Germany:
Rheinmetall DeTecA/
~ Rheinmetall DeTecAUAV
The Tares attack drone is capable of remaining aloft for up to four hours and attaining a range of up to 200 kilometres.
Germany's Bundeswehr has already been deploying unmanned aircraft for many years.
RDE's new KZO drone, whose initials stand for Kleinfluggerδt Zielortung or "small air vehicle, target-locating"
and which is currently being introduced into the Bundeswehr, is claimed to sets new standards with respect to

precision,

reliability,

availability,

real-time capability,

range and

autonomy.
The KZO was originally developed in order to support long-range artillery systems like the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer.
Their ability to engage point targets at ranges of up to 65 kilometres created a need for new reconnaissance systems
which would enable full exploitation of this unprecedented gain in range and precision.

This approach to artillery operations has two decisive advantages:
greater accuracy means that the desired effect on the target can be achieved with a smaller expenditure of ammunition;
while the risk of collateral damage is also reduced.
This example of finely honed high technology is the outcome of an elaborate research and development effort.

Ralf Hastedt began work on drone systems for various applications as early as 1988.
Now head of sales of aviation systems at RDE, he is one of more than 200 experts
engaged in the ongoing development of unmanned aviation technology at this Bremen-based company.
"Prior to 1988", recalls Hastedt, "the original challenge was essentially to recreate and replace the pilot."

The result: the unmanned air vehicle, whose mission was to fly pre-planned missions on an autonomous basis.
It was intended that the operator of these vehicles would be able in future missions
to focus fully on data collection and analysis.
"As early as the 1970s, we had already laid the basic groundwork which would enable us to make do without a pilot",
explains Hastedt, a graduate in communications engineering who spent his military service as a forward artillery observer.

However, there are still UAV systems in service today which are controlled manually and require runways,
and thus demand substantial spending on infrastructure and training.
Moreover, numerous contractors came up with concepts to use drones as decoys to deceive enemy aircraft.

In Germany, by contrast, we've pursued a basic policy right from the start
that autonomous remote reconnaissance operations and standoff engagement of targets
should both be able to be carried out by drones, says Hastedt.
Anything that was dangerous, dull or dusty was supposed to be performed by autonomous devices,
thus making life safer and easier for human beings.

Today more than ever, when out-of-area deployments and peace enforcement missions are the order of the day,
the long years of patience and past effort is finally paying off:
a significant operational requirement now exists for unmanned standoff reconnaissance
– a capability that substantially widens an army's operational spectrum.

Since 1998, RDE has pressed ahead with the development of unmanned aircraft based on the Brevel system.
In 2005, delivery of the KZO reconnaissance UAV commenced;
by 2007, the Bundeswehr will be equipped with six of these systems,
corresponding to 60 UAVs and the accompanying ground equipment, including 12 ground control stations.

RDE's KZO drone, which is currently being introduced into the Bundeswehr,
sets entirely new standards with respect to precision, reliability, availability, real-time capability, range and autonomy.

As a tactical reconnaissance asset, the KZO will be deployed at brigade level.
This is in line with its intended tactical role as a small, lightweight, highly mobile reconnaissance system
for short- and medium-range missions in the area of operations.

Higher-echelon classes of UAV are deployed by other branches of the military in a strategic role,
e.g. the Medium Altitude Long Endurance ("Male") and High Altitude Long Endurance ("Hale") systems deployed by the US Air Force.

Partnered with the firepower of the PzH 2000 and other long-range delivery systems,
the KZO will replace traditional ground-based forms of reconnaissance,
which are in any case incapable of reaching a distance of 65 kilometres
and which place soldiers at considerable risk because the have to operate deep in enemy territory.

As a result, long-range assets such as self-propelled howitzers and rocket launchers can be provided with target data
almost instantaneously. The whole process can be accomplished in barely 60 seconds,
thanks not least to the use of jamming-proof data links that operate in the gigahertz range.
"Today, data links of this kind have a range of 120 kilometres, maybe even 150 ", reveals Hastedt.

Moreover, due to its compact size and low optical signature,
the KZO is virtually invisible
Made of plastic, the air vehicle is really quite small:
just 2.28 metres in length, and with a wingspan of 3.24 metres.
Moreover, its fuselage measures a mere 91 centimetres in diameter.

Thanks in part also to signature camouflage, its silhouette barely registers on enemy radar screens.
"It's really too small for radar to pick up, plus it has characteristics untypical of other aircraft", insists Ralf Hastedt.

