Crazy-Efficient Rotary Engine Lands Million-Dollar DARPA Contract

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We love when a tiny company does big things.

LiquidPiston, Inc., of Bloomfield, CT, recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, to use the hyper-efficient rotary engine technology for military purposes. The advanced combustion tech could be used in weaponized UAVs, robotic soldiers, and generators that produce 3kW of electric power—but fit in a backpack.

Father-and-son team Nikolay and Alec Shkolnik say LiquidPiston can dramatically downsize combustion engines used in military scenarios. The Shkolniks say that their motor can be adapted to use only Jet Propellant 8 (JP-8), the fuel favored by the U.S. military, to produce power in a small, quiet, and efficient package.

"A diesel generator that's the size of a desk and weighs 300 pounds becomes a 2-foot-square engine that generates the same power," Alec Shkolnik tells.

A typical 3kW gasoline-powered generator—the type used at construction sites and as a stop-gap during power outages—weighs about 140 pounds and measures about 3 feet long, 2 feet high, and 2 feet wide. The military uses such generators in remote areas, but they are ungainly beasts. Shkolnik says LiquidPiston's equally powerful generator using JP-8 would weigh about 30 pounds (the motor itself would weigh just 8 pounds) and fit in a backpack. Used in drones, the LiquidPiston engine could be small enough to fit inside the envelope of the fuselage.

"We see a lot of potential military uses, including robotics," Shkolnik says. "We're going to work with DARPA to make hardware improvements to our motors, and model them for scenarios where full-size combustion engines could be replaced."

DARPA Project Manager Mark Gustafson, who has led high-profile projects for the military such as the $6 billion propulsion system for the F-35, sees great promise in the LiquidPiston technology.

"INSTEAD OF A PISTON ON A CRANKSHAFT YOU HAVE LIQUID PUSHING UP TO COMPRESS THE GAS-AIR MIXTURE."

"The nation would benefit greatly from the development of a high-power-density, energy-efficient engine that could operate on heavy hydrocarbon fuels," he tells. "We are excited about the plans to develop and test key technologies that could help achieve that goal, and look forward to LiquidPiston's efforts to accelerate progress in this important field of work."

LiquidPiston emerged two years ago as a novel alternative to conventional combustion engines. "The LiquidPiston engine fires like a combustion engine," Nikolay Shkolnik says. "But instead of a piston on a crankshaft you have liquid pushing up to compress the gas-air mixture."

LiquidPiston

A more extensive explanation of the LiquidPiston motor, and its benefits, was published by Popular Mechanics upon the introduction of the technology. You can read it here.

In addition to its collaboration with DARPA, the company plans to market power tools for home use, such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, and string trimmers. These products will be on shelves at your local Home Depot and Lowe's two or three years from now, Alec Shkolnik says

Как Беларусь перевооружает украинскую армию

Пока Западные союзники Киева обсуждают форматы помощи, Беларусь активно включилась в перевооружение украинской армии.

Торговлю с обеими сторонами можно списать на экономические интересы Беларуси. Как никак, при выборе между первым и вторым по объемам внешнеэкономическим партнёром хочется сохранить обоих. Но поставки техники двойного назначения, или же просто вооружения — политика совсем другого рода, пишет украинское издание hvylya.net.

Поэтому заявление президента Беларуси о том, что «без американцев в Украине невозможна никакая стабильность…. если американцы хотят, чтобы здесь был мир и стабильность, они немедленно должны подключиться к этому процессу», не стали шоком.

Да, неожиданно. Но не сам факт, а прямолинейность его подачи и то, что из всего двухчасового интервью именно эта фраза начала рекламироваться пресс-службой президента Беларуси.

Лукашенко за долгую историю «интеграции» с Российской Федерацией прекрасно понимает всю опасность, которую представляет из себя союзник. И как только в Кремле начали поднимать ставки в борьбе за сферы влияния, в Минске поняли — Беларусь будет следующей. Особенно в случае поражения Украины. Тогда Кремлёвские властители уже не скрывая целей, приступят к реанимации СССР (или Российской Империи). В таком формате у Лукашенко есть два варианта: либо стать губернатором края (пусть и с сохранением названия «президент») или исчезнуть.

Таким образом, Лукашенко, кроме выгод успеха Украины, ощутил и опасность. Причём не только для Беларуси, но и для себя лично. Последнее чрезвычайно важно, учитывая характер «уже не последнего диктатора Европы». Что делать? Естественно, помочь Украине. И, что занимательно, пока Западные союзники Киева обсуждают форматы помощи, Минск действует. Да, торгуя. Да, за деньги. Но извините, тот же КРАЗ уже год ждёт от союзников двигатели для промышленного выпуска броневиков. А в ЕС всё думают: стоит ли так дразнить Россию. Это так, лирическое отступление. А дальше голые факты. Которые обошли вниманием журналисты (как в Беларуси, так и в Украине).

Двигатели и автотехника.

