uAvionix Miniaturized Transponder Selected for Tactical Resupply UAS

uAvionix Corporation defense customer, SURVICE Engineering of Belcamp, MD has been awarded a production contract from the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Aircraft Systems Program Office. The production efforts will successfully equip U.S. warfighters using Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TRUAS) with innovative multirotor drones that augment logistical operations at the forward edge of the battlefield.

uAvionix’s AIMS-certified RT-2087/ZPX Combat ID and Air Traffic Control surveillance system has been selected for inclusion in the production effort to satisfy the TRUAS Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Transponder and ADS-B requirements for UAS operating both in the battlefield and in civilian airspace.

“We congratulate SURVICE Engineering on this important award.  The TRUAS program will provide an important function to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and demonstrates how innovative small UAS can support the warfighter in multiple roles.  The RT-2087/ZPX delivers uncompromised performance in a convenient, rugged, miniaturized form factor that meets the needs of tactical UAS operations,” notes Christian Ramsey of uAvionix Corporation. “Our continued collaboration with SURVICE Engineering highlights the importance of proven and dependable low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) avionics and their ability to deliver core functionality while not impacting UAS payload and range performance.”

Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) require low SWaP avionics to save space and weight for operational capabilities such as extended range or heavier packages. Military use of sUAS adds additional requirements to ensure that the UAS itself can be properly identified for airspace deconfliction and battlefield situational awareness.  In particular, these Combat UAS must be equipped with transponders that allow armed forces to distinguish friendly aircraft from enemy aircraft. The capability, commonly known as Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), relies on transmissions between an interrogating device and the aircraft where the messages are encrypted to prevent interception by enemy forces.  Traditionally the IFF transponders were large and heavy; suitable only for larger aircraft.  However, with the advent and AIMS certification of the RT-2087/ZPX in March 2021, UAS used for tactical military operations can now be equipped with a fully functional IFF micro transponder and associated crypto unit measuring in grams instead of pounds.

Relying on its best-in-class SWaP, the RT-2087/ZPX selected for use in SURVICE’s contract ably meets the TRUAS requirements and supports a timely delivery of improved tactical functionality to the warfighter. Capable of carrying more than 100 pounds over distances ranging from 6 to 15 km, the resulting TRUAS will support the delivery of critical supplies to forward-deployed units.

The uAvionix line of ZPX transponder products, such as the RT-2087/ZPX, enable secure Mode 5 platform identification for UAS. Each uAvionix ZPX transponder has a built-in crypto emulator to support development and testing without the security burdens imposed by using actual cryptos, and ZPX transponders possess Mode S/1090ES ADS-B functionality to comply with civil requirements and simplify equipage for military aircraft having to transit civil airspace.

Source: Press Release

 

uAvionix RT-2087/ZPX Miniaturized Transponder Selected for Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems

uAvionix Corporation defence customer, SURVICE Engineering of Belcamp, MD has been awarded a production contract from the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Aircraft Systems Program Office. The production efforts will successfully equip U.S. warfighters using Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TRUAS) with innovative multirotor drones that augment logistical operations at the forward edge of the battlefield. uAvionix’s AIMS-certified RT-2087/ZPX Combat ID and Air Traffic Control surveillance system has been selected for inclusion in the production effort to satisfy the TRUAS Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Transponder and ADS-B requirements for UAS operating both in the battlefield and in civilian airspace.

“We congratulate SURVICE Engineering on this important award.  The TRUAS program will provide an important function to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and demonstrates how innovative small UAS can support the warfighter in multiple roles.  The RT-2087/ZPX delivers uncompromised performance in a convenient, rugged, miniaturized form factor that meets the needs of tactical UAS operations,” notes Christian Ramsey of uAvionix Corporation. “Our continued collaboration with SURVICE Engineering highlights the importance of proven and dependable low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) avionics and their ability to deliver core functionality while not impacting UAS payload and range performance.”

Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) require low SWaP avionics to save space and weight for operational capabilities such as extended range or heavier packages. Military use of sUAS adds additional requirements to ensure that the UAS itself can be properly identified for airspace deconfliction and battlefield situational awareness.  In particular, these Combat UAS must be equipped with transponders that allow armed forces to distinguish friendly aircraft from enemy aircraft. The capability, commonly known as Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), relies on transmissions between an interrogating device and the aircraft where the messages are encrypted to prevent interception by enemy forces.  Traditionally the IFF transponders were large and heavy; suitable only for larger aircraft.  However, with the advent and AIMS certification of the RT-2087/ZPX in March 2021, UAS used for tactical military operations can now be equipped with a fully functional IFF micro transponder and associated crypto unit measuring in grams instead of pounds.

