4 billion in funding to further Ukraine’s war efforts, even while President Zelenskyy visited Washington to urge the U.S. to maintain its support.

The problem with this situation is that both sides have learned that UAV warfare’ is simpler, less dangerous for the aggressor, and less costly than regular offensives. Thus, a stalemate might prolong the war for even longer.

So, on the commercial, peaceful side of drone development, the possibility of a hybrid-electric approach for eVTOL passenger-carrying autonomous vehicles is making progress. Nevertheless, as the war continues in Ukraine, could the reduced cost of UAV warfare’ possibly prolong it?

December 19, 2023
Jamming warfare and air taxis

Russian Pole-21 jammer – (Image: Defense Ministry, Russia)

Other than the tracked unit — a truck that appears to be a power generator and has an overall look of complexity — the thing that jumps out at you about the Russian Pole-21 jammer is that it is brisling with a huge number of antennae. The system apparently can jam almost any known communication channel and everything GNSS. It is a bit lumbering to move around, may be difficult to set up, and must be used judicially, because it may jam everything, including the Russian’s own coms and GLONASS navigation systems. So, it may be useful for disabling the enemy, but only when your own soldiers have already established visual contact with their target.

The Russians just parked one of these contraptions in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast (district), which has been the focus of the Ukrainian counteroffensive for the last few months. However, the Ukrainians found it quickly, had time to figure out what to do with it and launched a GPS-guided weapon that destroyed the inoperative Pole-21 jammer. They may have caught the system either before it was fully activated or when it had been intentionally shut down to protect Russian forces. The Pole-21 set up was found during a drone recognizance flight and the system was then taken out by a Ukrainian aircraft — perhaps a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 or Mikoyan MiG-29 — which deployed a U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) to destroy the system. The UAV, the aircraft, and the JDAM all use GPS for guidance, which is perhaps a little ironic. The Ukrainians have reportedly destroyed more than four dozen other Russian jamming systems since the start of the war.

Just in case there might be reprisals, the Ukrainians have developed their own RF system that forms a 600-ft dome over the area/asset that needs protection from UAV attacks. Additionally, Western countries have supplied several jamming systems to the Ukrainian forces for more elaborate, wider range jamming protection.

Ukraine initially shot down low flying, slow Russian UAVs with rifles and large caliber anti-aircraft defense systems; however, as expensive missile systems have become available from the United States and elsewhere, it has become apparent that it is too expensive to use complex missiles to bring down large numbers of inexpensive commercial UAVs. It just does not make sense — too many UAVs and not enough expensive missiles. Ukraine has thrown large numbers of cheap UAVs — some even made from cardboard — in the other direction, at a significant cost for the missiles shot at them by Moscow’s air-defense system.

Counter-UAV (C-UAV) technology must be an alternative, and several suppliers can readily provide affordable production equipment. Tactics range from firing anti-aircraft gun batteries to intercepting drones using nets, or just crashing UAVs into interlopers, or more prevalently using electronic disruption systems — such as the DroneGun Tactical “arm-held” from DroneShield — which jams the control signals and/or GNSS guidance.

A large proportion of “attack-UAVs” are simply modified off-the-shelf commercial vehicles adapted to carry explosives, even existing conventional ordinance — read “bombs”. The UAVs themselves are built with commercial components, which have little resistance to directed jamming frequencies that overpower the RF section of the receiver. Then, there is loss of lock on the coms and/or the very low power GNSS signal — where signal processing stops, and guidance is lost.

Meanwhile, back in our much safer land of commercial aviation, progress toward the emergence of electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxis took a simple step forward, at Tampa International Airport (TPA), Florida.

TPA growth plan of the Tampa airport. (Image: FAA)

TPA is in the midst of a significant growth spurt that began last year with moving the rental car facility off site to make more space and installing a rail link to restore access for renters to the main terminal. Upcoming is a new Airside D set of 16 additional gates, and future provisions for urban air mobility, enabling eVTOL air taxi traffic services in and around the airport to bring passengers directly to the airport from their local catchment areas. Possible locations have been identified for one or two vertiports on the airport grounds, and an airport integration plan appears to be well underway.

