Commercial, Military

AUVSI 2013 Opens Next Week in Washington 

By By Woodrow Bellamy III | August 8, 2013
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The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International will host Unmanned Systems 2013, its 40th annual gathering of the unmanned systems industry, in Washington D.C. next week, and Avionics Magazine has a preview of what to expect.
 
Beginning Monday, there will be 600 companies exhibiting their unmanned products for about 7,000 attendees from 40 different countries. AUVSI has planned more than 100 different sessions where conference attendees can hear from some of the industry’s top speakers, and 48 different presentations focused on the latest unmanned systems research on topics such as airspace integration development, civil and commercial UAS applications and UAS training. Here’s a preview what to expect:
 
 

Program

Lt. Gen. James O. Barclay, deputy chief of staff, Army G-8, will be one of the keynote speakers on Tuesday, Aug. 13. In 2010, Barclay, the commanding general in charge of Army aviation, released the UAS Roadmap 2010-2035, detailing how by 2025, army soldiers will be able to use a common controller to operate multiple types of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Also on Tuesday, James Williams, manager of FAA’s UAS Integration Office, will give the latest updates from his agency regarding the integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) on Tuesday at 3:30 in Room 145A. Williams is among several members of the UAS Integration office that will participate in panel discussions at the show. 

John Porcari, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will give a keynote address on Wednesday. In April, Porcari hosted a public engagement session where FAA heard input from American citizens about the integration of UAS into the NAS. Along with Porcari, will be Rear Adm. Mathias W. Winter, program executive officer, unmanned aviation and strike weapons, U.S. Navy. He will be giving a keynote address on maritime UAS capabilities. Michael Toscano, president and CEO of AUVSI will give the opening comments for the show on Wednesday and Thursday. Toscano has been a leading advocate of UAS integration into the NAS in recent years.

Exhibitors

–– Insitu: Insitu was recently received FAA approval to begin using its Scan Eagle UAS for commercial applications within the United States. The company plans on hosting a series of demonstrations next week, including an overview of its Scan Eagle program and a discussion of benefits of UAS for first responders. There will also be a demonstration of command and control abilities with its UAS, and Colonel Jim Rector, PMA-263 program manager, will give an update on Insitu’s Integrator, which features removable infrared cameras and multiple payload pays. 

(Insitu’s ScanEagle. Photo, courtesy of Boeing.)

–– AeroVironment: AeroVironment’s Puma AE recently received restricted approval from FAA for commercial applications in regions of the Arctic. Company executives will be at the show discussing how their small UAS are being used for scientific research, law enforcement and other purposes. Among UAS on display will be the Qube, Wasp AE, RQ-11B Raven and Wasp AE. 

(AeroVironment’s Puma. Photo, courtesy of AeroVironment.)

–– Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman will have a large presence at the show, with several of its unmanned platforms on display, including the X-47B, MQ-4C Triton and Global Hawk. Capt. Patrick Smith, program manager for the U.S. Navy’s Fire Scout program, will give a program update on Naval deployment of Northrop’s next generation unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8 Fire Scout.

(Northrop Grumman’s X-47B. Photo, courtesy of Northrop Grumman.)

–– Aeryon Labs: Aeryon Labs will feature both of its small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), the Scout and SkyRanger at its display booth. The company will also explain to attendees how its platforms are helping the U.S. Coast Guard coordinate emergency fuel delivers to Nome, Alaska, and how its assisting the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association with ship-based wildlife studies. 

–– Hubei Ewatt Technology Co.:  Wuhan, China-based Hubei Ewatt Technology will be displaying several of their surveillance UAS during the show. Hubei’s aircraft are being transported to the show by a U.S. military transport cargo jet. AUVSI Unmanned Systems 2013 will be the first time that these aircraft will be exposed outside of China. Ewatt will also discuss its development of UAS platforms designed to perform power line inspections on the Chinese state power grid.

–– Cobham: Cobham will be displaying many of the different products it uses to support unmanned systems. Among these products on display will be its Mincan Interference Cancellation and Anti-Jam GPS systems, both used to coordinate UAS communications between ground control stations and aircraft. Cobham will also be displaying an array of new antennas for designed for unmanned aircraft. 

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