Relying on its best-in-class SWaP, the RT-2087/ZPX selected for use in SURVICE’s contract ably meets the TRUAS requirements and supports a timely delivery of improved tactical functionality to the warfighter. Capable of carrying more than 100 pounds over distances ranging from 6 to 15 km, the resulting TRUAS will support the delivery of critical supplies to forward-deployed units.

The uAvionix line of ZPX transponder products, such as the RT-2087/ZPX, enable secure Mode 5 platform identification for UAS. Each uAvionix ZPX transponder has a built-in crypto emulator to support development and testing without the security burdens imposed by using actual cryptos, and ZPX transponders possess Mode S/1090ES ADS-B functionality to comply with civil requirements and simplify equipage for military aircraft having to transit civil airspace.

About uAvionix  

uAvionix was founded with the mission of bringing safety solutions to aviation that accelerate the integration of UAS into National Airspace Systems (NAS). uAvionix offers innovative, low SWaP TSO certified and uncertified avionics and services for General Aviation (GA), Defense, and UAS markets. The team consists of an unparalleled engineering and management team with a unique combination of experience within avionics, surveillance, airport services, UAS aircraft development, radio frequency (RF), and semiconductor industries. 

To learn more about uAvionix crewed and uncrewed products and services, please visit: www.uavionix.com

Defense-specific applications can be found at www.uavionix.com/defense/

Former F1 Technical Director launches cargo eVTOL programme

April 2023, Witney – Specialist consultancy company MGI Engineering has launched its cargo UAV technology demonstrator programme. MGI CEO and Founder Mike Gascoyne officially unveiled its fully functional technology demonstrator at the eVTOL Insights’ London Conference on Wednesday 19 April 2023.

This announcement will thrust the well-established specialist engineering consultancy firm into the newly-emerging cargo eVTOL industry and promises to bring a fresh viewpoint on how to develop the latest aerospace technology for these novel vehicles. MGI is applying Formula 1 development philosophies and mindset to the cargo eVTOL UAV market. Lightweight composite structures with a highly-efficient, fast-paced iterative design processes are key elements of the company’s approach to tackling the challenges that the cargo eVTOL industry presents and it aims to provide these consultancy services throughout the cargo eVTOL industry. MGI Engineering’s prowess stems from its decades of experience at the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 – a tenure that is reflected through its senior staff and its CEO, Mike Gascoyne – who has previously worked at McLaren, Tyrrell, Sauber, Renault, Toyota before setting up the Lotus F1 Team through MGI in 2009.

MGI Engineering has been developing cargo eVTOL technologies for the past year, with the aim of providing these services to the wider industry. This has culminated in its Mosquito autonomous technology demonstrators for cargo applications. The vehicles are being developed to showcase MGI’s vision, know-how, and approach to the cargo UAV market. Developing ultra-lightweight structural composite designs are a key factor to ensure aerial vehicles can achieve their missions effectively and efficiently. MGI’s solution focuses on a configurable design with two variants of its demonstrator technology; the first is a tilt rotor configuration, with two rotors on each corner capable of tilting from 45 degrees in the forward direction to, 45 degrees rearward. The second features eight rotors with direct drive motors distributed across four wings and all four wings use MGI’s proprietary tilt mechanism that is used to control pitch and roll. This variant is able to take-off vertically and fully transition to winged flight for long distance missions. The modular approach to this vehicle, where wings and rotors can be configured according to the mission profile, allows for scalable common platforms using common battery modules to ensure cost performing kilometre-per-mile solutions for cargo delivery. The vehicle platform concept has also been designed to be scaled-up efficiently to payload-capable vehicles carrying up to 500kg. The platform sharing solutions are inspired by Mike’s experience of working with the automotive industry throughout his career.

Mike Gascoyne, CEO of MGI Engineering, said: “We are really proud to announce our cargo eVTOL technology demonstrator programme at this year’s eVTOL Insights’ Conference. We believe that developing sustainable electric aviation vehicles combined with our unique expertise and experience from Formula 1 of lightweight hybrid composite vehicles is the future of the transport industry and will ease the strain on current methods whilst decarbonising multiple sectors. We are very happy to have a fully working demonstrator vehicle that has passed all our tests to date including fully transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight. We’re excited to see where our development journey takes us and look forward to solving the unique and novel challenges the industry presents us with. We also want to invite clients, partners and investors to join our vision to develop highly efficient cargo UAV solutions. MGI Engineering, as a cargo eVTOL consultancy service, understands in order to bring aerial vehicles successfully to market requires a multi-disciplinary team across multiple industries.”