Украинскому читателю известно, что страна хоть и большая, но не имеет своего производства двигателей для автотранспорта. В том числе и для бронированных машин. Первые поставки в ВСУ и НГ осуществлялись за счёт «старых запасов». Но уже к середине лета возникла проблема: своих двигателей нет. Россия, естественно, не продаёт. А западные союзники «обсуждают вопросы» поставки силовых установок. И опасаются, что таковые будут использованы для создания вооружений. Такие «опасения и раздумья», к слову продолжаются до сих пор. Вот ответ «диванным стратегам» из Украины почему тот же КРАЗ не завалил части своими машинами. И почему Украина покупала британские броневики. Последние были с движками, контракт включал ремкомплект и завод по ремонту. На основе последнего, кстати, можно в перспективе создать своё производство. Но это планы. А солдатам необходимо было на чём то ездить.

И тут обратим внимание на структуру белорусских поставок. В 2014 году двигатели из Беларуси составили 15% в общих объёмах украинского импорта. Общие объёмы поставок силовых установок выросли с 5,67 млн. долларов (в 2013 году) до 5,85 млн. При этом основной рост наблюдался в графе «другие»: 1,67 млн против 1,1 млн. В эту категорию относятся двигатели для специальной техники. В том числе и военной.

То же самое наблюдается в категории детали и части двигателей. Вновь раздел «другие». И сумма поставок в 2,84 миллиона. Что в 2 раза больше чем за 2013 год.

Дальше-больше. Помните рассказы волонтёров о украденных аккумуляторах с БТР. Как стоявших на складах частей. Так, естественно и на «долгосрочном хранении». Откуда они взялись? В том числе из Беларуси. Начиная с июня и до конца года границу пересекли (только официально) АКБ на сумму 124,6 тыс. долларов. Примечательно, что в 2013 году эта категория товаров не поставлялась вообще.

Электродвигатели и электросиловые установки. Это в том числе и то, что крутит башню БТР и танка. Таковых в 2014 году в Украину продано на сумму 2,19 миллионов. Учитывая суммарные объёмы поставок за 2013 год в аж целых 16 тысяч долларов рост более чем внушительный.

Таким образом, можно утверждать, что значительная часть техники, которую президент Украины торжественно передавал военным имело внутри «белорусский пламенный мотор». В том числе и известные всем «ПИОНЫ», Точки-У. Шасси для этих артиллерийских установок на сегодня в состоянии производить только одно предприятие – Минский завод колёсных тягачей. Немногочисленные белорусы, которые продолжали ездить на автомобиле в Киев отмечали, что всё лето в тёмное время суток по направлению к украинской границе небольшими группами ехали большие автомобили специфического внешнего вида. Увы, структура поставок МЗКТ, особенно военных, находится под грифом секретно. Но зато не является секретом статистика по деятельности Открытых акционерных обществ на сайте Минфина Беларуси. Увы, пока данные доступны лишь за 3 квартала 2014 года. Но и этого достаточно. В условиях обвала российского рынка и паузы в закупках тягачей для «Тополей» МЗКТ демонстрирует удивительную эффективность. Чистая прибыль предприятия за 3 квартал 2014 года превышает суммарную прибыль за весь 2013 год. А в Украине техника на минском шасси поступает на фронт. Увы, с маркетологами МЗКТ не разговаривал. Поэтому на всякий случай скажу — совпадение, господа.

Не совпадением является другое. Минский автомобильный завод активно продаёт грузовики Нацгвардии Украины. Причём в объёмах, превышающих поставки с КРАЗа. В июле 2014 российские СМИ взорвала новость о 44-х новых грузовиках у «украинских карателей». Проходит три месяца и НГ заключает новый контракт на ещё 27 автомобилей и спецтехнику — прицепы для транспортировки бронетехники. Те самые, которые производит упомянутый выше МЗКТ.

Кстати, белорусские производители учли специфику сотрудничества с российскими партнёрами. Летом МЗКТ представило гражданские версии тягачей с 490-сильным мотором ММЗ-WP12.460E5. А через месяц в Абу-Даби выставило военные многоцелевые шасси. В которых использована подвеска и АКПП собственной разработки.

Авиатехника

Война идёт не только на земле. Справедливо и в разрезе беларуско-украинского военного сотрудничества. Долгая работа украинских элит по развалу собственных ВС и ВПК привела к тому, что в стране катастрофически не хватает кадров и мощностей для восстановления (не говоря уже о создании) техники. В том числе авиационной. АН — всё же имеет свою нишу, которая мало пересекается со штурмовой и истребительной авиацией.

Но технологии модернизации и сборки двигателей есть в Беларуси. В частности на 558 авиаремонтном предприятии из Барановичей. С началом украинского кризиса на заводе объявили о возобновлении проекта модернизации самолётов СУ-27 и МИГ-2915. Кроме работы с силовыми установками модернизируется система управления огнём и обнаружения целей. Что позволяет чрезвычайно эффективно работать и по наземным объектам. С 2010 по 2014 гг. для иностранных заказчиков были модернизированы 4 МИГ 29 и 10 СУ-27. Украина, естественно, имеет свои авиаремонтные мощности. Но количество заказов на том же львовском авиаремонтром заводе исчислялось единицами. В случае войны главное скорость работ и качество.

