security
Smaller Players Introduce Their Own Cutting-Edge Solutions
become transparent; the user simply requests image data from some vantage point relative to the ship or port. The system should launch, direct, recover and recharge helicopters without any human interaction. With an automatic launch station and, say, four helicopters, continuous ISR coverage would be possible. Vehicle replacement cost is low (less than $15,000), and the three-to-five-pound vehicles pose minimal risk to ships and personnel. One firm thinks it has a promising candidate for this type of operation. Henrik Christophersen, CTO and VP of Business Development at California-based Adaptive Flight Corp., says, “Helicopter guidance technology has come a long way in the last decade. Adaptive Flight’s Hornet UAV is commercially available and has proven itself a promising candidate for close-support maritime ISR applications.” Christophersen admits that “some work remains on the horizon.” This involves development of stationary, fully automated VTOL UAV launch-and-recovery stations (Adaptive Flight calls it the “Hornet’s Nest”). He adds that while these stations may be only a couple of years away, the task of autonomously landing a helicopter on a ship in heavy seas still poses a challenge.
RFID: Still Viable, Still Developing
Northrop Grumman’s Manager of its Automatic Identifica-
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THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE
The big companies are not the only solution providers, and expensive systems are not the only technological alternatives. Inexpensive and lightweight Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have the potential to support a wide range of safety- and security-related tasks on, and around, ships and ports. And now these applications may extend to preventing and predicting piracy attacks at sea. UAV applications for maritime security are likely to focus on providing real-time aerial video and situational awareness for crew and port personnel in charge of navigation, operational safety and security. Like a joystick-guided seagull with a video downlink, the UAV becomes the eye-inthe-sky, which can be commanded to fly high above a ship maneuvering into a crowded port, directed to inspect an approaching skiff in pirate-infested waters, or used by port security personnel to take a closer look at a new arrival. The UAV is billed as being easy to launch and recover from the ship, yet robust enough to operate in adverse weather and demonstrate 3D-agility as it maneuvers within a few feet of any “target of interest.” To design a robotic seagull is probably still beyond our capabilities, but small helicopters offer a suitable alternative. Small, unmanned autonomous helicopters offer many advantages over fixed-wing UAVs (airplanes) for closesupport maritime applications, known simply as “Intelligence, Surveillance and Recon,” or ISR. Helicopters perform well in adverse weather and the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capability make them suitable for complete hands-off operation from a ship or port. This is particularly true for electrically powered helicopters. UAVs
Athena Control Center
s e p tem b er / o ct o b er 2 0 0 9
natural flow of commerce without interruption.” ARAM is a spectroscopic monitoring system designed to detect and identify concealed nuclear/radioactive material in real time. ARAM is adaptable: It can be configured for fixed portal deployment (called RadPort), mobile and portable applications (RadTruck), and a man-portable backpack (RadPack). ARAM is currently in use in a variety of applications including port security and border crossing. “There is great demand for reliable and versatile monitoring systems at U.S. and international ports and other strategic sites. The focus is to protect against the potential terrorist threat,” said TDS Director of Emerging Systems, Brian Adlawan. “Several factors contribute to the maturity of ARAM in the field, including adaptability, ease of use, interoperability, and minimized cost of ownership.” Adlawan declined to disclose where their devices were in use.