GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES
The US Navy has begun taking delivery of Neptune maritime unmanned air vehicles (MUAV), the first system of its type that is capable of being recovered on land or in water.
The Neptune, developed by Texas-based DRS Unmanned Technologies, is constructed of lightweight composites and has been designed to land directly on water for recovery. The vehicle is 1.5m (5ft) long with a 2.1m span and is powered by a 15hp (11kW) two-stroke piston engine. The powerplant and pusher propeller is mounted above the fuselage and in front of a twin-finned cantilevered tail unit allowing it to continue to operate until the water landing is complete and the recovery accomplished.
"Electronic and sensor systems are protected from water intrusion above the float line," says DRS, which adds that it has had "a lot of interest" in the Neptune from potential non-US operators. The MUAV has a gross take-off weight of 36kg (80lb), up to 10kg of which can be payload. The primary payload is either a colour camera or a thermal imager, or the vehicle can be configured to drop payloads of up to 10kg, DRS adds.
The vehicle, which can be disassembled into three parts, can be launched quickly from the container in which it is transported. The Neptune is configured with a pair of built-in receiver tubes, which enable it to be slid on to the launch rails for stowing ready to launch using an "auto-launch" pneumatic system. The launch technique is derived from similar systems developed for the DRS-built Sentry and Sentry HP close-range, medium-endurance UAVs.
DRS, which is unable to provide specific details of its $5 million US Navy contract until deliveries are complete, says it is producing "several" MUAV systems, each of which consists of three air vehicles, an operator station, remote video terminal, various payloads, launcher/transporter container and field support kits. The ground control station interfaces with the communications module and air vehicle hand controller, and handles up to 100 waypoints. Operator intervention is required for payload management when above areas of interest, says DRS. The MUAV's UHF datalink is capable of secure communications over water and has an operational range of almost 75km (40nm).
Source: Flight International