About MGI Engineering

MGI Engineering was founded by Mike Gascoyne in 2003. Mike has worked in Senior Management and as a Technical Director level in Formula 1 for over 25 years. The company leverages its extensive and unrivalled experience of utilising cutting-edge technologies to offer complete engineering and project management solutions – in incumbent and newly emerging industries such as cargo eVTOL to maximise sustainability and future-proof viability with a mission-led engineering approach.

Flytbase – Engineering Manager

FlytBase is seeking an experienced engineering leader to join our award-winning, talented team, building next-generation automated drone applications for our global customers. This is a technical hands-on management position. Primarily you will be responsible for product development and delivery for a portfolio of applications within the FlytBase Suite. This is a playing coach role, which encompasses people management, technical/functional expertise, and relationship/stakeholder management.

About FlytBase

FlytBase is a venture-funded, high-growth startup – a global pioneer in software-led automation of commercial drone applications. The team has a cumulative professional experience of several decades, with engineering graduates from IIT-B, IIT-KGP, the University of Maryland & Georgia Tech.

FlytBase develops intelligent software that leverages reliable, off-the-shelf drone hardware to automate and scale drone deployments for commercial use cases. FlytBase platform is hardware-agnostic, has intelligent plugins for autonomy, manages drone fleets via 4G/5G, and uses APIs to integrate into enterprise workflows. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, USA and has R&D offices in Pune, India. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the commercial drone ecosystem, FlytBase continues to win awards globally, the most recent one being the ‘NTT Data Open Innovation Global Champion 2019’.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the overall development life cycle of the solution and managing multi-complexity projects.

• Accountable for the overall delivery of the product/application – ensuring the quality of code and committing to the timelines.

• Lead a software engineering team, provide technical coaching, mentor teammates and manage project timelines.

• Build an elegant and maintainable Web Application using Node, JavaScript (Typescript), Angular2+, Redux, ngrx and related technologies.

• Advocate of strong Agile development methodologies (SCRUM), automated testing, and continuous integration.

• Work with product owners and development teams to gather and refine requirements, and see development through to QA, deployment and ongoing maintenance.

• Collaborate with Product and UX teams to design and build responsive, data rich tools for our customers.

• Collaborate across multiple teams to architect new solutions.

• Drive efforts to reduce inefficiencies in development, QA and deployment processes.

• Mentor and guide the team to make sound engineering decisions, improve code quality and encourage the team to get out of their comfort zone, whilst working with team members to grow.

• Manage work flows and ensure productivity of team.

• Recruit and hire team members.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in designing, developing web applications.

• Must have a minimum of 2+ years of experience in managing development projects and leading a team of successful software engineers.

• Must be able to discuss technical aspects of architecture/design/code issues directly with technical teams.

• Very strong Full stack development and Architecture experience using Microservices Architecture, UI/UX, CI/CD, Design Patterns & Cloud Platform enablement.

• Experience designing, developing and supporting REST services.

• Practitioner of unit testing, data structuring, profiling, performance tuning and debugging.

• Ability to deal with ambiguities effectively (Technology, People, Process, or Partner).

• Must be able to mentor team members and partners to accomplish project and departmental goals and objectives.

What Will I Earn?

This role comes with an annual CTC that is market competitive and depends on the quality of your work experience, degree of professionalism, culture fitness and alignment with FlytBase’s long-term business strategy.

How to Apply?

Interested candidates are requested to submit this form: https://forms.gle/vnvSGjgo3EyWd8rN6

Take-off for industrial drone course

Following the success of a pilot programme in 2022, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has launched a quality-assured course for operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or drones, in industrial environments. 

The use of drones across the industry is growing rapidly. This is due to the safety benefits and increased efficiency for workers that drones provide, as well as cost savings and a reduction in asset downtime for inspections.  Yet, until now, no consistent training existed for operators to use these within an industrial setting. 

The new ECITB Foundation UAS training course, created in close collaboration with the UK Drone Association, ARPAS-UK, is now officially open for training providers across the country to deliver.  It will support both industry and people who would like to develop their knowledge and skills to operate drones in industrial environments. 

