Parafoil landing: the Army’s tactical I-View unmanned aerial vehicles will be able to land in tight spaces thanks to parafoil technology.

Government has granted first pass approval for the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) to purchase the tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), I-View, under Joint Project 129 (JP129).

Preferred tenderer Boeing Australia has teamed with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) for the project which will deliver Army’s tactical UAVs.

JP129 Project Manager Wing Commander Michael Brown will discuss this project at the UV Asia-Pacific 2006 in Sydney from 29-30 March and met with On Target to provide an early preview into its inner workings.

‘DMO is currently negotiating two contracts for the $145 million project with Boeing. One is for the acquisition of the UAVs and the other is for the through life support of the aircraft,’ Wing Commander Brown said.

The I-View is IAI’s fourth generation tactical UAV system, it is amongst the most advanced tactical UAVs in the world today.

Boeing and IAI will deliver the ADF eight vehicles for two Troops from the newly formed Surveillance, Targeting and Acquisition Regiment to be based in Queensland.

Catapult launch: Video clip - the I-View tactical unmanned aerial vehicle in flight.

The number of UAVs required was not specified in the request for tender, rather a requirement that the vehicles be able to maintain a target for 15 hours was put to prospective tenderers. To achieve this, the Boeing and IAI solution requires three vehicles per Troop.

Wing Commander Brown said the Boeing and IAI solution will enable Australian industry to be involved in future growth potential.

‘Boeing Australia isn’t simply a shop front for IAI in this project. They are involved in the design and integration solution and there are opportunities for Australian small to medium enterprises to become involved during the acquisition process,’ he said.

Boeing Australia’s Chief Strategist, Lindsay Pears told the Australian Financial Review that the company was looking forward to working collaboratively with industry, academic institutions such as Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA) to further develop and grow key in country capabilities, like the tactical UAV, in the challenging new frontier of unmanned systems.

Boeing Australia’s Managing Director, David Gray agreed, telling On Target his company is particularly pleased that a number of Australian small to medium enterprises and research institutions will assist Boeing Australia to deliver their solution and provide through life support.

‘Boeing Australia strongly supports the development of local industry and research organisations, and the activities that will be undertaken as part of the JP129 project will clearly demonstrate that commitment,’ he said.

Wing Commander Brown said on an initial look at the tactical UAVs available on the market it was decided that no one system would meet Army’s needs without some tailoring.

‘The I-View is not in operation with anyone else. The air vehicle itself has not been used by another country before. But the launcher, ground control and sensor systems have all formed part of other proven IAI UAV systems.

‘While we were ultimately satisfied that all of the tenderers’ UAVs were substantially proven platforms, all required further development to meet our needs,’ Wing Commander Brown said.

‘The I-View offered the greatest capability with only minimal changes required to the vehicle to enable interoperability with other Australian vehicles and to integrate it into the wider ADF,’ he said.

Its features include a fully automatic take-off and landing system that dramatically increases operational reliability.

‘Mobility was extremely important to Army, the I-View's catapult launch and parafoil landing system means it can be deployed and recovered from an uneven area smaller than a football field.

The parafoil is a non-rigid, parachute-like, usually nylon airfoil of ribbed or cellular construction, used especially in kites and paragliders. It has the ability to correct itself during the landing process allowing the I-View vehicle to land in a controlled location.

Taking into account the varied landscapes of the battlefield the I-View is fitted with advanced retractable sensor technology, reducing the risk of damage on landing.

Three interchangeable sensors will be used on the aircraft, the Multi-mission Optronic Stabilised Payload (MOSP), POP 300 and camera can be easily alternated in the field.

The MOSP sensor has enhanced day and night capability, collecting video data by day and infrared by night.

Wing Commander Brown said it enables the UAV to team with other ADF capabilities to take out a target.

‘MOSP has a laser target designator that is interoperable with, for example, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH).

‘The UAV can spot a target using the MOSP sensor, put a laser designator onto that target and the ARH can then fire laser guided munitions from a distance to hit that target, keeping the ARH out of harms way.

POP 300 is a lighter sensor for collection of day and night imagery, the primary role of a tactical UAV. It increases the endurance of the air vehicle.

The third available sensor, the camera, will be utilised for training missions and in situations where higher quality sensors are not required.

Finally, a Ground Control Station is the control centre for the system. The UAV needs to be in the line of sight of this centre to operate. To overcome terrain issues and increase endurance a second UAV can be deployed to maintain the link and act as an intermediary between the first vehicle and the data terminal.

Wing Commander Brown said he expects the contracts for the project will be signed by April or May.

Former Defence Minister Robert Hill said the government will continue to invest in unmanned vehicle technology for use in future operations and surveillance purposes.

‘UAVs are an increasingly important part of the modern battlefield, particularly because they increase the troop’s ability to detect, respond and remain informed of activities across a wide area,’ he said.

Other Defence personnel presenting briefs at the UV Asia-Pacific 2006 Conference include Royal Australian Air Force Commanding Officer, Number 28 Squadron, Squadron Leader Shawn Jenkins and DMO Director Surveillance and Response Group Captain Warren Nelson.

Squadron Leader Jenkins will present on tier one Small UAV and tier two miniature UAV prospects and programmes in Australia and Group Captain Nelson will discuss future maritime patrol and response capability.

The conference will focus on a variety of issues impacting UAV technology development, procurement, new mission roles/requirements, roadmaps and authoritative global market data and analysis from expert speakers. It will also cover the latest results of various government UAV experimentation and research programs aimed at defining new missions and roles.