BAE Systems recently demonstrated its vertical takeoff and landing
unmanned aerial system (UAS) at Fort Benning, Ga., for Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. Army representatives.

The unmanned system is designed to fly for more than one
hour, and deploy a signals intelligence (SIGINT) payload, known as
“WolfPack.” As part of DARPA’s Network Centric Experiment VIP
Demonstration in January, BAE Systems integrated WolfPack with its UAS
to demonstrate the deployment and relocation of the sensors.

“This demonstration shows that unattended battlefield
sensors can not only operate autonomously, but that they can be made to
be self-deploying, self-relocating and, if needed, self-recovering,”
said DARPA Program Manager Preston Marshall.

WolfPack consists of unattended sensors designed to
detect and disrupt enemy radio transmissions while avoiding disruption
of friendly military and protected commercial communications and
radars. BAE Systems unmanned aerial system is one of a number of
options being explored to insert the WolfPack sensors in urban and
remote battle space.

"The mobility provided by the unmanned aerial system
significantly enhances the utility of the WolfPack sensors," said Tom
Herring, vice president and general manager of Integrated Solutions for
BAE Systems. “Together, the sensor suite and the UAS represent an
important capability to support the war fighters’ needs.”

The emitter detection mission was conducted
autonomously, carrying the 22-pound SIGINT payload over a 1.1-kilometer
course. Launch and recovery were conducted from different locations to
emphasize how the UAS would actually be deployed. During the flight,
the UAS reached a speed of more than 30 knots while winds varied from
10 to 20 knots. The system landed autonomously within a meter of the
designated touchdown point. The flight was monitored from a
man-portable ground control station. After touchdown, the system
successfully detected the presence of a simulated threat radar.