Electronic Military & Defense magazine was developed for engineers, program managers, project managers, and those involved in the design and development of electronic and electro-optic systems for military, defense, and aerospace applications.
Issue link: https://electronicsmilitarydefense.epubxp.com/i/78772
Feature UAVs And Electronic Payloads: Navigating Turbulent Times, Bright Skies Ahead Growing demand for ISR capabilities will drive electronic design opportunities for UAV systems and electronic payloads, in spite of shrinking defense budgets. By Paul Kruczkowski he unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market is alive and well, despite worldwide economic worries and concerns about deep U.S. defense budget cuts. Although the tremendous growth the indus- try has experienced in recent years may slow temporarily, analysts still predict great things for UAVs over the next decade and see the sector as one of the best opportu- nities for electronic design and manufacturing in the defense industry. T U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles In this article, we will first discuss the overall prospects for the UAV market. We will then explore some of the important UAV electronic payload categories, the projections for the payload market, and a recent design trend that has the potential to transform the UAV electronic payload industry. Next, we will take a look at the major UAV programs — and the electronic payloads they carry — that are shaping this rapidly evolving market. Finally, we will take a glimpse at several emerging UAV programs that may drive the electronic payload market going forward. The UAV Market Market analysts remain bullish on the potential of the UAV market. For instance, the Teal Group projects worldwide UAV spending to nearly double over the next decade, from $6.6 billion in 2012 to $11.4 billion in 2021, totaling just over $89 billion 8 Electronic Military & Defense ■ www.vertmarkets.com/electronics in the next 10 years. It is abundantly clear that intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is the cornerstone of the global war on terror, and that the UAV has proven itself to be very adept at ISR. Military and civilian authorities around the world have observed the capabilities and versatility of the UAV and will continue to expand their use of unmanned vehicles. The Teal Group also predicts the U.S. will account for approximately 62% of the worldwide RDT&E; (research, development, test, and evaluation) for UAVs and 55% of the procurement of these systems. The Asia-Pacific region will be the second largest market, followed by Europe as a close third. The U.S. defense budget still has $3.8 billion earmarked for UAV spending in FY2013, even with a 12.2% reduction in overall aircraft funding. Electronic Payloads Today's UAVs carry a wide range of electronic payloads on ISR missions. Sometimes these payloads are mounted within the vehicle, but in other cases multiple sensors are combined into payload suites that can be mounted within stabilized multi-axis gimbal systems to provide wide angles of coverage. Major categories of UAV electronic payloads include: • Electro-optic (EO) cameras provide near real-time high-definition video surveillance in the visible light spectrum. • Infrared (IR) sensors operate in a wide range of frequencies, from long-wave (LWIR) to short- wave (SWIR), and are used for thermal imaging of people and vehicles, providing photograph- like images of objects in the field of view, and detecting targets by their chemical signature in addition to their visual appearance. • Lasers provide luminance for night vision and designators for munitions targeting. • Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) utilizes a single antenna and time-multiplexing of radar returns to