Last week, Volocopter, a German company, showed up at TPA with its VeloCity two-seater prototype air taxi to carry out the very first tests of a passenger-carrying UAM vehicle at a major U.S. airport. The Tampa and St. Petersburg mayors were on hand, as were airport management and others from the aviation and transportation industry.

VeloCity prototype in clear skies at Tampa. (Image: courtesy of courtesy BoxAdmin/Beau Zimmer/Velocopter)

Now TPA is a busy place, with 553 flights daily into and out of the facility, but Volocopter was able to fit into the infrastructure and perform two flight tests with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate aircraft downwash and outwash, along with aircraft performance in TPA’s actual environmental conditions.

Various prototypes of the VoloCity have already flown 2,000 flights. Initial operational flights will be flown by a pilot with only one passenger. However, as operational reliability is proven, a fully autonomous service is planned. Volocopter is currently focusing on certification of the VoloCity, by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2024, leading to initial service on three routes in Paris, France. Concurrent validation in cooperation with the FAA, originally submitted in 2020, is also progressing.

In conclusion, GNSS and communications jamming is escalating in and around Ukraine as the war drags on and each side tries to compensate, while efforts to revolutionize shuttle services for passengers to and from major airports in the United States has taken quite positive steps in Tampa, Florida.

November 15, 2023
GPS jamming in Israel

Just as I was beginning to write this article, war broke out between Israel and terrorist forces in Gaza. It would seem that the rockets used by Gaza were aimed rather than carrying on-board guidance, while Israeli airforce bomb/rocket attacks have been carried out with some degree of precision. Nevertheless, jamming in Israel may still be relevant to the ongoing conflict and any on-going commercial aircraft activity. However, it seems from the diagram of jamming below, that the Gaza strip is virtually interference free.

One of the things you can be sure of in the Ukraine-Russia war is that one side or the other is jamming the other’s communications and sat-nav guidance systems. An apparent consequence is that there is likely some “spill-over” to adjacent areas. For Israel, however, it looks like it’s more directed jamming rather than incidental.

Israel GPS jamming. (Image: GPS Jam.org)

In this environment of intentional GPS jamming, it’s not surprising that Israel has produced a leading anti-jam technology company, called InfiniDome, in Caesarea (between Haifa and Tel-Aviv). According to co-founder Omer Sharar, the company has been working to defend GPS signals for more than seven years and has also seen the rise of devices to jam the GPS L1 frequency that anyone can buy online for $100.

Just as Ukraine is throwing explosive cardboard UAVs with little cost at Russian occupying forces, a few carefully placed low-cost jammers could inflict serious damage on a country’s navigation capabilities.

However, a 2019 presentation by Todd Humphreys identified the source of interference and spoofing at that time, a Russian high-power jammer located at a Russian base in Syria.

Humphreys used instrumentation on the International Space Station (ISS) to gather data on the directed interference but concluded that the jamming in Israel could be a consequence of Russia’s efforts to protect its troops in Syria from UAV attacks. The Russian Khmeimim Air Base is on the Mediterranean coast and attacks are thought to come from rebels within Syria.

With the current GPS jamming out of Syria, most commercial aircraft traffic flying into Ben Gurion International Airport is significantly affected as flights cross from over the coast from the Mediterranean. Longer flight tracks deeper southeast into Israel are necessary, probably relying on VOR and DME ground station waypoints before turning back northwest to capture the instrument landing system (ILS) into the airport. This costs time and fuel and causes aircraft to overfly settlements where noise can be a real problem.

Most readily available jammer electronics only output interference disrupting GPS L1, which is most commonly installed for vehicle tracking and UAV guidance. InfiniDome has successfully protected trucking, UAV operations and others in Israel and around the world with its Infinidome GPSdome-1 and GPSdome-2 anti-jam products.