Unlike cheaper, simpler systems, the KZO is characterized by a high degree of system survivability and autonomy.
"This is no place to cut corners, which inevitably comes at the cost of reliability.
After all, peoples' lives are at stake when it comes to tactical information.
Which is why demand is on the increase for high-precision, modular systems which can survive on their own", declares Hastedt.

The KZO falls squarely into this category.
Both day and night, it is capable of carrying out reconnaissance missions in virtually all weathers,
even under conditions of severe icing.
High mobility and global deployability likewise feature among the strengths of this Bremen-made UAV.
As a rule, the KZO flies its missions on a pre-programmed basis.
If necessary, however, its flight path can be altered during the mission from the ground station;
it is also possible to hand over control of the drone to another ground station.

Although the KZO is equipped with a GPS system,
it normally navigates with the aid of position measuring and an automatic comparison of the aerial view
with the pre-programmed digital map.
This means that the drone can operate without the need for GPS,
which is susceptible to disruption and electronic countermeasures.
In addition, evasive flight manoeuvres enhance its survivability,
even if it encounters antiaircraft fire.
"What's more, the UAV can loiter over the target zone", adds Hastedt,
meaning that it can either wait for targets of opportunity to appear or take on new missions.

Depending on the equipment configuration,
such missions can vary quite considerably.
For example, the ground-controlled Ophelios infrared sensor – the "magic eye" onboard the KZO drone
– has an 8 x zoom feature.
It is suspended on multiple axes, meaning that the images it delivers remain upright and steady even during extreme flight manoeuvres.

Moreover, these images can be evaluated in near real-time at the ground station.
Reconnaissance missions arrive at the ground station in digital format
and are forwarded to the UAV in the form of a flight program;
the team in the ground station container monitors the progress of the mission,
and can hand over control of the drone to another control station further afield.

Here, too, the modular concept of the overall system comes into its own:
data from the control station is transmitted via a fibre optic cable to the antenna vehicle.
This takes the form of jamming-proof "full duplex" data transmission, in which both sides can send and receive data.

For situations where this cannot be done immediately,
RDE engineers have worked out a solution.
Take a situation where the KZO conducts filming operations in an area
in which radio transmission is either disrupted or impossible.
In such cases, up to ten minutes of video footage is recorded and compressed on board.
Once the data link is restored, the ground crew can still download and analyze the imagery.

Normally, though, the soldiers in the ground control station are able to monitor the situation
in the area of operations live at all times.
This is something which differentiates the KZO from other reconnaissance systems,
which either transmit images of the overflight area immediately or record them for later evaluation.

But the KZO's capabilities are by no means limited to infrared monitoring.
Able to shoulder up to 35 kilograms, this UAV can carry numerous different payloads.
"We have the world's best payload-to-vehicle weight ratio, a factor of less than one to five", affirms Hastedt.

Electronic warfare equipment for jamming enemy communications
or reconnoitring enemy data links offers a good example of a possible payload.
Here in particular, Ralf Hastedt sees strong future potential for the intelligent KZO:
"We can use it to locate radio and mobile phone networks,
which would be very useful for predicting enemy activity well in advance."

This lightweight system, which fits into the launch container in ready-to-fly configuration,
makes it suitable for use by rapidly advancing forces,
even when travelling on narrow roads.
It is launched directly from the transport container by means of a launcher rocket,
though it can also be launched using a catapult.

During flight, the KZO is powered by a motor-driven tail propeller.
With a takeoff weight of 161 kilograms,
t can cruise at mission speeds ranging from 120 to 220 kilometres per hour at mission altitudes of 300 to 3,500 metres.
Thanks to its onboard de-icing system, the KZO can operate under virtually all weather conditions.

Nor have arrangements for its safe return to base been neglected:
the KZO lands by parachute with pinpoint precision on specially designed airbags.
Thus, just as it is able to take off from the mobile launch unit regardless of the terrain or the particular mission,
it can also land anywhere. Maintenance work is carried out in the mobile container system.

Obviously, a system of this kind also lends itself to monitoring borders and coastlines.
This opens up tremendous potential for gaining a foothold in new markets:
"We're planning to export this system to numerous countries around the globe", declares the 43-year-old sales manager.