А дальше просто факт или «совпадения». В декабре 2014 и январе 2015 украинские СМИ сообщали о передаче армии восстановленных самолётов МИГ-29. Это парадоксальным образом совпало с сообщением руководства 558 АРЗ о том, что тот в 2014 году за 66 млн. долларов «ремонтировал для иностранных заказчиков МиГ-29»16. Это, заметим, кроме беларуских заказов. Ремонт для ВВС России беларуские СМИ не скрывают под термином «иностранные». Возможно, это лишь допущение автора. А временные совпадения — действительно совпадения. Но есть ещё два факта. Они содержатся в открытом доступе. Статистика по торговле товарами и услугами. И вот, странно, Република Беларусь оказала Украине услуг «по ремонту» в 2,4 раза больше, чем в 2013 году. Сумма контрактов — 11 млн. долларов17. Сюда же можно добавить часть из 3,4 млн. за компьютерные и информационные услуги (перепрограммирование и модернизация систем наведения относится к данной категории) и часть из 98 миллионов долларов «деловых» услуг. Посредничество при покупке техники и комплектующих – одна из составляющих данной категории.

И, наконец, торговый баланс. Беларусь в кои то веки начала продавать Украине «летательные аппараты» и части к ним. За 2014 год сумма завершённых контрактов превысила 5 млн. долларов. А за первый квартал 2015 — уже 3,997 миллиона. Для справки – объемы поставки по этой категории в 2013 г — 12 тысяч долларов США.

Идём далее. Категория «радиолокационные и радионавигационные устройства» — рост объёмов поставок в 2 раза по сравнению с 2013 г. Правда, тут в большинстве своём это аппаратура дистанционного управления.

И эта графа, как и летательные аппараты возможно означает ещё одно направление. Беларусь — один из региональных лидеров по разработке и производству беспилотных летательных аппаратов. Тот же 558 завод производит и продаёт (в том числе на внешние рынки) БЛПА «Гриф-1». А в 2014 представил ещё две новинки. Комплекс бортовой аппаратуры индивидуальной радиотехнической защиты «Сателлит», позволяющий защищать летательные аппараты всех типов от поражения высокоточным радиоуправляемым оружием, а также носитель авиационных средств поражения НАСП Модуль-А. Если аналогичная техника «украинской разработки» будет в ближайшие месяцы представлена президентом Порошенко — особо не удивлюсь.

Ну и чтобы завершить авиационную тематику поговорим о турбовинтовых и турбореактивных двигателях. Эти товары уже Украина продавала Беларуси. Сумма контрактов — 12,39 млн. долларов. Для сравнения в 2013 году — 122 тысячи. Естественно, что основным покупателем выступал оршанский актив «Мотор Сич». Там производится ремонт и восстановления в том числе пострадавшей на Донбассе техники. Причём без особой маскировки. Корреспондент одного из независимых интернет-порталов не только побывал на предприятии, но и сфотографировал МИ-24 с характерными повреждениями и тактическим знаком ВВС Украины на борту. Хотя, это тоже совпадение. Для российских читателей. Вертолёт заблудился. И упал. А сердечные белорусы решили его восстановить — грех добру пропадать!

Кстати вертолётов будет столько, что тот же 558 завод объявил о планах отремонтировать и восстановить «14 МиГ-29 (УБ) и девять Ми-24 в интересах иностранных заказчиков». То есть заняться ремонтом и вертолётов — на стапелях в Орше уже места не хватает. Кроме того тот завод более разумно использовать для производства новой «полностью украинской» техники.

Таким образом, пока западные союзники Украины думали вооружать ли Киев в войне с Россией, «союзник» России реально помогал новой украинской власти. Причём суммы этой помощи измеряются десятками (если не сотнями) миллионов долларов. Внушительно, учитывая размеры самой Республики Беларусь.

С другой стороны это лишнее свидетельство того, что Лукашенко всерьёз ставит на военный успех Украины. Как и свидетельство того, что в Кремле задумываются о смене власти в Минске. Уж очень странный «союзник» получается.

US Army Leaders Make Case for AMPV Decision

HuntaZeitung — US Army officials shot down the possibility for a wheeled ambulance variant of the armored multipurpose vehicle (AMPV), just the latest chapter in a drama over the vehicle between industry, the Army and Capitol Hill.

In December, the US Army awarded a contract worth $1.2 billion to BAE Systems to begin building the AMPV. BAE was the only contractor still in the running after General Dynamics Land Systems pulled out of the competition in May, complaining that the Army's requirements unfairly favored the tracked Bradley fighting vehicle derivative that BAE was submitting.

BAE is signed to deliver 29 vehicles in five variants in a 52-month engineering, manufacturing and development phase that will lead to a contract to replace all 2,897 M113 vehicles in the Army's armored brigade combat teams (ABCTs). However, GD lobbied the Hill get its eight-wheeled Stryker vehicle in the running for an ambulance variant and another 1,922 M113s in use supporting echelons above brigade (EAB) the service eventually wants to replace.