Gpsdome-1 (left) protects GPS L1. GPSdome-2 (right) protects GPS L1/L2 or GPS L1/GLONASS L1.

Two antennas 10 cm to 25 cm apart enable GPSDome-1 algorithms to detect and null out a GPS L1 jammer. GPSDome-2 accommodates up to four antennas and can null up to three directional signals on both GPS L1 and L2 or GPS L1 and GLONASS L1.

InfiniDome is currently working with an aerospace company to integrate its anti-jam technology with airborne inertial/GPS and qualify the integrated system for use in civil aviation, with the objective of maintaining max 3% drift when fully jammed. This will introduce certified anti-jam technology into civil aviation use — something that will provide some jamming protection, which airlines desperately need going forward. In addition, other high-end UAV manufacturers are potential customers for this new system.

While the ongoing conflict and the devastating loss of life is forefront as each day of the war passes, these anti-jam solutions may ultimately help solve signal degradation problems. While there is going to be a significant impact on commercial airline travel to and from Israel while hostilities continue, we can maybe see the way to a possible long-term solution for the intense jamming from which the region has suffered for many years.

October 18, 2023
Samples from DSEI Unmanned 2023

Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) in London just wrapped up last week and industry news circulated many reports of various unmanned-related releases and opportunities during the show.

Drawing more than1,500 visitors annually, DSEI is an event at which representatives from governments, armed forces and industry leaders meet to advance the technology of weapons systems. With mostly armed or armored exhibits, the show is aimed at demonstrating to British forces and others coming from around the world, the various advances in weapons-related products and activities — with technological advances taking a primary position throughout the meeting and the exhibit hall.

Some unmanned exhibits/notes of interest

Drone Evolution promoted its UK-built Sentinel tethered UAV and MPU5 mesh radio system that puts a UAV-mounted radio/camera/thermal imaging system more than 150 ft above the ground for up to 6 hr or more — typically to support intelligence gathering, surveillance / reconnaissance, force protection and security. Sentinel is capable of running off of 12 v or 24 v power such as from a field vehicle battery without an inverter or generator, but also through main power, the company states.

Elistair France also launched its Orion 2.2 TE tethered UAV with a 2-in-1 propeller configuration change, which allows it to carry a heavier 5 kg payload. A recently integrated Nextvision Raptor with a 3 km laser rangefinder provides continuous imagery, target tracking, automated object categorization, automated scanning routines, and points of interest for military units, border guards, and national security agencies. Elistair claims its Orion UAV is capable of continuous operations for more than 50 hr over a 328 ft tether.

Robosys Automation and Landau Marine announced a collaboration to convert regular marine vehicles into autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USV). UK’s Robosys provided the Voyager artificial intelligence (AI) vessel system — an autonomy solution using AI combined with decision-aids. These new USVs are capable of surveillance, surveying, warfare, and patrolling duties — Voyager AI is claimed to be vessel-, propulsion-, and sensor-systems agnostic and retrofitting a crewed vessel can result in an autonomous craft operating at speeds of up to 45 kn. The system provides collision avoidance, anti-grounding, smart object avoidance, and autonomous operation during loss of communications.

Orion 2.2 TE – Standard props (left) and with heavy-lift props (right). (Image: Elistair)

Robosys Automation and Landau Marine announced a collaboration to convert regular marine vehicles into autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USV). UK’s Robosys provided the Voyager artificial intelligence (AI) vessel system — an autonomy solution using AI combined with decision-aids. These new USVs are capable of surveillance, surveying, warfare, and patrolling duties — Voyager AI is claimed to be vessel-, propulsion-, and sensor-systems agnostic and retrofitting a crewed vessel can result in an autonomous craft operating at speeds of up to 45 kn. The system provides collision avoidance, anti-grounding, smart object avoidance, and autonomous operation during loss of communications.

