Company Profile MAY 2002 MALAT. Architects of Integrated UAV System Solutions.

Transcription

1 Company Profile MAY 2002 MALAT Architects of Integrated UAV System Solutions

2 All Points Of THE COMPASS IAI/MALAT IS THE WORLD S PREMIER DESIGNER, MANUFACTURER AND DEVELOPER OF UAV SYSTEMS, AND HAS THE PEDIGREE TO PROVE IT. ii IAI/MALAT, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Division of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), was the first to introduce UAVs into military service, beginning its pioneering work with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Some 28 years later in the early 2000s IAI/MALAT became the first UAV contractor to have supplied aircraft systems clocking up in excess of 120,000 hours in operational flight. No other UAV systems supplier has yet achieved this milestone. All of IAI/MALAT s in-service UAV systems have been combat-proven and they have seen greater operational use worldwide than those of any other provider. The MALAT Division currently services the Israeli Air Force and Intelligence Corps and more than 20 customers worldwide. IAI is Israel s largest manufacturing enterprise, with annual sales in excess of US $2.6 billion; its order backlog is about US $3.8 billion and its profits have healthily topped the US $100 million mark. Exports now account for upwards of 80% of IAI s sales and IAI accounts for about half of Israel s defence exports. INNOVATE, DEVELOP, INVEST, APPLY These impressive achievements have been made through IAI s emphasis on practical and incremental innovation; value for money development; high and sustained investment in R&D; and the application of advanced technologies as force multipliers to significantly extend capabilities. The business and the development of its products has always been customer/user driven. IAI consists of four independent operating groups. The MALAT Division is part of IAI s A teaming agreement exists between IAI/MALAT and TRW for the US Army Hunter (UAV) programme. Military Aircraft Group but in addition it also benefits from IAI units including from IAI s Electronics Group IAI s Tamam Division and IAI s wholly-owned subsidiary Elta Electronics Ltd, and from IAI s Commercial Aircraft Group IAI s Engineering Division and IAI s Production Division. Thus, MALAT and other IAI Divisions can bring together and integrate in-house all of the main components that make up a complete UAV system. IAI s Tamam Division, for example, supplies the MOSP Multi-mission Optronic Stabilised Payload probably the most widely used electro-optic sensor on UAVs around the world today for TV and IR pictures and rangefinding. Elta s EL/M-2055 UAV reconnaissance payload, on the other hand, is a specially designed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Moving Target Indicator (MTI), which produces radar images approaching photographic quality day or night, penetrating clouds, rain, smoke, smog, fog or even man-made camouflage. Elta has also developed the EL/M- 2022A maritime surveillance radar that is suitable for UAVs. IAI s Engineering Division provides MALAT with required engineering services while the Production Division produces some of the main aircraft assemblies for MALAT. INTEGRATING REALISM IAI/MALAT s UAV systems benefit greatly from the synergy between the various IAI Divisions. This has meant that the MALAT approach to UAVs is to view them as a system within a system, not as something stand-alone its systems solutions are based on integrated architectures. MALAT s business philosophy is also refreshingly direct: build on what is simple and workable and do not re-invent the wheel. This makes for an affordable and realistic approach to project realisation. This philosophy is also perfectly consistent with the growing trend toward making use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment in defence procurement. IAI/MALAT can offer a UAV system for virtually every scenario conceivable, all tailored to individual customer requirements. The company teamed with AAI in the US, forming Pioneer UAV Incorporated (PUI) to work on the US Navy s Pioneer (UAV) programme. For the Swiss and Finnish purchases of the Ranger UAV system, MALAT also worked with Oerlikon-Contraves and Ruag Aerospace and was teamed with TRW for the US Army Hunter (UAV) programme. The Belgian Army Hunter programme saw MALAT team up with Belgian companies in the Eagle Consortium. IAI/MALAT has bought a 25% option in an Israeli company, Aeronautics Unmanned Systems Ltd, who are specialists in UAV systems miniaturisation and close-range/lowcost UAV systems. Another IAI/MALAT partner is the Israeli firm Simtech, which provides computer-based training and simulation systems for MALAT UAVs. With its experience, technology and teaming partners, there can be little doubt that IAI/MALAT will continue to be at the forefront of UAV systems development and customer support. Unmanned Vehicles May 2002