In a brief at an Association of the US Army convention here, acquisitions officials strove to put the matter to rest, outlining why the BAE's tracked vehicle provided the best mobility, as compared with the Stryker on a variety of terrain, particularly for an ABCT, and defending the program's fairness.

BAE Systems received an engineering, manufacturing and development contract for the US Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program.(Photo: BAE Systems)

"The AMPV was about meeting the requirements, there was never a specification for a wheeled or tracked vehicle," said Col. Michael Milner, the AMPV project manager. "We provided industry a list of requirements, industry was able to provide feedback and eventually was issued an RFP [request for proposals] on those requirements. The proposal selected did happen to be a tracked vehicle."

Brig. Gen. David Bassett, the Army's program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, said Stryker ambulances were "wonderful in their intended formations," but an ABCT's ambulances need to be able to go wherever the brigade's other vehicles go to retrieve wounded soldiers.

"We want to make sure we can get an ambulance to that point of need," Bassett said. "The arguments about the mobility being roughly equivalent are using analytical methods that don't represent the true traffic-ability of a wheeled versus a tracked solution."

The medical evacuation variant transports medics to troops on the front line, and evacuate them to a treatment variant, which is used to carry equipment for a battalion aid station.

Bassett said officials wanted to provide the best vehicle under a particular price, and "need to leverage" common components with the Bradley.

The aging M113 was terminated in 2007 because of it lacked required armor and was unable to accommodate modern electronics. The AMPV, with 78 percent more space and two, 400-amp generators, would include mortar carrier, mission command, general purpose, medical evacuation and medical treatment variants, all on a similar chassis.

Milner touted a common drive train, power plant, electronics and underbody across the five variants, all mature systems that would speed production and fielding. The drive train and suspension are common to the Bradley and the Paladin Integrated Management, a self-propelled howitzer.

The plan is to go to a preliminary design review this summer and a critical design review next summer, with first delivery in late 2016. From there, intermittent tests will lead to the limited user tests in late 2018. The fielding is not going to be complete until the mid-2020s.

The matter of wheeled versus tracked vehicles is not entirely settled, as other studies are ongoing.

The Army released one study to the House Armed Services Committee last month, and it found that the other units in the brigade had similar requirements to the AMPV, "but that's not to say those will be the requirements."

The Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office is expected to complete its study soon that concentrates on medical variants, Milner said.

The Army is also conducting a formal analysis of alternatives for echelons above brigade at the behest of the Senate Appropriations Committee tat is expected to wrap in 2016.

Війна дронів на Донбасі

Від початку конфлікту на сході України обидві сторони протистояння використовують безпілотники для спостереження за силами противника та розвідки.

Кореспонденти ВВС Наталя Антелава та Абдужаліл Абдурасулов поспілкувалися із бійцями українського добровольчого батальйону під Донецьком та побачили, як відбувається запуск українських дронів.

Кореспонденти відзначають, що через брак ресурсів більшість таких апаратів добровольці роблять власноруч.

Army looking to acquire mini-drones

Their light weight means that mini-drones can be launched easily by soldiers 

The Swiss army is exploring the possibility of acquiring mini-drones for the infantry by 2020. A budget of CHF8 million has been set aside.

The miniature drones will be used for close-proximity surveillance according to Armasuisse, confirming information published in the Blick newspaper on Saturday. A proposal is currently being prepared to test various models with a view to eventually acquiring them in 2019-20, revealed Armasuisse  spokesperson Kaj-Gunnar Sievert.

These mini-drones offer the capability of observing the enemy over long distances or across barriers like a hill or building. The models and specifications that will be tested were not disclosed.

There are several types of such unmanned craft, including quadricopters or mini-planes that can be fitted with infrared cameras. Most of them can be hand-launched.

Switzerland already posseses much larger surveillance drones to support the army with intelligence gathering. They are used for policing, border patrols, and assessment in case of disasters. The government’s recent attempts to renew its fleet of drones with “battle-tested” models produced by Israeli companies raised eyebrows. The budget for six such drones amounted to CHF250 million

Pentagon Finds Air Force Is Spending Billions on Drones It Doesn't Need

Internal watchdog report obtained by Pentagon has questioned the air force’s increased spending on drones, suggesting it is a waste of money

 A Reaper drone. Photograph: SWNS

The Pentagon’s internal watchdog has questioned the air force’s need for 46 armed Reaper drones, and suggested the flying service is wasting $8.8bn on superfluous aircraft.

As purchases of General Atomics’s MQ-9 Reaper ballooned from 60 aircraft in 2007 to the current 401, air force officials did not justify the need for an expanding drone fleet, the Pentagon said.

During that time, costs for purchasing one of the signature counter-terrorism weapons of Barack Obama’s presidency increased by 934%, from $1.1bn to more than $11.4bn, according to a declassified September report by the Pentagon inspector general. Purchasing costs are a fraction of what the drones cost to operate and maintain over their time in service: in 2012, the Pentagon estimated the total costs for them at $76.8bn.