For example, together with the company's new US partner,
Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville, Alabama,
RDE hopes to tap into the US market with a variant of the KZO
specially designed for the country's "Future Combat System".
And for situations calling for a more robust response than mere reconnaissance,
RDE now offers the Tares, a state-of-the-art attack drone.

Because there are systems and components around the world
which UAV specialists can rely on,
in the future RDE will also be marketing externally produced systems in its capacity as a complete systems supplier.
Take Eagle Eye, for example:
in cooperation with the companies Sagem and Bell Helicopters,
RDE will be offering this vertical takeoff and landing system in Europe.

In this case, this US-developed system will be equipped with a Bremen-made payload
– infrared cameras, for instance – and will be controlled from an RDE ground station.
"In this way, numerous new synergy effects come into play when it comes to the carrier drones,
which will of course be equipped with systems where RDE expertise is right on the cutting edge", stresses Hastedt.

Ralf Hastedt is also homing in on the market potential of the world's navies.
At present, various European shipbuilding and/ or modernization programmes are underway,
for instance in France, Italy and Germany.
Ship-based UAVs, which have a standoff reconnaissance capability,
are set to play a major role in future naval reconnaissance operations,
predicts Hastedt, pointing out that "radar systems are always limited by the horizon."

UAVs can see beyond the horizon, making them superior in this respect to surface radar systems.
As Hastedt explains, "The Eagle Eye system offers an excellent example of this capability.
We don't make the UAV itself, of course,
but we do supply customers with the interoperable command station as well equipping the system
with a payload of whatever sensors and effectors are required.

In the long-range MALE systems domain,
Rheinmetall Defence Electronics is also cooperating successfully with other companies.
In order to offer the US-built "Predator" platform to air forces in Europe,
RDE is cooperating with the Diehl company.
RDE will be supplying the necessary ground stations and sensors,
and will act in tandem with Diehl to offer the complete system in Germany.

Nor is reconnaissance a matter merely for the military.
The police in a number of countries are already using drone aircraft in a surveillance and monitoring role.
In the crowded skies over Europe, the use of UAVs is held back by regulatory rather than technological limits.

"In the future, drones will have to play by the rules governing air traffic,
and make their presence known to other aircraft.
We can definitely do this with the KZO system,
meaning that it will be able take part in general air traffic", states Hastedt.
By equipping the UAVs with appropriate transponders
they become instantly recognizable as such.
This opens up the possibility of using UAVs in a wide variety of tasks
e.g. for monitoring roads and rail lines during the transport of hazardous goods (nuclear waste, for example),
as well as for controlling borders and monitoring coastlines.
The company's Carolo mini-drone, by the way, was developed especially for civil sector tasks.
Flying in satellite-supported, autonomous mode,
the Carolo P50 micro-drone system can be deployed in military and civil contexts alike.

Clearly, when it comes to possible applications the sky is the limit:
"Conceivably, in cooperation with other companies,
we could supply air vehicles which are able to fly with or without a pilot,
and which could be used in military, paramilitary and police operations in a surveillance or monitoring role.
Our objective is to offer system solutions and services
such as the overflight of certain areas on a contract basis.
The idea is to be able to offer demand-oriented short-term system solutions
coupled with comprehensive support and flexible services as a core element of our future UAV operations", explains Hastedt.

Despite the small number of units each customer can be expected to buy,
RDE considers itself well positioned in the UAV market thanks to its KZO,
Carolo and Tares systems, whose modularity – coupled with international cooperation programmes
– makes them commercially viable and flexible to produce.

In Europe, Hastedt sees abundant scope for cooperation with other companies.
In any case the technological trend points to greater system autonomy and self-reliance:
"Today we need to invest in making UAVs better at carrying out autonomous missions.
It's possible to imagine a system receiving a mission,
and then automatically processing, managing and evaluating the data before forwarding it on,
with or without a ground station, and feeding it into a data network", says Hastedt, casting an eye to the future.

His vision of tomorrow also encompasses fuel:
Hastedt envisages a day when UAVs are no longer fuelled by kerosene,
but are instead powered by diesel engines or fuel cells.

What role do unmanned air vehicles play today?

Today UAVs are deployed in all kinds of military operations and at all levels of escalation.
As robotic systems, they are primarily intended for a combat or combat support role,
though they are also very useful in supporting peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions.

By using UAVs, its possible to avoid risking the lives of your own soldiers
while still showing the flag and letting the enemy know you mean business.


What all can a UAV do?