3 Looking Beyond THE HORIZON BUILDING ON ITS STATUS AS THE LEADING UAV PROVIDER, IAI/MALAT IS DEVELOPING SYSTEMS FOR OPERATION ANYWHERE, AT ANYTIME. The company s vast experience has led to approving observations from industry commentators like Michael Puttre and Kenneth Sherman. Their view is that Israel and MALAT have remained on the path of continuous incremental improvement of tactical and medium endurance systems with pedestrian pusher propeller configurations, carrying ever-more capable payloads on ever-more complex missions rather than pursuing exotic alternatives. There is a direct correlation between the Israeli (IDF) UAV experience and MALAT s systems evolution. During the 1973 Yom-Kippur War there were no UAVs, reconnaissance aircraft were subject to missile attack and there was no means of obtaining a real-time picture of the whole battlefield. MALAT s response was to develop the Scout UAV system with a daytime only EO sensor. By Israel s 1982 Peace for Galilee campaign in Lebanon, UAVs were providing limited VISINT (VISual INTelligence) of the battlefield. However, the mobility of the ground forces was inhibited by a lack of over-the-hill VISINT and no direct sensor-to-shooter datalinks. MALAT responded by fielding the Pioneer UAV System with exchangeable day/night EO sensors. CONSTANTLY EVOLVING SYSTEMS IDF security operations throughout the 1980s increasingly identified a need for real-time mobile target tracking in hot pursuit of pop-up guerrilla targets. Thus MALAT developed the Searcher UAV with combi day/night EO sensor and greater endurance. During the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq there was a lack of long-range reconnaissance of mobile tactical ballistic missiles (like Scud-B), causing the Heron UAV system to be developed to take interchangeable mission payloads. MALAT was first able to completely suppress the human piloting function with the introduction of Heron. Post-1991 Gulf War, IDF security operations emphasised the need for continuous day/night area surveillance, extended UAV airborne endurance and multi-payload carrying capability, so MALAT came back with the refined Searcher MKII and the Heron UAV for Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) operations. A similar pattern of customer needs-driven product evolution is beginning to emerge with the IAI/MALAT-TRW Hunter UAV system in support of the US Army s deployment of it along the Kosovo- Macedonian border both during the NATO conflict with Serbia in 1999 and subsequent peacekeeping between Macedonians and Kosovans of Serb or Albanian ethnic origin. During 2001, US Army Hunters were upgraded while still on field deployment in Macedonia with a new sensor package from IAI/Tamam, including a third-generation FLIR (forward-looking infra-red camera) with high zoom capability plus a 770 mm day-time TV spotter camera. MALAT s current main drive on air vehicles is to introduce more and more automation in mission execution. MALAT was first able to completely suppress the human piloting function leaving operators to concentrate solely on the mission working the payload with the introduction of the Heron UAV around the turn of the millennium. The Scout UAV system was developed as a means of obtaining a real-time picture of the whole battlefield during the Yom-Kippur War. Heron integrated all the automatic features developed in its earlier UAV programmes, including Automatic Take-Off & Landing (ATOL) from Ranger and Hunter, and Automatic Camera Guide and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) slave modes implemented on the Searcher programme. AUTOMATE TO IMPROVE MALAT s emphasis on automation is based on the lessons it has learned by analysing the percentage occurrence of faults identified by sub-systems, based on 120,000 hours of operational flight by its own UAV systems. The fully automated take-off and landing procedures, provided by MALAT in all of its systems, should deal with the 22% of systems failures due to operator error. Full fail-safe systems redundancy should deal with the 28% of faults due to avionics systems. MALAT s Deputy Director of Engineering, Jacques Chemla, says, Automation increases flight safety, simplifies operation, lowers operating costs and puts more attention on the mission. MALAT s GCS 2000 Ground Control Station, specifically designed to control the Searcher, Ranger and Heron UAVs, features built-in test equipment to report line replaceable unit (LRU) failures that may be rectified without interrupting the mission. iii May 2002 Unmanned Vehicles