The Guardian obtained a copy of the inspector general’s report under the Freedom of Information Act.

Responding to heavy demand for additional aerial intelligence from troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the former defense secretary Leon Panetta in 2011 ordered the air force to buy sufficient drones to perform 65 combat air patrols, missions that require up to four aircraft to observe a target for nearly 24 hours.

But the air force’s air combat command “did not conduct and maintain consistent, complete and verifiable analyses for determining the necessary MQ-9 procurement quantity”, the inspector general found. Combing through insufficient or incorrect air force analyses, Pentagon investigators found that the officials “could not provide the underlying support for aircraft quantity determinations” and sidestepped a bureaucratic process for determining needed capabilities.

Military officers, however, have complained that expanding missions have overtaxed the drone fleet. In November, anonymous officials told the Daily Beast a drone shortage for surveillance and attack missions against the Islamic State (Isis) contributed to an intelligence shortfall against a premier US battlefield target.

Pentagon inspectors found that the air force’s inability to justify its continuing Reaper purchases risks wasting $2.5bn for 13 mission-ready drones; $2.1bn for 11 training drones; $958m for five test drones; $766m for four air national guard drones; and $1.7bn for nine attrition-reserve drones.

The per-cost waste of the questionable drone purchases works out to roughly $192m for each of the 46 Reapers the inspector general was unable to justify buying.

The air combat command’s director of plans said the Pentagon study significantly overstated the potential waste costs, pegging it at $593.4m for 46 Reapers instead of nearly $9bn, and underestimated the stress on the air force to provide sufficient drones for commanders.

“We are concerned that your report does not highlight these dynamic characteristics of an MQ-9 program that evolved during a period of significant conflict to meet warfighter needs at OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] direction,” Major General Scott J Zobrist wrote to the inspector general in August.

The inspector general replied that it included operational and support costs in its estimate, commensurate with air force acquisition data for the Reaper, to account for the discrepancy.

While not conceding that the air force does not need the 46 Reapers, Zobrist directed his staff to incorporate the inspector general’s criticisms “in our ongoing MQ-9 cost and capability ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] gap study”, due in March 2015. That study addresses the inspector general’s chief recommendation for the Reaper purchases.

After the inspector general released an unclassified synopsis of the report in September, the air force claimed the watchdog relied on outdated, year-old information.

“The air force is only buying 346 aircraft, 55 fewer than the 401 figure contained in the report and we’ve only received about half that number. The projected total Reaper fleet of 346 is far less the service had originally estimated prior to sequestration,” a three-star air force general told the aviation website FlightGlobal.

A different senior air force official, Major General John Winters, agreed with the inspector general that the Air Force Requirements Oversight Office “should validate necessary MQ-9 quantities and costs in an updated requirements document”

Drones glimpse inside the Fukushima nuclear plan

An image of a hot spot that has been identified and mapped inside one of the reactors

State-of-the-art British imaging technology has been deployed at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to overcome problems that Japanese engineers declared to be insurmountable.

Designed by Cumbria-based Createc, N-Visage cameras have been mounted on remote-controlled drones and caterpillar-tracked robots that can navigate the insides of the three reactor buildings that suffered melt-downs after an earthquake and tsunami hit Fukushima in 2011.

Coupled with unique software, the £200,000 system is able to create a real-time, three-dimensional image of the area being surveyed and identify "hot-spots" of radioactivity.

More than four years after the second-worst nuclear accident in history, radiation levels within the structures remain too high for humans to enter.

That has severely hampered efforts to determine the problems that need to be solved to safely decommission the reactors and clean up the site. Experts have already estimated that process will take three decades but progress to date has been slow.

Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the plant, was only able to confirm on Thursday previous suspicions that nearly all the fuel from the No. 1 reactor at the plant has melted and fallen into the containment vessel. Two more reactors appear to have experienced similar fates and Tepco is now conducting further tests to confirm that assumption.

"There was some scepticism from Tepco when we were first introduced to their representatives in the UK in April 2012, but they very quickly saw the possibilities", said Dr Matt Mellor, director of Createc.

"One of their guys said it was like finding a Picasso in the loft because their experts had told them that what we do was impossible", he added.

Working in tandem with nuclear unit of Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Createc engineers first visited the Fukushima plant in 2013.

"It was a shocking sight", said Dr Mellor. "Even more than a year after the tsunami, the damage to the reactors was clear. Vehicles were still laying around the site, fences had been crushed, storage tanks had been flattened and radiation levels in the immediate area of the reactors was still very high.

"Nuclear sites are usually tidy and organised because they have to be, so it was clear this was going to be a major challenge from the outset", he added.

As well as using remote-controlled vehicles to get the N-Visage system into the damaged buildings, engineers drilled holes through the roof and lowered imaging equipment into the interior.