At present, UAVs are deployed first and foremost for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance,
but they can also be used in an offensive or protective capacity.
Their main mission is to provide imagery – both day and night –
even under the most difficult operating conditions.
They also engage in electronic warfare operations, jamming enemy communications,
as well as providing timely information on the tactical situation.
And UAVs are already being used to carry out pinpoint attacks on selected targets.


Where do the KZO's strengths lie?

Force transformation is an ongoing process which involves having to modify your equipment to meet new mission requirements.
Today, RDE's KZO drone is capable of carrying out general monitoring and surveillance operations.
But thanks to its modular design, the system can be quickly and inexpensively modified to perform other missions.

Thus, the KZO lends its perfectly to the ongoing process of force transformation.
We've already shown that it can operate under even the toughest conditions.
Worldwide, the KZO system offers the best payload-to-total weight and size ratio of any drone.
Moreover, it can be quickly adapted at any time to operate with the latest network-enabled command and control systems.


What will the Tares attack drone be able to do?

Tares is the successor of the Taifun UAV.
(The acronym Tares stands for "Tactical Advanced Recce Strike System", by the way.)
Tares was designed and engineered to ensure a high degree of compatibility with our KZO system.

Essentially, it is a fully autonomous standoff weapons platform capable of striking targets
anywhere in its area of operations.
It is also capable of guided operations in which the operator has the final say in a continuous process of target
identification and verification. We call this the man-in-the-loop (MITL) function.

What's special about this is that operator is aided by the all-weather-capable target search and
target classification capabilities of the Tares sensor head, which is a major relief during extended search-and-destroy missions.


What differentiates the RDE system from its competitors?

Designed on the basis of the KZO, the Tares features highly advance automation and autonomy functions.
In the future this technology will be crucial in providing sensor data processing and operator support.

Already today, advanced networked systems generate a multiplicity of data and information,
which, thanks to the advanced mission intelligence of systems like Tares,
the operator can now exploit properly for the first time. Moreover,
Tares doesn't depend on navigation systems like GPS that can be interrupted or jammed,
and – unlike guided missiles – it can loiter over the target zone.


Are systems like this going to render fighter pilots obsolete someday?

It's certainly true that attack drones with appropriate system characteristics will be used in the future
in a typical aerial combat role. And when the time comes, RDE will be ready with the necessary technology.

What is the market for UAVs like?

The robotics market – especially aerial robotics – is growing at quite a clip.
Growth rates have been topping 20 percent in some regions.

In the United States and Europe, the emphasis has been on expanding the array of options available to the military,
to include long-range UAVs and the replacement of obsolete tactical systems.

In the Asia-Pacific region, fully operational systems are currently being introduced,
ranging in scale from tactical drones to longer-range strategic systems.


Do customer requirements vary?

They certainly do! Based on past patterns,
long-term procurement has ranged from meticulously customized designs to quickly available modular systems delivered in small numbers.

Thanks to cooperation agreements with other companies,
the RDE range of products now extends beyond its basic KZO and Tares.
Together with partners in Europe, we're working on follow-on generations based on the KZO,
aiming to produce future European solutions in the tactical systems domain.
Here, the idea is to integrate UAVs into a higher echelon "system of systems" in the military and paramilitary sphere.


What sort of applications will we see in the civil sector?

It really depends on whether UAVs will be allowed to take part in general aviation traffic or not.
There's definitely potential for using them in a police or paramilitary capacity,
for instance in monitoring coastlines and land borders,
as well as in a homeland security role,
for example in safeguarding sensitive installations like energy distribution networks.
In a sense, the requirements – whether military, paramilitary or police – at least partly overlap.


What about RDE's role as a system supplier and competency centre?

RDE possesses a complete systems capability, encompassing development,
production and modification, and of course service and technical support.
We start with a requirements analysis, and progress on to a system or subsystem concept and specification,
followed by the development and fabrication of core elements of the vehicle and payload function chain;
each level, up to and including the complete system,
is then subject to certification.
Moreover, RDE offers users a complete support package,
including lifetime service for the entire system.

So it's definitely fair to say that RDE is a supplier of complete solutions for UAV systems and applications.

A new, more intelligent "Taifun"

RDE is currently modifying its Taifun attack drone for a standoff engagement role.
Originally intended for use against massed armour formations,
it was designed to operate as an autonomous system, seeking out and destroying targets.
Now Taifun is being endowed with new intelligence; the modified version of the system is known as the Tares,
standing for "Tactical Advanced Recce and Strike".

