COTEC 2018

Amongst many exciting Defence and Security innovations, Clogworks Technologies and Cubic Defence UK LVC team were pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate the capability of their unmanned aerial vehicles use at COTEC during the Shrivenham Close Combat Symposium 9-11th July 2018 due to their ever increasing possible applications.

COTEC (Cranfield Ordnance Test & Evaluation Centre) is situated on the edge of Salisbury Plain at Gore Cross near to West Lavington in Wiltshire, England and is one of the five Centres within the Department of Engineering and Applied Science (DEAS) at Cranfield University’s Shrivenham Campus.

Cranfield is an exclusively postgraduate university, creating leaders in technology and management. The university has two campuses, Cranfield and Shrivenham, and the latter deals with Defense and Security applications and research. Symposia at Shrivenham provides a forum to Government agencies, military and civilian, industry and research establishments for the exploration and exchange of experience and knowledge, leading to constructive questioning and a synthesis of ideas in a relaxed but professional environment.

The capability of the Clogworks® Dark Matter®hX multirotor was demonstrated on and off tether with its dual sensor payload (EOx30 and IR) during the range day on 10th of July.

Standard Operations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) applications range from the film industry to building inspections, wildlife research, agriculture, airborne delivery. The Dark Matter® hX is especially well suited for search & rescue and applications where a heavy payload (up to 7.5kg) is required to be used or transported. Ideal applications are reconnaissance, police, fire and search & rescue operations.

Long flight time (up to 45 minutes), conspicuousness and wide operational conditions are important. The Dark Matter® hX can be operated in wind speed of up to 12m/s (26.8mph, 23.3knots, 43.2km/h) and can be flown at speeds up to 20m/s (44.5mph, 38.9knots, 72km/h).

For application where security is of utmost importance, a secure bi-directional datalink can be integrated with encryption of the UAV command & control, telemetry and camera feeds.

Tethered Operations

Airborne tethered solutions are especially well suited for persistent aerial surveillance, pop-up telecommunications, traffic management, air quality monitoring and live broadcasting. They can be a very efficient tool for reconnaissance, police, fire and rescue services.

Thanks to its efficiency the Dark Matter® hX can be flown on tether at up to 100 metres altitude with a variety of payloads including an emergency battery even in challenging weather conditions. Operating at a lower maximum altitude (e.g. 80 metres) increases capability to lift heavier payloads and/or operate in stronger wind conditions.

The SmartAP Ground Control Software has dedicated intuitive tether mode functionality making it easy to get a tethered Dark Matter flying. Built-in functionality such as auto-takeoff, auto-landing, heading/altitude adjustments along with built-in safety features can all be controlled through the software without the use of traditional pilot controllers at location or remotely.

With Cranfield's (COTEC) site being on the edge of Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA), specific requirements are needed from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO-SPTA) in order to fly UAV legally there. As well as a Permission for Commercial Operation (PfCO) granted by the UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority), in place for both Clogworks Technologies and Cubic Defence (UK), up-to-date insurance and permission from the land owner is required. When live firing takes place, extra measures need to be considered. Cubic Defence (UK) LVC team have been operating on Salisbury Plain for many years and arrange for such permission.

Peter Opdam, CEO Clogworks, "This was a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the capability of the Dark Matter® hX in front of a wide spectrum of people involved in the Defence and Security sector. Thanks to the Cubic Defence UK LVC team for organising this. We look forward to continuing working with them and tailoring their Clogworks Dark Matter aircraft further to their applications."

About Clogworks Technologies

Clogworks Technologies is a UK manufacturer of high quality precision engineered carbon fibre unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and accessories. The organisation specialises in delivering UAV solutions to professional UAV operators involved in industrial, security and commercial applications, strive for great customer relations and constantly invest in innovation. For more information, please visit: www.clogworks.com.

About Cubic Defence UK

Cubic Defence UK is a leading provider of specialist training solutions to military, law enforcement and security organisations around the globe. Cubic Defence (UK) LVC team have a team of UAV military experts and have 6 fully trained and highly competent pilots on call for their aerial commercial operations. For more information, enquiries can be sent to: info@clogworks.com.