4 A FAMILY OF UAV SOLUTIONS MALAT s current UAV systems Ranger, Searcher MkII, Hunter and Heron are all capable of addressing the full range of present-day operational scenarios: interdiction and close support for combat aircraft and helicopters, battle management and battle damage assessment, as well as rescue missions. The complete family of UAV systems is served by MALAT s new advanced Universal (UAV mission) Ground Control Station (UGCS) which is produced in either two- or threeoperator configurations. RANGER The Ranger UAV system is a 1990s evolution of the Pioneer UAV, in service with the US Navy since the mid-1980s. Amongst the adaptations, Ranger has been specifically designed to meet European environmental conditions, especially hilly or mountainous terrain, with poor weather and low visibility. It is manufactured by a Swiss/Israeli consortium teaming MALAT with Oerlikon Contraves and Ruag Aerospace. Its lead customer is the Swiss Air Force, which bought four systems including 28 UAVs, the IAI/Tamam MOSP multi-mission EO payload with autotrack capability, ground control stations, mobile receiving units and a state-of-the-art mission simulator. Ranger can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and designation, artillery adjustment, damage assessment and radio relay missions depending on its payload configuration. Ranger s mission range is up to 150 km, loitering for a maximum of 6 hours at up to 15,000 ft. All equipment is truck-mounted for easy mobility and a video link is even available to a manpack. Its automatic take-off and landing capability has reduced the operational crew requirement to just three people plus two mechanics, two electricians and support personnel. An emergency parachute system provides full safety over populated areas. The Finnish Army has also bought one full system of six UAVs with a MOSP video and FLIR payload and a pneumatic truck-mounted launcher made in Finland by Robonic. The Finns have an option to procure two further complete systems after in-service evaluation. Heron 1 and Heron TP are able to carry simultaneously more than five varied payloads weighing up to 250 kg. iv A System For Every OCCASION AS PART OF ITS COMMITMENT TO SUPPLY A TOTAL UAV SYSTEM SOLUTION ACCORDING TO CUSTOMER NEEDS, IAI/MALAT CONTINUES TO ENHANCE ITS UAV FAMILY. Unmanned Vehicles May 2002

5 ABOVE: As a 4th-generation UAV system, Searcher MkII has been sold to several customers worldwide. It has been adapted to the Elta EL/M 2055 SAR/MTI sensor. SEARCHER MKII As with Ranger, the Searcher MkII is a 4th-generation UAV system with automatic take-off and landing (ATOL). It is based on the third-generation, semi-automatic Searcher UAV that was introduced in parallel to the Scout as its future replacement with the IDF (the Scout is still in service with the IDF up to this day). The Searcher MkII is now also in service with the IDF and, in addition, it has been sold to numerous customers around the globe. It has an impressively long endurance of up to 15 hours flying at altitudes up to 20,000 ft. Searcher MkII has an operational radius of up to 250 km using the handshake principle of a UAV airborne data relay. Its payloads are the Standard MOSP (TV & IR Combi) or the EL/M 2055 Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator (SAR/MTI) sensor. The aerial vehicle has excellent aerodynamic performance, despite the distinctive stand-up antenna and bulbous radome of the airborne data relay that is well above the fuselage. In the event of a datalink loss it will automatically initiate an autonomous return home, like all other MALAT systems. with TRW, whilst the Belgian version has been manufactured by the Belgium-based Eagle Consortium of IAI/MALAT, Sonaca and Thales. There is also an extended Endurance Hunter (E- Hunter) version, that transforms existing Hunters through a three-hour field conversion using an IAI-supplied wing and tail assembly kit from the Heron production line in Israel. This conversion more than doubles the endurance of Hunter from the usual 12 hours to 25 hours and extends the service ceiling of the aircraft from 15,000 to 20,000 ft. Both versions have an operational radius of up to 200 km with a direct line-of-sight datalink, and up to 300 km using a UAV airborne data relay. The system in its maturity has turned out to be the real workhorse of US Army airborne reconnaissance. US Army Chief of Staff, General Dennis Reimer, acknowledges that Hunter has a proven track record of successful performance that is unmatched by any UAV. With an extended-range replacement for the Hunter delayed until at least 2005, the US Army decided in early A PROVEN TRACK RECORD HUNTER The Hunter UAV is operated by the US Army and US Marine Corps, as well as by the French Air Force and the Belgian Army. Though Hunter is an IAI/MALAT design, it is manufactured for the US armed forces in co-operation Ranger has specifically been designed to meet European environmental conditions, being bought by the Swiss Air Force and Finnish Army. v May 2002 Unmanned Vehicles