There are myriad applications for drone use, particularly in the oil and gas, nuclear and renewables sectors. Worker exposure to work-at-height risks and other hazardous environments, such as the inside of storage tanks, can be significantly reduced through the use of drones.

But they can also be of huge benefit to the rail industry and general construction sites to map, track and survey major projects.  Combined with traditional techniques, drones can dramatically increase the safety and efficiency of asset inspection.

In its report Skies Without Limits (July 2022)*, global professional services firm, PwC, estimates there could be £3.5 billion predicted cost savings from drone uptake in the construction and manufacturing sectors alone (£22 billion across all industries). Drones can also contribute to the industry’s Net Zero goals by reducing carbon emissions by 2.4 tons.  But PwC highlights skills as an area that must be addressed to ‘Unlock Drone Potential’.

Andy Brown, Interim CEO at the ECITB, said: “There is real demand across the industry for operators who can not only pilot drones but who possess the specific and essential knowledge and skills to carry out drone operations effectively in industrial settings.

“Collaboration has been the key to getting this off the ground. Through effective collaboration with employers, training providers and learners, we have developed this quality-assured training to provide a consistent quality standard for all industrial drone operators.  It will directly tackle the skills gap, support employers to train and upskill their workforce and meet that identified need across industry.”

Jonathan Carter and Steve Ross from Global Drone Training delivered the pilot programme at Neath Port Talbot College in September 2022. This was attended by delegates from Sellafield and Network Rail.

Jonathan said: “This is an excellent course that includes how to comply with site policies and procedures. It is assessed by a practical flight competence test, where operatives pilot a drone in a real environment and capture, store and share viable images, complying with data protection.

“I would definitely recommend it to other training providers. Training providers licensed to deliver the course will receive all course materials including lesson plans, Powerpoint presentations, online and practical assessment materials, workbooks and exercises that are tried, tested and are ready to go.”

Amanda Smith, Sellafield UAV Equipment Programme Lead, said “UAVs are used on a regular basis at Sellafield to inspect our assets such as roofs, building cladding, ventilation ductwork and pipe bridges.  By using UAVs we have removed people from harm (people do not have to work at height on scaffolds or mobile elevating work platforms as much), reduced downtime on plants and cost avoided millions of pounds by not having to build scaffolds. 

“This course is very relevant to the work we are doing at Sellafield using UAVs.  Having an industry-wide standard that I can look for on a CV will give me more confidence that those applying for a job have training that is relevant.  It provides UAV pilots with industry experience which is vital when working on a highly regulated nuclear site.”

Liam Barrington, Project Manager with Network Rail, said he wanted to achieve a higher level of drone awareness and industry-specific competency which he could share within his organisation to better prepare new and budding pilots for real-life working situations. “The most enjoyable aspect of the course has been learning about new planning and ECI procedures. I will recommend future drone pilots in Network Rail attend this course.”

More information on the course is available on the ECITB website: www.ecitb.org.uk/dronetrainingcourse or via email: [email protected]

* Skies Without Limits (July 2022)

The Winners of the 3rd International Drone Show Competition! Check Out These Videos

3rd International Drone Show CompetitionThe winners of the 3rd International Drone Show Competition have been announced!

SPH Engineering, a major provider of drone show software, sponsored an international drone show competition that drew entries from 31 countries.  Drone show designers competed to win in 5 different categories:

  • Best Animation Drone show
  • Best Integrated Drone show
  • Best Promotional Drone show
  • Best Drone Show Storytelling
  • Best Drone Show at the Event

The winners came from all over the world, showcasing the technology and their creativity.  Drone shows have become ever more popular, showing up at events from concerts and sporting events to major city-wide holiday celebrations.  Unlike fireworks, drone shows can be performed indoors and can include elaborate animation.

  • 2 winners in the “Best drone show animation” nomination: Drone Show Animations team from Portugal & Diffuse x Titouan Malivoir from France,
  • “Best drone show storytelling“ nomination winner: Celestial from the United Kingdom,
  • 2 winners in the “Best drone show at the event” nomination: Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs from Taiwan & Andrei Golenev from the United Arab Emirates,
  • “Best promotional drone show”  nomination winner: Lumasky from the United Arab Emirates,
  • “Best integrated show: Fireworks and Drones” nomination winner: Sky Elementsfrom the United States of America.