Landau Marine USV conversion (Image: Landau)

W Autonomous Systems (WAS) released news of the first landing of an autonomous UAV on the UK Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier Prince of Wales while at sea off Cornwall, England. The WAS HCMC UAV involved has two engines and a twin boom tail and can carry 220 lb across 620 mi and land within 500 ft — about half the length of the landing area on the Price of Wales aircraft carrier. For this trial, the UAV took off from a remote airfield at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose and flew for 20 min to land autonomously on the deck of the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier. The trials aimed to demonstrate that cargo UAVs are capable of relieving some of the re-supply tasks which are currently carried out by the ship’s helicopters.

BAE Systems and QinetiQ signed an agreement at DSEI to collaborate on autonomous uncrewed air systems (UAS) and mission management systems. Both companies are leading competitive UK aerospace companies, and it’s perhaps unusual to see them collaborating. Perhaps this indicates the degree of importance and complexity that this development investment signifies. The mission management system work will investigate compatibility between BAE Systems and QinetiQ ground-based mission software systems, and develop autonomous systems that enable operator/human decision-makers to combine the use of both manned and unmanned assets on the battlefield. The companies will continue to develop their own airborne vehicles independently but aligned with the intent to continue their collaborative concepts.

HMS Price of Wales leaving Portsmouth UK on its way to rendezvous for the HCMC UAV autonomous deck landing at sea (Image: UK Ministry of Defence)

In summary

This show is huge and this was only a small sample of the sort of unmanned and autonomous news found there this year — tethered UAVs, retrofitting surface vessels to become autonomous USVs, autonomous landings on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier Price of Wales and British industrial collaboration around UAVs.

September 20, 2023
Delivery by autonomous UAV

Many have heard about efforts by Amazon to use UAVs for home delivery of orders within hours. Unfortunately, Amazon’s UAV trials have yet to be transitioned to “production” across the United States. Its website states that UAV deliveries are only available in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California.

Walmart is also in a trial phase of getting its rapid UAV delivery system working; however, its same-day UAV delivery is only servicing customers in the Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, and Dallas areas. Nevertheless, there are many other automated deliveries underway around the world for meals and product deliveries, especially in Asia.

One segment where UAV deliveries appear to have been successful for medical samples and medications, which are now being shipped regularly on time-sensitive routes by UAVs (and, of course, several trial deliveries of these items are still underway).

The EMED transport/courier service used extensively by the UK National Health Service took part in one of the most recent medical shipment trials — which recently wrapped up in UK — with more than 400 pathology samples being rapidly shipped by fixed-wing UAVs between two hospital sites.

Loading a UAV in a UK medical trial. (Image: ESA)

The UAV used in the EMED trial was a tried and tested Swoop Aero Kookaburra III fixed-wing aircraft with a 3kg payload that flies at 330 ft in segregated airspace.

In the United States, OhioHealth aims to use a proven medical delivery system supplied by Zipline. Its plans for delivery UAVs include rapid shipments between Ohio medical facilities and prescription delivery to patients. By 2025, OhioHealth predicts that more than two million people in the Columbus area could be served by the Zipline delivery system.

OhioHealth plans to use Zipline’s Platform 2 delivery UAV — a fixed-wing carrier UAV with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities able to autonomously hover and accurately lower a package-carrying “droid” into a tight delivery spot. The previous Zipline Platform 1 system drops packages by parachute, which requires a substantial area to receive deliveries. The “droid” has three directional fans that allow it to maneuver at the end of the tether to within six feet of the planned delivery point.

Over the last six years, Zipline has built up a whole fleet of Platform 1 aircraft and the complete infrastructure for its medical delivery operation in Rwanda.

In Rwanda, there was a need for different delivery methods to get medical supplies to hospitals, as communities are spread over large distances. Before bringing such a service to the United States, Zipline aimed to get a delivery service running, get experience, and de-bug and prove the system’s capabilities. Six years and half a million deliveries later, Zipline is now ready. For civil certification, the Federal Aviation Administration previously liked to see lots of evidence of established operational activity. Therefore, Zipline was fortunate to have six years of proven delivery activity in Rwanda when they looked to start up in the United States.

