• The Boeing Company unveiled the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system, a demonstrator that will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days. Phantom Eye is powered by two 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engines that provide 150 horsepower each. It has a 150-foot wingspan, will cruise at approximately 150 knots and can carry up to a 450-pound payload.
• Zephyr, a solar-powered UAV designed by Qinetiq will attempt to set a new endurance record. The previous Zephyr continuous flight lasted about 80 hours. This time the solar-powered UAV with a wing span of 22.5 m (and weight of only 40 kg) will try to stay in the air for two weeks at the altitude of 15 km.
• UK Ministry of Defence unveiled the prototype of unmanned combat aircraft, Taranis. The stealth fighter UAV is developed by BAE Systems.

The new game changing UAV technologies set up new standards of UAV flight endurance, altitude and mission applicability.

There are several evolutionary aspects to the KQ-X program:

• autonomous aerial refueling
• refueling will be performed at a much higher altitude than has been ever demonstrated with manned aircraft
• HALE UAVs will fly in formation.

“More ground control stations would be helpful, and the system is trying to produce more. But even if we had more ground control stations and aircraft, we would not be able to employ them without more pilots and sensor operators,” said Lieutenant General Walter E. Buchanan III, Commander U.S. Central Command Air Forces.

The UAV market is still young in comparison with the piloted military aviation. Small technology companies can still find their place in the market traditionally dominated by larger players, especially in such segments as MRO, pilot and sensor operator training, payloads and CGS. It makes sense for small companies to focus on the U.S. Military UAV market, which by all estimates will remain the world’s largest UAV market – with market share of about 70% of the global UAV market.

The staff shortage is especially acute for sensor operators because UAVs are carrying more sensors.
Shortage of staff and growing demand open a number of market opportunities in:

• Providing training for UAV operators and sensor operators
• Providing simulators and training equipment, hardware and software
• Providing training programs and techniques
• Providing remote operation services.

The report “U.S. Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Market Forecast 2010-2015“estimates that the U.S. military UAV market will generate $ 62 Billion revenues over the period 2010 – 2015, at a CAGR of 10%.

Bottom Image: BAE Systems M113E3 vehicle in snow.

The BAE Systems has won a contract to supply 16 RG32M mine-hardened patrol vehicles to the Finland Defence Force, worth more than €6 million ($8.1 million). The company has also received a $7.2 million amendment to an existing contract to enhance the propulsion and mobility of Norwegian M113 vehicles. These follow on from a contract received last month for the production of 48 Archer 155mm self-propelled artillery gun systems and their associated ammunition handling systems for the Swedish and Norwegian armed forces, worth over $200 million. New armored vehicle contracts for BAE Systems in Finland and Norway have taken land sales to Nordic countries above $215 million in the past two months.

The RG32M order from Finland, which follows on from a contract for six similar vehicles in November 2006, will be carried out by the Land Systems business in South Africa, with delivery of all the vehicles anticipated to be completed by early 2011. The order is for current standard production vehicles, including a suspension upgrade. The contract also includes an order for the new Series 3 variant, which provides for a higher payload, increased power and higher protection levels. There are currently 200 RG32M vehicles in service with Sweden’s armed forces, several of which are deployed in Afghanistan.

The contract modification for the Norwegian M113 vehicles will provide 25 upgrade kits required to convert the existing M113s to the M113E3 configuration. The upgrade kits include powerpack, suspension, weld, air conditioning and hydraulic manifold. These upgrades will supplement 72 kits which the company provided to Norway between 2007 and 2009, and as before will be supplied by BAE Systems in the USA.

BAE Systems’ suspension upgrades enable the vehicle to use rubber band tracks and provide passengers with a smoother ride. The company will also provide support to the Defence Logistics Organisation in Norway. The Norwegian armed forces will install the kits and test the completed vehicle upgrades at its facilities in country. BAE Systems’ work is anticipated to begin in early 2010 and be complete by July 2011.

“In recent years, the Government has made major, necessary investments in the country’s military capabilities in support of the Canada First Defence Strategy, the Government’s long-term vision for the Canadian Forces. The Canada First Defence Strategy is a long-term commitment to modernize the Canadian Forces. The strategy sets out key objectives of growing the forces, recapitalizing air, land and naval fleets and other major equipment, restoring infrastructure, and ensuring the Canadian Forces are ready to deploy in the defence of Canada and Canada’s interests both at home and abroad. The Canada First Defence Strategy continues to point the way forward for Canada’s military.

In addition to incremental funding received for deployed operations, National Defence’s annual expenses have increased from $15 billion in 2005–06 to $18 billion in 2008–09. In 2008–09, National Defence spending represented approximately one-fifth of total government direct program spending on an annual basis. These investments have strengthened the Canadian Forces and produced tangible results, as most recently demonstrated by the Afghanistan mission, support for relief efforts in Haiti, and the provision of security at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The Government remains committed to continuing to build the Canadian Forces into a first-class, modern military. However, as part of measures to restrain the growth in overall government spending and return to
budget balance in the medium term, the Government will slow the rate of previously planned growth in the National Defence budget. Budget 2010 reduces growth in National Defence’s budget by $525 million in 2012–13 and $1 billion annually beginning in 2013–14. Defence spending will continue to grow but more slowly than previously planned.”

“The Major Projects Report 2009 is the latest in a long running series of reports examining the record of the Ministry of Defence (the Department) in meeting cost, time and performance targets for its top military equipment projects which are expected to cost more than £60 billion.

Our hearing identified the serious consequences of failings in the Department’s governance and budgetary processes. Even using the Department’s own, over-optimistic estimates the defence budget is unaffordable by some £6 billion. The exact size of the gap is dependent on the assumptions one makes about future funding, but the gap could easily be £36 billion and potentially even more.”

The U.S. military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) market has witnessed a meteoric growth over the past decade. UAS development went through a quantum leap, from lab concept to battle-tested proven technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven their worth in operations around the world. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are considered today a key component of U.S. defense transformation and an integral part of U.S. military doctrine.