UAV Navigation tests UAV autopilot with Roke miniature radar altimeter
MADRID, 21 Dec. 2012. UAV Navigation, a developer of flight-control avionics for unmanned aircraft, led a flight test of the SCRAB sea-skimming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), manufactured by Sistemas de Control Remoto, to validate the efficacy of the company’s LCAP autopilot system.
The flight test involved a SCRAB aerial target UAV flying at cruise speeds only a few meters over the water and following a flight path without the intervention of a human pilot.
UAV Navigation engineers selected the Miniature Radar Altimeter (MRA) from Roke Manor Research Ltd., a Chemring Group company, for use in the LCAP system. Engineers integrated Roke's MRA Type 1 into the LCAP autopilot system, enabling the aircraft to accurately determine its height above the sea.
Roke's lightweight MRA maximizes payload and provides accurate measurements in the most challenging flying situations, including as misty or dusty conditions, to ensure missions can continue regardless of the environmental conditions.
"UAV Navigation chose Roke's MRA as it remains the most technologically capable in its class. It has been developed for easy installation into all major UAV platforms, and provides outstanding capability at low cost. Importantly for this particular test, was that the MRA was developed to meet the IP67 rating, which is essential when recovering the UAV from the surface of the sea," explains Paul Webb, unmanned systems business sector manager at Roke.
Follow Avionics Intelligence news updates on Twitter (@Avionics_Intel), LinkedIn, and Google+.
Courtney E. Howard | Chief Editor, Intelligent Aerospace
Courtney enjoys writing about all things high-tech in PennWell’s burgeoning Aerospace and Defense Group, which encompasses Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics. She’s also a self-proclaimed social-media maven, mil-aero nerd, and avid avionics and space geek. Connect with Courtney at [email protected], @coho on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on Google+.