Createc has permitted Japanese nuclear engineers to undertake a "virtual walk" through the plant and has mapped areas with the very highest concentrations of radiation, which will in the future enable engineers to shield and isolate such "hot spots".

"It has blown the socks off the engineers at Fukushima," said Pete Woolaghan, a director of Createc. "We have been able to give them an accurate and exact image of the dose environment that they are faced with, which is enabling them to formulate plans with far more certainty and safety.

"Previously, they were working with educated guesses".

The N-Visage system has been deployed at plants that are undergoing decommissioning processes in the UK, including Sellafield, and has attracted interest from the US nuclear industry.

The Japanese government has this month announced plans to decommission five nuclear reactors, the first time that Japanese plants will have been dismantled. With limited experience and capabilities in this specialist area, Createc and other British firms are anticipating an increase in opportunities in Japan.

Simply stunning videos filmed with a Drone

Earlier I was on Youtube checking out videos that people all over the World filmed with remote controlled Drones and I was blown away. I bet if you are a photographer by now you may have already pondered the thought of catching some brilliant shots with these. Below I posted some videos that I thought were so good that they should be shared. The quality of some of these background shots with location are simply magnificent. A lot of Industries like Photography and Real Estate can really benefit from this technology and I can only expect more and more professionally shot Drone videos to be produced as time goes by.

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At the 1:20 mark of this video the Drone flies over a Volcano! Being able to film shots like that while dodging chunks of lava flying at an expensive camera is what made this spectacular footage.

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Below are some awesome shots from around the World. At the 1:50 mark they catch a great night time view of the City.

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At the 30 second mark of this compilation of videos you will view one of the best shots I have ever seen so far. I might be wrong but I bet that part was filmed some where in Central Florida.

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3DR Announces DroneKit, An Open Platform for Creating Your Own Drone Apps

We’re thrilled to announce the release of DroneKit, an open platform for drone app development. DroneKit packages years of 3DR’s flight control R&D into a single robust and extensible platform which developers can use to create web-based drone apps, or even apps onboard the drones themselves. DroneKit works with any vehicle powered by the APM flight code.

Why now
We want to empower makers anywhere to create apps that fit their purposes. Imagine an agriculture app that surveys your land; a search & rescue app; a football practice app. Before DroneKit, if you wanted to create any of these single-purpose apps for a drone you’d have to reinvent the wheel, building all the flight control software from the ground up. DroneKit abstracts away the hard parts of writing flight control software, leaving you a clean, modern interface to code on.
A good analogy is the smartphone: In order to make a smartphone app, you don’t need to design and create a phone first. The hard part (the platform, in other words) is already done. With DroneKit, we’ve made the phone, so to speak. Now everyone has the creative freedom to build apps and new functions.
“Unlike other APIs for drones, there are no levels of access to DroneKit; it’s completely flexible and open,” noted Brandon Basso, 3DR’s VP of Software Engineering. “The platform works on laptops as well as mobile devices. Best of all, once an app is created, the app automatically works on any computing platform—the interface is always the same.”
Our role is to maintain DroneKit: we created the API; we’ll fix any issues with it; we assure it works with all APM vehicles; we add experimental features from our labs and from those contributed by the global community, and we make all updates available to anyone for free. And should you develop an app, just put it up on 3DR Services, “the app store for drones,” where you can price it how you want, and we won’t take anything off the top. DroneKit is a community garden for technology; we want anyone to be able to use it to cultivate and take their product to market.

What you can do with DroneKit:
With DroneKit, you can develop apps for three platforms: mobile apps (DroneKit Android); web-based apps (DroneKit Cloud); and onboard computer apps (DroneKit Python) [i.e., for a companion computer on the actual drone].
DroneKit allows you to:

• Fly paths with waypoints
• Fly in spline path with fine grain control over vehicle velocity and position
• Have the drone follow a GPS target
• Control the camera and gimbal with regions of interest points
• Access full telemetry from the drone over 3DR Radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or over the internet
• View playbacks and log analysis of any mission

Advantages of DroneKit:

• Truly open; no “levels” of access that you get from other proprietary programs
• Computer agnostic: Create an app for controlling drones on whatever computing platform you want, and the interface is always the same
• Works on planes, copters and rovers
• Works on laptop computers as well as mobile devices
• Provides web-based access to vehicle data

DroneKit powers the most successful flight control programs in the world:

• Tower (formerly Droidplanner), hands-down the best flight planning mobile app out there, was built on DroneKit for Android
• Droneshare, the global social network for drone pilots, is built on DroneKit web services
• Project Tango Indoor Navigation is built on Pixhawk, APM and Tower
• IMSI/Design TurboSite aerial reporting app for construction

Online Access
To find out how to write your own application for UAVs, and to walk through some example apps from us, please visit dronekit.io

DJI Phantom 2 Vision + Long Term Review

In part #1 of this long term review, we discussed the basics of getting the P2V+ setup and the first flight(s). As a result, it was time to venture further afield with our test Phantom.