6 vi 2002 to create an additional Hunter unit to supplement the seven units initially in service, drawing on Hunter aerial vehicles it had maintained in storage. The real turning point for Hunter with the US Army was when it was deployed to Macedonia for operation over Kosovo in March During the NATO conflict with Serbia, it flew more flight hours than any other NATO reconnaissance platform and clocked close to 700 sorties, totalling nearly 4,000 flight hours with live video feed to warfighting units, NATO HQ and the Pentagon in real-time. Flying from civilian airfields, it provided nearly 24-hour-a-day coverage of targets over Kosovo. Moreover, it has been sent back to Macedonia every summer since to monitor the uneasy peace in Kosovo. Based on more than 15,000 flight hours, Hunter has shown the lowest failure rate of any UAV in service with the US armed forces. In the summer of 2001, Hunter showed itself to be worth its weight in gold according to Brigadier General William David, the Commander of NATO s Macedonian peacekeepers. He watched real-time video from two Hunters flying over a village near Skopje when an angry mob of Macedonian civilians set fire to barricades, blocking the escape of about 80 American soldiers because they had evacuated 300 ethnic Albanian rebel fighters as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by international mediators. The Hunters searched for and found hard roads that were clear enough for the soldiers vehicles to make their exit to safety. Typically on these operations, the Hunters are flown in pairs, not least because if one crashes the other can pinpoint it immediately for rapid recovery by a helicopter-borne rescue team very often the payload and the bulk of the equipment on the air vehicle are recoverable. Hence attrition rates have been surprisingly light. The US Army has also used Hunters in demonstrations to designate targets for attack helicopters and fixed-wing fighter-bombers. In one demonstration in 1998, a Hunter illuminated targets with its laser designator for five Hellfire missiles launched by an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter and for three Paveway laser-guided bombs dropped by an F/A-18 fighter. On another occasion in 1999, a Hunter fitted with the Izlid II target designator provided a laser guide for A-10 and F-16 pilots wearing night vision goggles. Under a programme called AMUST (Aviation Manned and Unmanned System Technology) the US Army has also shown Hunter with more than 15,000 flight hours, has shown the lowest failure rate of any UAV in service with the US armed forces. All MALAT s UAV systems can be operated from new advanced Universal (UAV mission) Ground Control Station (UGCS) configured for either two- or three-operators. how an Apache helicopter pilot can control a Hunter UAV in flight. The demonstration proved how Hunter could be used by a helicopter pilot to scout ahead for threats and targets, and how, utilising the UAV s laser designator to guide its rockets and missiles, the helicopter could increase its stand-off range, thereby improving pilot and helicopter survivability. HERON IAI/MALAT s Heron is a Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) strategic UAV system for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition as well as Customer Furnished Equipment (CFE) based missions. It provides deep-penetration, wide area, real-time intelligence. Especially for longrange operation, Heron has the capability of satellite datalink integration. Its payloads can include the IAI/Tamam MOSP Triple Sensor with CCD daylight TV, an IR sensor and a laser designator. It can also carry in parallel the Elta EL/M 2055 SAR/MTI sensor over land or Elta s EL/M 2022A multi-mode maritime surveillance radar for operation over water. The EL/M 2022A is specifically designed for anti-surface ship warfare, anti-submarine warfare, Coast Guard and EEZ patrol, law enforcement and search and rescue location and support. This maritime radar has a trackwhile-scan capability to handle targets. The SAR/MTI sensor operates in both strip and spot modes. The Ground Moving Target Indicator scans forward in an arc of 270º and its filter techniques allow detection of moving targets only. MALAT s Heron comes in two versions: a piston-powered version Heron 1 for high endurance flight of 40 hours flying at altitudes of up to 25,000 ft, or a larger turbo-prop version Heron TP for higher speed and altitude. The Heron TP has almost double the true airspeed of the Heron 1. It can reach altitudes of 45,000 ft but, at 20 hours, its endurance is half that of Heron 1. Maximum payload weight for both the Heron 1 and Heron TP is 250 kg. Both versions of Heron can take more than five payloads simultaneously on board. The air vehicle s retractable landing gear with brakes is both an added safety feature and a means of keeping the underside of the fuselage clearer for antenna installation. With two large modular payload bays, the aircraft features an adjustable centre of gravity. The UAV s wing profile has been specially designed to automatically reduce the amount of ice accumulation. But Heron also has an anti-icing system based on glycol fluid. Heron introduces a new level of fail-safe flight safety where no single subsystem failure can cause air vehicle loss. The Heron UAV system is in operational use with the Israel Defense Forces. Unmanned Vehicles May 2002