The Tares attack drone is a highly advanced weapons system capable of remaining aloft for up to four hours
and attaining a range of up to 200 kilometres.
When it comes to finding, classifying and engaging targets behind enemy lines,
Tares fulfils the Bundeswehr's complete catalogue of performance criteria.


Arising from the need to operate in future trouble spots and conflict scenarios,
the new system specifications confronted RDE's technicians with considerable challenges.

Among these design specifications is the clear-cut identification of targets,
enabling the operator to decide at any time whether or not to engage a target.
Tares will thus furnish the operator in the ground station not only with radar imagery but also with high-resolution
infrared images of stationary and moving targets from up to 600 kilometres away,
depending on the type of data link.

This gives the team on the ground the option of intervening in order for instance
to switch targets or even abort the mission.
to enable this, the system can be equipped with an infrared imaging device mounted to the underside of the UAV,
supplementing its built-in image-generating radar sensor.

Moreover, state-of-the-art imagery data densification coupled with a high-performance data channel
permits the rapid transmission of radar and infrared images from the UAV to the ground station,
even at great distances.
The intelligent Tares drone thus features a number of advantages over comparable guided missiles
– and at a fraction of the cost.

It is above all in contemporary scenarios that the Tares comes into its own.
Because this UAV reconnoitres its targets from a considerable standoff and
– thanks to stealth technology – is virtually invisible to radar,
the system features a high degree of survivability.

On its maiden flight on December 20th 2004,
the Tares achieved several important development milestones,
successfully demonstrating not only its aerodynamic characteristics but also its imagery transmission and flight control functions.

Thus far, both Germany and the United Kingdom have expressed initial interest in this intelligent combat system,
seeing in it a rational supplement to the KZO drone.
Capable of engaging hard and soft targets on land,
the Tares would give the Bundeswehr special capabilities which do not exist in Europe at present.

RDE also sees good prospects for the Tares outside of Germany:
worldwide, armies are weighing various concepts for the standoff engagement of point targets.
But the lack of suitable candidates means that they have so far not been able to buy comparable systems.
The Tares, once it has been shown to meet the required specifications,
will enjoy a considerable advantage, reaching the market well ahead of competing systems.

Now, more than ten years after the start of pre-development work on the Taifun,
and drawing on experience gained during foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr,
the system is being modified to match the altered parameters, which will take the system to new heights.
It clearly has the potential to make the Bundeswehr a leader in the domain of UAV attack systems.



Information from the other side of the hill

The product of a cooperative partnership, the Carolo mini UAV can be used in multifarious missions.
DSE'S partner here is a spin-off company of the Technical University of Braunschweig, Mavionics GmbH.
So small that it can be launched by hand, the Carolo can provide valuable information in broken terrain at close distances.

The system consists of three components: the air vehicle itself (whose main wings are mounted to the fuselage)
with a T-shaped tail assembly; the ground station;
and the transport case, equipped with an integrated antenna.

Powered by an electric motor, the Carolo P50 features a folding propeller.
Contained in its 49cm-long wings are rechargeable batteries,
enabling it to remain aloft for 15 minutes.
Capable of operating at altitudes of over 100 metres,
it can attain a maximum speed of 65 kilometres per hour. Its payload consists of components weighing 50 grams;
these can be easily exchanged for other electronic components for other missons.
Made of lightweight plastic, the Carolo weighs just 530 grams, not much more than pound.

On the underside of the fuselage is a camera system mounted at a 45° angle.
The camera enables the transmission of colour images.
The data is transmitted by a trailing antenna mounted to the tail of the aircraft.

The GPS system is also contained in the fuselage.
Data transmission and the data link between the UAV and the ground station is the task of a telemetry module.
This enables up- and downlink data to be exchanged between the Carolo and the ground station.
This way, the operator can change the route, the mission data
or operating altitude of the aircraft while it is in flight.
Furthermore, the current status of the system can be requested by radio at any time.

Rheinmetall Defence Electronics markets the Carolo in cooperation with Mavionics.
A whole of family of small UAVs is gradually taking shape,
the smallest of which is the Carolo P50.
In the meantime, Mavionics has completed development of the Carolo T140,
a twin-engine UAV with high-set wings.
Capable of carrying a payload weighing 300 grams, it can remain in the air for over 45 minutes.