Platform 2 ‘droid’ containing a package is lowered on a tether from a hovering carrier drone. (Image: Zipline)

Zipline has also done everything needed to ensure the delivery process in Rwanda is as efficient as possible — from the order processing system, through packaging and loading into the UAV, a catapult launch system that accelerates the aircraft to climb-out speed, battery charging and exchange for each flight, autonomous navigation to the delivery point, parachute delivery at destination, autonomous return to base, and an automated capture system on arrival. As a result, it’s not unusual if a delivery can be dispatched within 90 seconds from receipt of an order.

The distances are large in Rwanda between where people are sick and where they can get help, and the necessary supplies may well be located elsewhere — at times, as much as 150 miles away. However, since Zipline deliveries became common, in-hospital maternal mortality rates have been reduced by 88% — quite an achievement. Each delivery that is dispatched really has the potential to save a life.

Now, Zipline has the potential to improve turn-round times for the health system in the United States. The company is ready to prove that the Platform 2 system makes very little noise because of specially designed propellers, that precise deliveries are possible, and it is even ready to take on regular parcel deliveries without being limited to only medical shipments.

Hopefully, some of the big retail organizations will be willing to watch, listen, trial and eventually bring the proven Zipline delivery system into their operations. There is much work to do to bring about regular UAV deliveries, but with a proven track record in Rwanda, the odds favor a successful outcome in the United States.

August 16, 2023
Flying cars

The U.S. government has visibly and physically conveyed its interest in getting air taxis into operation, through a visit of 70 people — attached to the newly formed Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Coordination group — to Archer Aviation. The group talked with the executives of the company developing the “Midnight’ air-taxi aircraft and watched a flight test.

The AAM group includes members from leading government agencies concerned with making and keeping this segment of aviation successful, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense (DOD) and other agencies.

AAM group visits Archer Aviation. (Image: Archer Aviation)

Gathering the views of Archer and other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer executives should be an essential part of the AAM group’s information collection task. And while it’s great to see that the interagency group has every intention of promoting the AAM concept of air taxis, it would perhaps be better if the group also had access to representatives of manufacturers, developers, and those with UAS experience. It’s clear that we need to start by spreading the word, but also by including people in the group who have dedicated themselves to bringing these capabilities to market — that may make the process more efficient.

Along the way, it may also help to understand that the processes we have used in the past to get airframes like this into passenger carrying operations might not work well with this new industry. It’s understandable that it should take a lengthy period to assess, verify, qualify and certify such vehicles in the name of safety, but if companies run out of cash and fold in the interim — which is highly likely with this “start-up industry” — then shouldn’t we be looking for a better way to get these guys off the ground?

No one wants safety to be sacrificed, but could there be some way to streamline, speed up, or simplify the process without skipping essential steps — a way to get new technology into use before it’s obsolete, or a lack of start-up money dooms its progress? The forecast for the economy in the near future is in the billions of dollars. So, providing funding to improve the current processes does make sense. DOD has started to put serious effort into speeding up its acquisition process and has empowered the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to find quicker ways to bring commercial technologies into defense.

The processes used to bring new technologies into use are tried and proven, but they are lengthy. In defense, if our opposition can field things quicker than we do, they have an edge in strategy, tactics and a higher probability of winning in battle. These countries are using the same approaches in the commercial world too, and we need to be wary that they may also have a greater chance of winning the “economic war.”

Nevertheless, Archer in California and others such as Joby, also in California, and Liliam in Germany, plod on through varying stages of FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification paths. An example of the effort that a company has been required to put into fulfilling the requirements of a certification agency is that of Lilium, which first applied for its Design Organization Approval (DOA) in 2017, is still churning through the qualification efforts and does not expect approval until 2025. Of course, the answer is “Don’t get on the certification ‘hamster-wheel’ unless you can stand the journey.” However, we do want these systems and vehicles to make it in order to overcome some of the traffic nightmare that we are living through in our major cities and to contribute to the growth in the economy.