7 Another String To THE BOW AIRWORTHINESS AND OPERATIONAL CERTIFICATION ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO UAV FLIGHT. GREAT EMPHASIS IS PUT ON THIS ASPECT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. This is not just about giving the customer the UAV system required to address a given specification, or about building in some growth potential to meet future needs and generate future business prospects, says Michael Allouche, IAI/MALAT s Airworthiness Manager. MALAT is resolved that it must also involve tackling the whole difficult process of gaining the necessary official certification for customers to be able to fly their UAVs wherever they need to. MALAT s three decades of experience give it unequalled knowledge of how to gain airworthiness and operational certification for its UAVs in different parts of the world. As its UAVs have been able to fly further and are required to fulfil more civilian undertakings (like law enforcement or forest fire monitoring) or just need to operate more over civilian populations, this certification requirement grows. If it is not addressed properly, it will ultimately limit UAV operation. Hence, MALAT offers a turn-key solution to customers that includes taking care of the necessary certification for them if desired, says Allouche. AIRWORTHINESS AND OPERATION The general clearance principles are common to most, if not all, countries: UAV design must be shown to be safe and reliable to gain authorisation to fly over potentially densely populated areas. The airworthiness certification process is mostly related to this safety criterion. Secondly, UAVs should be safely operated over growing chunks of airspace. This relates to airspace management issues, operator qualification, maintenance and continued airworthiness. Firebird, used as a forest fire surveillance UAV was successfully test-flown in the US, gaining special FAA certification for flight authorisation. There are two interrelated issues here for UAV systems. The risks to the overflown population should not be higher for UAVs than for manned aircraft from an equivalent category. This is an airworthiness issue. Also the risk of air collision should not be higher for UAVs than for manned aircraft from an equivalent category. This is an operation certification issue. The Hunter System for the Belgian Army, for example, required the granting of a Temporary Certificate of Airworthiness by the Belgian Ministry of Defence. It required the same JAR VLA-type requirements for ground testing and flight testing as for a commercial aircraft, including failure handling demonstration and automatic take-off and landing (ATOL) capability. The MALAT Firebird 2001 was successfully test-flown in the United States Technical information needed to be presented to the FAA on its UAV safety features like autonomous flight management and safe flight termination capabilities; an ATC transponder needed to be installed on the Firebird 2001 air vehicle and direct communication needed to be established between the FAA inspectors and the UAV Ground Control Station. The same system was also the first UAV system granted certification to perform live demonstration flights at an air show FIDAE 1998 in Chile. AIRWORTHINESS CRITERIA A specific FAR/JAR code for UAVs has not been established but in all cases specific UAV design features must be examined against airworthiness criteria, says Allouche. Briefly, the primary criteria should cover fail-safe design including redundancy and backup features in flight critical systems, failure detection capability, navigation systems accuracy, GCS, hardware for the appropriate environmental conditions and software that is verified and validated using a rigorous methodology, Allouche states. Not forgetting that the system should have a robust flight termination capability and emergency procedures, including flight termination into pre-defined landing areas, should be coordinated with the ATC authorities. Therefore, MALAT believes that it is important to tailor the issue as a function of several operational, legal and technological factors, including: the envisaged class of airspace required; legal onus of see/detect and avoid and considering UAV specificity and technological considerations. ADVANCING THE CAUSE In order to advance the establishment of common European airworthiness certification procedures for UAV systems, IAI/MALAT initiated and co-ordinated the inaugural meeting of UAVNET in Sweden in It has launched two new research projects: UAV Safety Issues for Civil Operation (USICO) UAV airworthiness certification procedures, the prevention of mid-air collisions and flight simulations for UAVs; and Civil Applications and Economic effects of potential CONfigurations (CAPECON) seeking cost-effective and safe civil UAV applications, defining seven new civil aircraft configurations. UAVNET has received a European Union research grant that it has split between these two projects approximately US$ 4.1 million for USICO and US$ 4.7 million for CAPECON. vii May 2002 Unmanned Vehicles