Finding Places to Fly
For some this is very easy – for others a bit more difficult. My current testing grounds in Florida are quite crowded at this time of year – and, frankly, some of the very flat and sparse areas here are not worthy of good photo and video. I looked a google maps and decided to try some tricks to find new flying areas…
1. I put an ad on Craigslist in the photo section – saying I would take some free photos and video for owners of larger property, etc.
2. I contacted the admin of a local botanical park and offered to take video and photos on their 10 acre grounds.
I received replies from both which were promising – the Botanical Garden, Palma Sola Botanical Gardens, was very pleased and invited me up at my leisure to fly on their property! Bingo!

Installing Propeller Guards

Torx T8 and Phantom Screws

Before I ventured out I decided to add the propeller guards and a lens hoods to my Phantom. These were in addition to the homemade bottom gimbal protector and the Phantom Fix gimbal protector I had already added in post #1. The prop guards protect against many a mishap – even small bumps against trees, bushes, etc. without them can result in the Phantom being flipped and harmed. The same goes for people and pets – without the prop guards, the Phantom is more dangerous.
Installing the prop guards is simple – however, some Phantom owners have messed up their birds when installing or removing them, so pay attention to the basics! You’ll need a Torx driver T8 – as shown. The prop guards come with two Torx screws each – installing them requires you to remove the two existing (shorter) Torx screws from the underside of each arm and replace them with the prop guards and longer screws.

Remove the two small T8 screws – shown on top right. Install prop guards and longer screws (shown on left above). Store the old shorter screws for later use if you remove prop guards.

Pro Guards Installed

Watch out for these potential problems:

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1. Do not over tighten the new longer screws – they are two of the 4 screws that hold the motors in – just snug will do as they contain thread locker on the shaft.
2. If and when you remove the prop guard, do not attempt to use the longer screws or they will hit – and ruin – the motors. Save the shorter screws (label the bag) and use them if you remove the guards.
One disadvantage of the prop guards is that they can enter your pics and video when the Phantom is in certain positions. A sample pic is shown below. In some cases you can simply crop out or otherwise cover (by duplicating background, etc.) the guards. I may eventually remove part of the front guards as a compromise, as I don’t like them showing up in my HD videos.

Sample Picture From Botanical Garden with Prop Guard Showing

Back in the Air!
After installation of the prop guards I was ready to visit the local Botanical Gardens and get some pics and video. A stiff breeze was present, so I didn’t venture too high or too far, but I did fly two missions (two batteries) each flight making certain that the Phantom knew where it was (confirming the home point on the Find my Phantom Screen). The gardens had large lakes and ponds – but I’m still being conservative with the Phantom, so I didn’t fly across them. Here are a couple pics – click to enlarge them.

Palma Sola Botanical Garden, Brandenton FL.

Palma Sola Botanical Garden, Brandenton FL.

Palma Sola Botanical Garden, Brandenton FL.

Picture and Video Hints
There is a tendency for aerial photographer to think “the higher the better” but this turns out to be false, especially in the case of video. Pilots should consider the best angles, lighting and views of the subject at hand. The short example video clip below will illustrate this point. It’s just a draft video of a couple shots, but you can see how some low altitude views can be pleasing.

First Flights – First Mishap!
A point which I constantly make is that all hobby aircraft – or at least most – will have “unscheduled landings” (crashes). While I may have written the book, I still had a mishap on the day I filmed at the Botanical Gardens. Here is what happened – I was flying the Phantom relatively low and completely under control. The battery was getting low – about 32% – so I brought the Phantom down to about 10 feet high and filmed the walking path in the gardens…intending to land it within 30 seconds or so. Suddenly the Phantom developed a mind of it’s own and shot upwards – hit a tree and tumbled over and ended up in a bush nearby. Luckily there were no spectators close by, but it was quite near a pond and a parked BMW – in other words, this little crash could have cost me big! Luckily it ended up in a Bush – AND, some of the protection I had installed probably saved the day. The bottom guard protected the camera and gimbal and the lens hood further protected the lens. The prop guards probably helped also. Here is a pic of the Phantom after the crash – as you can see the bottom guard took a hit from the bush or tree (I replaced it already).

Phantom after the mishap – all systems still worked perfectly.

So, why the crash? Apparently the Phantom has a setting whereby it automatically enters into the RTH (Return to Home) phase when the battery hits 30%. I wasn’t following an important rule – that is, to make sure I landed before the battery hit about 35-40%. I thought, wrongly, that having the Phantom within a few feet of the ground would render it safe – but instead it attempted to rise to the RTH altitude and go back to where it took off from – resulting in the crash.
This particular setting is confusing because it is in more than one place….this confirms the complexity of the Phantom software. There is one setting for this in the DJI Vision App (I had this set to off), but there is another setting for it in the internal Phantom firmware. I will have to hook the quad up to my computer if I want to turn this off. Some users may want it left on – but I prefer to have manual control over my Phantom at all times since I am usually flying within easy sight and control of my bird.
Lesson learned….now I start to think about landing at 50% battery and make sure I am down when the battery hits 40%. Flying on a low battery is just too risky.
Another Place to Fly!
I noticed a nice shot of a local church in my first set of pics, so I sent a copy along to the church (found their web site) and also offered to shoot some other pics for them. They really liked the pic and invited me to take pics and video on their property – you can see some parts of the footage in the sample video clips above – here is a still pic of the same church:

Church in Sarasota Florida

Finding places to fly can be difficult – but if you think about it, there are lots of churches, golf courses, etc. which may be very happy to have you offer to take some aerial views of their properties. Takeaway Points from part #2 of our Long Term Review
1. Be creative in seeking out possible places to fly and take aerial photos and footage.
2. Install prop guards and other protective measures as additional insurance against crashes.
3. Be very aware of the various automatic functions of the NAZA Flight controller as regards battery levels and return to home. For the beginner, follow this advice:
A. When the battery hits 50% head back to home or to a landing area relatively quickly.
B. If the battery is at 40% you should be in “Emergency Mode” and planning to land as quickly as possible.
C. Always make certain your Home Point is correctly set (the Phantom knows where it is) by checking the “Find my Phantom” feature in the DJI Vision App. However, Return to Home (failsafe) functions should never be used when ANY other method of landing is possible – because the Phantom cannot avoid trees, powerlines, etc. when in automatic RTH mode.
Note – this is part #2 of our long term review – you can find part #1 here.
In the next part of this series we will address some of the video and picture options as well as give hints on getting and editing decent footage. In addition part #3 will contain additional technical hints and shortcuts to safe and successful piloting and use.
Note – if you are looking for a Phantom, the prices have recently been lowered quite a bit – savings of about $200 make the price closer to $1100 for the Phantom 2 Vision+. Here are some links to current models and pricing:
DJI Prices and worldwide shipping on Phantoms

U.S. Air Force overstepped bounds in SpaceX certification: report

The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, launched by SpaceX and carrying NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory Satellite, lifts off from launch pad 40 the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida February 11, 2015.

CREDIT: REUTERS/SCOTT AUDETTE

(FlightClub) - The U.S. Air Force overstepped its bounds as it worked to certify privately held SpaceX to launch military satellites, undermining the benefit of working with a commercial provider, an independent review showed on Thursday.

The report cited a "stark disconnect" between the Air Force and SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies, about the purpose of the certification process and recommended changes.

Air Force Secretary Deborah James ordered the review after the service missed a December deadline for certifying SpaceX to compete for some launches now carried out solely by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.

The Pentagon is eager to certify SpaceX as a second launch provider, given mounting concerns in Congress about ULA's use of a Russian-built engine to power its Atlas 5 rocket.

The Air Force said on Monday it was revamping the certification process, but did not release the report on the review until Thursday and hoped to complete the work by June.

The report, prepared by former Air Force Chief of Staff General Larry Welch, said the Air Force treated the process like a detailed design review, dictating changes in SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and even the company's organizational structure.

That approach resulted in over 400 issues that needed to be resolved, which was "counterproductive" to a national policy aimed at encouraging competition in the sector.

In fact, the process was intended to show that SpaceX met overall requirements to launch military satellites, not carry out the more detailed review required for each launch on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Welch faulted SpaceX for assuming its experience launching other Falcon 9 rockets would suffice to be certified, and not expecting to have to resolve any issues at all.

"The result to date has been ... the worst of all worlds, pressing the Falcon 9 commercially oriented approach into a comfortable government mold that eliminates or significantly reduces the expected benefits to the government of the commercial approach. Both teams need to adjust," he said.

He urged the Air Force's Space and Missiles Systems Center to "embrace SpaceX innovation and practices," while SpaceX needed to understand the Air Force's need to mitigate risks, and be more open to benefiting from the government's experience.

How drones are changing the way we see things

Facebook is building a fleet of giant solar-powered drones

Facebook is building a fleet of V-shaped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, to help the company with its Internet.org project that aims to beam Internet access to the 5 billion people that don't have it yet.

According to а report from The New York Times,, Facebook has a codename for its drone: Aquila, which is also the name of the eagle in Greek mythology that carries Zeus's thunderbolts for him.

 Aquila can reportedly stay in the air for up to three months at a time, and beam high-speed internet from between 60,000 and 90,000 feet in the air. They'll be lighter than a small car, but as long as a Boeing 767.

 The first flights will reportedly begin this summer, although "commercial deployment may take years," the Times notes. Facebook executives are not sure how much the final version of Aquila will cost the company.

Aquila was accomplished via Facebook's acquisition of the drone maker Ascenta in 2014, according to the Times. But now that this project is under Facebook's wing, the company is also looking for partners to help get the project off the ground, in return for allowing those companies to use their data and technology.

The Internet.org initiative, which was created in August 2013, is one of the main ways Facebook looks to spread its influence. By partnering up with mobile companies like Samsung, Qualcomm, and Microsoft, Facebook hopes to eventually offer universal affordable internet access, similar to Google's Project Loon, where high flying balloons beam down WiFi to areas without internet.