GPS World

Tag: UAV autopilot

  • Vector-300 autopilot designed for mass production of C-UAS interceptors

    Vector-300 autopilot designed for mass production of C-UAS interceptors

    The new autopilot is engineered to provide reliable GNSS‑denied navigation and fully autonomous mission execution, including complex operational scenarios and seamless interoperability.

    UAV Navigation — a division of Grupo Oesía specializing in advanced guidance, navigation and control solutions for unmanned vehicles — has launched the Vector-300high‑performance autopilot.

    Vector-300 is designed to meet the industrial and operational requirements of mass‑produced, attritable unmanned aerial systems, with a clear focus on loitering munition and Counter-UAS (C-UAS) interceptor applications.

    Vector‑300 has been engineered to combine advanced autonomous guidance, navigation and control (GNC) capabilities with scalability and manufacturability. Its architecture is designed to reduce technical complexity and enable agile, large‑scale production while ensuring consistent and reliable performance across high‑volume deployments.

    Designed for high‑dynamic interception and terminal missions, Vector‑300 delivers strike‑to‑target precision guidance with bull’s eye accuracy. The autopilot supports the integration of AI‑based target identification and optical data directly into its autonomous GNC loops, enabling advanced engagement of both static and dynamic targets. This architecture supports real‑time trajectory adaptation during pursuit and terminal engagement phases, making Vector‑300 suitable for demanding loitering munition and C-UAS interceptor operations.

    Vector‑300 is designed to operate in highly contested and GNSS‑denied environments, even under electronic warfare (EW) jamming, spoofing and meaconing. Its robust navigation core relies on advanced inertial algorithms and multisensor fusion to ensure mission continuity across all phases of operation and can be easily complemented with UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía proprietary solutions such as the Visual Navigation System to enhance dead‑reckoning accuracy.

    Building on the battlefield-proven capabilities of the Vectorautopilot family, Vector‑300 enables the full range of advanced operations already established across UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía solutions. These include

    • fully autonomous mission execution
    • swarming and formation flight
    • 4D trajectory management to reach targets at a predefined time
    • high‑dynamic maneuvers
    • manned‑unmanned teaming (MUT) operations
    • many other advanced autonomous capabilities.

    Its open and modular architecture is designed to ensure interoperability with third‑party platforms, payloads and sensors through seamless integration with Vector‑MCC. This architecture also enables the integration of autonomous decision‑making software, allowing platforms equipped with Vector‑300 to adapt to evolving concepts of operation and advanced autonomy requirements.

  • Septentrio to provide GNSS positioning to MicroPilot UAV autopilots

    Septentrio to provide GNSS positioning to MicroPilot UAV autopilots

    Image: Septentrio
    Image: Septentrio

    The collaboration ensures smooth and easy integration of high-accuracy GPS/GNSS positioning and professional-level autopilots into control systems where safety and reliability matter

    Septentrio is collaborating with MicroPilot, maker of professional UAV autopilots.

    Septentrio receivers, including the small form factor mosaic modules, as well as the OEM board AsteRx-m3, will support seamless integration of positioning and orientation into MicroPilot’s autopilot ecosystem.

    MicroPilot chose Septentrio GNSS receivers for their resilience to radio interference such as jamming and spoofing, as well as security and robustness with high-accuracy real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning.

    Self-interference or self-jamming is a common occurrence in UAVs, where devices such as cameras, servos or antennas, which emit electromagnetic radiation, are located close to the GPS receiver. Incorporating GNSS technology that is resilient to jamming and spoofing, in combination with reliable professional-level autopilots, is key to safe and secure flight navigation, according to Septentrio.

    “Adopting new and resilient technology in UAVs is vital, and we want to ensure a smooth integration process into professional drone systems,” said Gustavo Lopez, senior market access manager at Septentrio. “We are very excited about the strong collaboration between Septentrio and MicroPilot, which now provides new alternatives to drone companies looking for safe and reliable flight operations.”

    In addition to developing autopilots, MicroPilot provides supporting software and services that enable customers to use development time more efficiently, reducing time to market.

    “Working closely with Septentrio gives MicroPilot the ability to better leverage resilient and robust GNSS technologies strengthening our offering to the professional UAV market for safe and reliable flight control,” said Howard Loewen, president of MicroPilot.

  • uAvionix launches enterprise UAS autopilot dubbed ‘George’

    uAvionix launches enterprise UAS autopilot dubbed ‘George’

    Photo: uAvionix
    Photo: uAvionix

    uAvionix Corp has launched its first autopilot for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), named George.

    At 80 grams, George is a low size, weight and power (SWaP) certifiable solution for enterprise operations and those wishing to type certify their UAS. It is manufactured in the United States.

    Built around the open-source autopilot Cube from CubePilot, George combines Cube with Design Assurance Level C (DAL-C) hardware and safety and sensor monitoring, enabling customers to meet the type certification and safety case requirements for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.

    George’s triple-redundant inertial measurement unit (IMU) system includes three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, three magnetometers and three barometers, one of which has been TSO-certified under TSO-C88b in other uAvionix products such as skyBeacon, tailBeacon  and ping200X. The hardware platform is designed and built to RTCA DO-254 DAL-C and meets rigorous DO-160G and MIL-810H power and environmental qualifications.

    George is plug-and-play compatible with all of uAvionix’s certified and uncertified products, including

    • truFYX GPS (TSO-C145e)
    • ping200X (TSO-C112e, TSO-C166b, TSO-C88b)
    • RT-2087/ZPX-B (AIMS MkIIB)
    • pingRX Pro dual-band ADS-B receiver for detect and avoid
    • the microLink or SkyLink C-band command and control solutions

    “The flight control capabilities of the Cube are superb, backed by hundreds of thousands of man-hours of engineering and experimentation over the past 10 years,” said Paul Beard, CEO of uAvionix. “But what has been lacking is a hardware platform that matches that capability in robust performance. George brings everything we’ve learned about certified avionics to the autopilot space in a way that outperforms existing enterprise and military autopilots in a lower SWaP package.”

    George will be available for beta test-launch customers in June with production units available in the third quarter.