8 Customers In Good COMPANY People Innovation & Technology YAIR DUBESTER, GENERAL MANAGER OF IAI/MALAT (UAV) DIVISION, KNOWS THE PRECISE PATH ALONG WHICH HE WISHES TO LEAD THIS DIVISION. viii It is IAI/MALAT s vision to lead the effort of implementing unmanned intelligence systems and real-time data gathering and dissemination worldwide. It sees itself as one of the leaders of the UAV industry, both domestically and internationally, today and in the future. In order to do this it adheres to one fundamental principle IAI is One Company, operating as a unified organisation and appreciated as such by all who do business with us, says Dubester. In the center of this principle stand three basic values customers, employees and our innovation and technology. As an integral part of this One Company principle, it is IAI/MALAT s business philosophy to satisfy its customers by providing them with the required support in all phases of its programmes. VALUED CUSTOMERS Our customers are our most valuable resource, states Dubester. When a customer does business with MALAT, he has reached the one-stop-shop for all his requirements. We guide new customers during the various definition phases operational as well as organisational in the initial stages, and share all programme progress data with them in order to create a customer/supplier Integrated Programme Team (IPT). This, we know from nearly 30 years of IAI operational and engineering experience, facilitates the best introduction into service of the acquired systems. A challenge facing customers and the UAV industry as a whole is understanding how UAVs will affect doctrine in ISTAR and deep strike missions. Experts in the field have been stating over the past few years that the future battlefield will make more and more use of UAVs. According to Dubester, The requirements tend to grow with the introduction of more and more systems to more and more customers. MALAT s current design efforts and product line provide the answers to current and foreseen requirements from tactical up to MALE UAV systems. By incorporating the realtime intelligence gathering systems in the C4I network, our UAV systems become an essential part of the global system of systems. In an associated matter, other prominent UAV businesses are of the opinion that there will be further displacement of manned aviation roles. By MALAT s estimations, the future battlefield is being contemplated to have around 30% of all aircraft as unmanned within 15 years. After having spent the last 27 years in the UAV business, Dubester believes that rapid expansion of the UAV industry could be expected earlier than this. Backing up his prediction, despite the decline of the general defence market over the years, he says that, The UAV market trend is not necessarily following the general military market trend, and according to the UAV market forecasts, the future looks promising. He is, therefore, certain that MALAT, as well as other UAV-related industries, will benefit from this positive UAV market trend. ONWARD AND UPWARD He goes on to say that after being established for almost 15 years in its current commercial set-up, IAI/MALAT regards itself as being one of the world market leaders in the UAV field. It is planning to enhance its UAV-related activities by providing system of systems-oriented, comprehensive, flexible and custom-tailored solutions. IAI/MALAT will do its utmost to retain its leading world market position and will strive to increase its annual volume of contracts by at least 10%, says Dubester. To do this, it plans to take a leading role in the definition, design, production, supply and after-sales support of new integrated UAV systems and in the upgrade of existing integrated UAV systems for the future battlefield. In order to achieve these aims Dubester is clear about his responsibilities, During my tenure as General Manager, and having had the privilege of accompanying the MALAT Division from its birth, I expect to be able to provide guidelines and leadership to new and senior staff. I hope to be able to increase our world market share and provide a solid future for IAI/MALAT. This will only be possible with the help and support of all our employees, the paramount factor in our success One Company. Unmanned Vehicles May 2002