“This Competition showed that the drone show industry is indeed one of the fastest growing areas today. I am delighted with the level that some of the contestants have reached in just a few months. A number of companies offer the market such ideas that it seems as if better and more interesting is no longer possible. But drone show choreographers, show producers, and leaders of drone show teams push the boundaries of the possible every time! Every finalist is strong! We would love to reward everyone, but rules are rules! Next year we will further expand the concept in accordance with the wishes and requests of the community,” said Alex Levandovskiy, head of the Drone Show Software division at SPH Engineering.

Beyond the entertainment value, drone show software showcases drone swarm capabilities and the potential for m:n (one operator, many drones) operations.

Check out these amazing videos of some of the winning shows, and the announcement video with clips:

Best in Show: Order in Chaos, and Chaos in Order:

Best Animation:

Read more:

New ADAS GNSS Simulator from M3 Systems

French engineering firm M3 Systems has developed a new tool for GNSS and multi-path simulation. The test bench, developed under the EU-funded CPS4EU project, is particularly well suited to testing assisted and autonomous driving applications.

M3 Systems test bench for the CPS4EU project. Image courtesy of M3 Systems.

The recently completed CPS4EU project (‘Cyberphysical systems for Europe’), funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework, was aimed at developing a common physical architecture for integrating hardware and software systems. Among the participants was M3 Systems, which demonstrated the integration of its StellaNGC simulator with advanced multi-path software in a ‘hardware-in-the-loop’ (HIL) test bench.

The overall goal of CPS4EU was to define a common physical architecture,” said Avag Tsaturyan, project leader at M3 Systems, “one that will enable the integration of different components much more easily, and reduce the time of overall development. And also, based on this approach, we wanted to develop and adapt different tools from all over Europe, and make a portfolio or database of systems.”

M3 Systems’ role in CPS4EU was to provide use cases and solutions. “One of the use cases was based on our GNSS simulator, StellaNGC,” Tsaturyan said. StellaNGC is the company’s flagship, fully customizable and upgradable software suite that supports GNSS tests and measurements throughout the design cycle, from prototyping to manufacturing. Under the CPS4EU initiative, M3 Systems integrated StellaNGC into a new test bench that can be used to assess the reliability of positioning systems for autonomous driving, intelligent mobility and many other applications.

Common architecture eases integration
“We integrated our StellaNGC GNSS simulator with the multipath simulation tool, allowing the performance of advanced and highly realistic GNSS simulation in the lab,” said Tsaturyan. “This can be useful for various applications. In particular it opens the door for ADAS [advanced driver assistance system] testing and certification, which is pretty critical nowadays. And, thanks to the common architecture that was developed, which was the goal of the CPS4EU project, our solution can now be integrated into other test benches, like other ADAS test benches, for example, to create much more complex tools.”

M3 Systems is ready to market their new simulation tool:”The customers who will buy our GNSS multi-path test bench are automotive OEMs, receiver manufacturers, or any company that has a GNSS model in their system for positioning, to be validated and, why not, for certification,” Tsaturyan said.

The CPS4EU project ran for three years (2019-2022) and was led by French automotive supplier Valeo. It included big names such as Leonardo, Thales, Vicomtech, Schneider Electric the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) as well as several universities. Tsaturyan called working on the project “a really interesting journey.”



3rd International Drone Show Competition! Submit Entries Now

3rd International Drone ShowSPH Engineering Holds 3rd International Drone Show Competition

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

The 3rd International Drone Show Competition, organized by SPH Engineering, is inviting drone show companies, 3D animators, event and marketing agencies with drone light shows in their portfolio, fireworks professionals and more to take part in the online event bringing together the best representatives of the drone show industry. The international jury will select the winners, who will receive prizes from drone manufacturer and competition partner Flyfire. Winners will receive the recognition of the Drone Show Global Community, and the creators of the best 3D animations will be able to present their works at the International Drone Show Festival in 2023.

Until November 20th, participants will be able to submit their project videos in up to five categories, including “Best drone show animation”, “Best drone show storytelling“, “Best drone show at the event”, “Best promotional drone show”, and the new “Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones” category added in partnership with Finale Fireworks. The winners in each of these categories will be announced this coming December, with each winner to receive a drone show operator kit alongside special prizes such as 5 Kaiken drones, DJI Avata Fly Smart Combo, IPhone 14 Pro, GoPro HERO11 Black and accommodation at the International Drone Show Festival

“The 2nd International Drone Show Competition had 214 registrations from over 104 countries. Then, back in 2021, we expanded the concept of the Сompetition and invited not only the drone show choreographers, as in 2020, but also the drone show companies with different experience and the size of light drones fleets,” said Alex Levandovskiy, head of Drone Show Software division at SPH Engineering. “The result was incredible! We decided to continue to expand the possibilities of the Competition for participants in 2022 as well.”