Meanwhile, the great hope (even expectation) of the “flying car” is being kept alive by Doroni in Miami with its two seat H1 eVTOL. Having largely burnt through its $3.6 million StartEngine launch money, Doroni is looking for its second round of funding to build more prototypes and join the certification race. However, other single seat eVTOL flying cars have taken the easier route to certify under the FAA Ultralight category.

Doroni H1 prototype. (Image: Doroni)

The H1 has semi-autonomous capability, which Doroni claims will make its eVTOL easy to fly, and allow general sales to any car driver. With air bags, an aerodynamic fuselage — which generates lift — 10 independent propulsion systems (four double prop ducted fans and two forward thrust props), an airframe that can behave as a parachute and “dissipate energy” in case of a crash, and landing gear, the H1 also has multiple independent batteries — all aimed at safety, which will help make it through certification verification. So, if you happen to have the $250,000 proposed sale price and are willing to wait on the completion of FAA certification, you could own your own “flying car.”

Doroni just announced that they have already made 50 test flights within their manufacturing facility along that test and qualification road.

Meanwhile, Ryse Aerotech in Ohio, recently demonstrated a manned test flight of its single seat Recon eVTOL — billed as an aid to farmers, with a top speed around 58 mph, a range of about 25 miles and with the right FAA clearance it could even reach an altitude of 700 ft — an airborne ATV for inspecting crops and the like.

Recon manned test flight in June 2023. (Image: Ryse Aerotech)

The path to market that Ryse has selected, however, should see more vehicles in earlier use than Doroni’s H1. All you may need is a driver’s license to take off in a Recon because it’s qualified as an Ultralight craft — just buy and fly. Beware, you cannot fly anywhere near an airport or after dark. FAA has restrictions on Ultralight craft.

So, progress on the semi-autonomous “flying-car” front and a plea to consider the economic benefits and to look to how to improve the efficiency of the existing certification process — not a request to cut corners, rather a request to speed up the processes and save this start-up industry before it goes broke.

July 19, 2023
NGS Discusses the New NSRS at the International 2023 FIG Working Week
Anyone reading my previous columns knows that I have been highlighting the new, modernized, National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). During the 2023 Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (FIG) Working Week held on May 28 – June 30, in Orlando, Florida, NGS held an all-day session addressing various topics related to the NSRS modernization project.

More than 30 NGS staff members supported two days of sessions that included a day on the NSRS modernization, sessions for the Young Surveyors Network, and FIG Commission 5 meetings, which focused on meeting the highest accuracy levels for positioning and measurement.

Juliana Blackwell, director of NGS, kicked off the third plenary session tackling the global challenges, with a presentation titled “The Modernized U.S. National Spatial Reference System — Aligning National Geospatial Data to the Globe.”

Blackwell highlighted the importance of geospatial data from many different sources being interoperable and defined within a modern reference frame. She noted that NGS is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the mission of which is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts. This includes a mandate to define, maintain and provide access to the NSRS.

NGS’s NSRS modernization project has been underway for a decade and is nearly complete. Blackwell explained that the new NSRS will align critical U.S. geospatial data assets within global data inventories and enable improved analysis and modeling of climate changes and impacts to society and the environment. The modernized NSRS will enable data integration of new and old technologies, adopts modern standards, and empowers growth in new fields and applications.

The remainder of the presentations during the all-day event covered three themes: the practical implications of NSRS modernization — changing survey methodology; an update on the NOAA CORS Network and the Online Positioning User Service (OPUS); and case studies of surveys — what NGS does now and how they will change.