The competition’s International jury consists of Brad Nierenberg, RedPeg, Founder and CEO; Fran Arnau, CEO at Flock Drone Art and director of the International Drone Show Festival (Spain); Paul New, The Institute for Drone Technology, Co-Founder and Director; Armands Blumbergs, BaseMotion, Expert in drone show choreography / 3D animation, Executive Producer; Michael S. Eddy, PLSN Magazine, Co-Editor covering technology, products and design; Drew Espenshade, Finale Fireworks, Vice president of Sales & Marketing; Ernest Biosca, Artistic Department Manager of Flock Drone Art and Codirector of the International Drone Show Festival; Preston Ward, Sky Elements Drone Shows, Chief pilot and general counsel; Alex Levandovskiy, SPH Engineering, Head of the Drone Show Software division; and Nacho Cruje, drone show choreographer, 2nd International Drone Show Competition winner (Spain).

Read more about drone shows and SPH Engineering:

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.

SPH Engineering free webinar – Smart construction using drones
SPH Engineering free webinar – Smart construction using drones

Join the webinar on October 14th, 18:00 (GMT+3) organized by SPH Engineering and CLpartner to find out more insights using UAV technologies in the construction field.

Agenda:
How to make a construction site inspection

Organize spatial data management and processing workflows in the organization
How to exchange project results with clients

The webinar requires registration and will include time for questions.

Speakers


Alexey Yankelevich

Co-Founder and Head of Software Development

SPH Engineering

Alexey was the key developer behind the flagman UgCS drone mission planner back in 2013. Since then he has been responsible for R&D projects in the company, including the introduction of ATLAS, an AI powered platform to process data gathered with a UAV. As of today Alexey leads product development and liaises with main UgCS and ATLAS customers.

Reach out to Alexey on LinkedIn »»»

Geun-mok (Alex) Song

CEO

CLPartner

GeunMok(Alex) Song is a founder of CLpartner Inc. CLpartner Inc. is a company that performs drone-related services(surveillance, survey, design) in the construction field. He worked for 15 years in a construction company as a civil-engineer and was also a drone-racer. In 2015 and 2016, he was the national drone racing team in Korea and has a history of winning drone racing competitions in Korea and Asia.
Orbital UAV signs $3.5M contract with Singapore Defence customer - sUAS News - The Business of Drones
Orbital UAV signs $3.5M contract with Singapore Defence customer – sUAS News – The Business of Drones

UAV engine development program progresses to second stage of engineering work and provides pathway to production

PERTH, AUSTRALIA: Orbital Corporation Ltd (‘Orbital UAV’, ‘the Company’) is pleased to announce it has signed a contract worth A$3.5 million with its major Singapore customer.

The second stage engineering contract follows the initial engine design, development and integration
contract signed in 2020 and the successful delivery and acceptance of three prototype engine systems
delivered across 2021.

“We are delighted to move this significant program into the next stage of development. With this contract, we now have a clearly defined pathway through to production, representing an opportunity for Orbital UAV to establish itself in a new geography with growth potential in the mid-term,” said Todd Alder, CEO and Managing Director of Orbital UAV.

Orbital UAV signed a Memorandum of Understanding (‘MoU’) and initial contract with its Singapore based customer in March 2020 for the design, development and production of multi-fuel UAV engines (see ASX announcement 19 March 2020). As outlined in the MoU, both parties have now agreed terms
and conditions for the next phase of the program.

The Design & Development and Verification & Validation contract signed will see Orbital UAV
conduct further engineering work and deliver three additional prototype engine systems during financial
year 2023.

Subject to the successful delivery and acceptance of the work outlined, the parties have agreed a timeline
for the delivery of production-quality engine systems beginning in financial year 2024.

“This contract demonstrates the material progress we have achieved with our prestigious Singapore
customer and our broader customer diversification strategy. We look forward to delivering this phase of
the program over the next 12 months and taking the next step towards production,” said Mr Alder.
The latest contract is effective from July 2022.