Many of these topics have been discussed by NGS during their webinar series, but during these presentations NGS provided the latest information on many of the activities associated with the modernization of the NSRS. This venue allowed for participants to ask questions as opposed to typing them in a box. Also, the NGS employees that participated in the FIG working week were available for discussions before and after the session. I enjoyed my discussions with old colleagues as well as meeting some new NGS employees.

The session titled “Practical Implications of NSRS Modernization — Changing Survey Methodology” addressed the following topics:

practical impacts of the modernized NSRS

Canada’s implementation of the modernized frames

changes afoot: State Plane 2022 and Retirement of the U.S. Survey Foot and

preparing for the modernization of the NSRS.

Dru Smith, NSRS modernization manager, started by explaining the practical impact of the modernized NSRS and why it is needed. He mentioned that the current NSRS was defined in the pre-GNSS era and that it has failed to keep up with emerging requirements, such as accurately measuring sea level rise.

(Image: NGS Website)

He highlighted the practical implications of the modernized NSRS, such as that every latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid height will change from its NAD 83 values in the +/-2-meter range, and every orthometric height will change from its NAVD 88 values in the +/-2-meters median range.

He mentioned that the published coordinate functions of the NOAA CORS Network (NCN) will be the primary geodetic control of the NSRS. He noted that NGS is working on the integration of web-based tools to improve consistency and reduce confusion, such as enhancements to NGS’s OPUS to ingest digital data from surveying instruments directly into OPUS 6 via a Geodetic Data Exchange (GDX) format. This would include raw measurements from GNSS receivers, levels, total stations, and gravimeters. The talk titled “Augmenting Data Exchange Formats for OPUS of the Future” by Ryan Hardy, discussed the GDX format in more detail.

As with the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, the modernized NSRS will have a time-dependency component. It will be built into the new NSRS, but users will have the ability to disengage from it.

Smith provided a timeline of the project for the next couple of years, which can be referenced in the image below. NGS plans to release data and support tools on their BETA website during 2024 and 2025.

(Image: NGS Website)

Smith discussed how some products will be released early for users to test and evaluate how the new NSRS products will affect their products and services, and to be ready for their customers after the new NSRS is released for publication. Products scheduled for early releases (Alpha Release), include SPCS2022, EPP2022, and GEOID2022.

He emphasized that Alpha products, by definition, can be one or more of the following:
- incomplete
- inaccurate
- buggy
- subject to change without notice
As such, their early release is primarily for users to see the “big picture” such as formats of data and the general direction that NGS is taking.

He provided a list of new products that will be announced soon, and some alpha products tentatively planned for release in 2023.

(Image: NGS Website)

Michael Dennis did a nice job of discussing the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS 2022) and the retirement of the U.S. Survey Foot. He mentioned that the U.S. Survey Foot was superseded by the international foot on December 31, 2022. His presentation gave a brief overview on the status and rollout plans for SPCS2022, along with how and why NGS will continue to support the U.S. Survey Foot in the existing NSRS (but not in the modernized NSRS).

See the image below for the number of zones for each state.

(Image: NGS Website)

The SPCS2022 will be an alpha product released soon. Part of the alpha product will have options to view maps depicting the different zones in each state.

Example of Florida Multizone Complete Zones. (Image: NGS Website)

When NCAT2022 is released in alpha product it will contain the SPCS2022.

Example of NCAT2022 (Alpha). (Image: NGS Website)

Representatives from the Canadian Geodetic Survey presented and participated in the discussions.

The session titled “Update on the NOAA CORS Network and OPUS” addressed the following topics:
- the NOAA CORS Network (NCN) services
- updating OPUS-S to support multi-GNSS
- OPUS -Projects 5: supporting RTK for establishment of geodetic control
- OPUS projects for manager’s training – transitioning from instructor-led to online, self-paced instruction and
- augmenting data exchange formats for OPUS of the future.
Dan Gillins gave a presentation on the advantages of using NGS’s OPUS-Projects 5 web routine. OPUS-Projects make it easier for users to submit a GNSS project to NGS for publication. I discussed OPUS-Project 5.1, when it was released as a Beta product, in my October 2021 column.

(Image: NGS Website)

(Image: NGS Website)

Gillins mentioned that a new publication providing guidance to meet standards for GNSS surveying is being reviewed and will be available soon. I discussed these new standards in my May 2023 column.

(Image: NGS Website)

Another presentation titled “OPUS-Projects for Manager’s Training – Transitioning from Instructor-Led to Online, Self-Paced Instruction” by Erika Little, described how NGS is transitioning to providing OPUS projects training on an online, self-paced instruction site. NGS has training material available for OPUS-Projects.

(Image: NGS Website)

Ryan A. Hardy gave a talk describing the new Geodetic Data Exchange (GDX). As previously mentioned, GDX is an XML-based data format that will be the input format for OPUS. GDX will be the successor to the GNSS Vector Exchange (GVX) format. GDX currently supports GNSS, classical, and leveling measurements.

The GDX structure will have the following fields[[these are clearly the names of database fields; if it were a list of different types of information, we would not put them in all caps and would not use the underscores]]:
- SOURCE_DATA
- PROJECT_INFORMATION
- PERSONNEL
- UNITS
- EQUIPMENT
- POINTS
- MEASUREMENT_SETTINGS
- MEASUREMENTS
- REDUCTIONS
- OBSERVATIONS
NGS is planning to release an alpha version of GDX soon.

(Image: NGS Website)

The session titled “Case Studies of Surveys — NGS Does Now and How They will Change” addressed the following topics:
- implementing NGS OPUS-Projects’ GVX feature to align RTK vectors to the NSRS to establish geodetic control for FirstNet indoor mapping
- IGLD: a case study for leveraging digital tools to enhance QA/QC on large scale static GNSS observation campaigns
- geodetic leveling in the modernized NSRS and
- NGS field operations: modernizing in many ways.
Ben Erickson gave a good presentation on leveling in the new NSRS, a topic about which I am very interested in knowing more[[Please avoid dangling participles, prepositions, conjunctions, and modifiers.]]. I discussed the new procedures in my June 2020 column.

One major change is that leveling surveys will require GNSS occupations to ensure that orthometric heights computed in leveling surveys are up to date and are connected to the NSRS through the NOAA CORS Network. The network accuracy is obtained through GNSS data and a high-accuracy geoid model, and the local accuracy is provided through the leveling data. Specific procedures will be required to incorporate leveling data in the North American Pacific Geopotential Datum (NAPGD2022).

Basic Procedures for NAPGD2022 Orthometric Heights. (Image: NGS Website)

I discussed these procedures in more detail in my June 2020 column. The image below provides a conceptual diagram that illustrates what this means to a typical leveling project.

GNSS + Leveling 2022 Procedures at the Start and End of the Leveling Project”. (Image: Diagram based on information from Dan Gillins, NGS, and modified by David B. Zilkoski)

Erickson provided a diagram of a level network that contained a loop, which can be referenced below.

(Image: NGS Website)

I have worked with leveling data for most of my career and I am pleased to know that NGS is going to provide tools to incorporate leveling data into the new, modernized NSRS. When performing leveling projects, there is a requirement to level to previously established benchmarks that were within a certain distance from the project. This helped to ensure that different leveling projects were consistent with each other. NGS stated that making adjacent projects at different epoch consistent is under development, and their plans include updating leveling documentation to explain the leveling methodologies and GNSS control.

(Image: NGS Website)

I have only highlighted a few of the presentations. It was an all-day session, and a lot of information was presented on the new, modernized NSRS. The presentations can be downloaded from the NGS website at https://geodesy.noaa.gov/datums/newdatums/fig-2023.shtml. I would encourage everyone to download the presentations to obtain the latest information on NGS’s modernization of the NSRS. See the image below for the list of presentations and the links to download specific presentations.

NGS Presentations at FIG 2023 Working Week. (Image: NGS Website)
July 5, 2023