Loitering ammunition with artificial intelligence EDGE Hunter 2-S (UAE)
The United Arab Emirates is building its own defense industry capable of developing and producing products of various classes. Particular attention is paid to the creation and development of unmanned aviation complexes. The other day, the Emirati company EDGE Group presented a new project of an unmanned system built around relevant and advanced solutions.
Unmanned progress
Last November, at the Dubai Airshow 2021, EDGE Group's Halcon unveiled for the first time a new family of UAVs called the Hunter. At that time, it included three aircraft with different characteristics and capabilities, as well as various auxiliary equipment.
It was reported that the "Hunters" can carry different payloads and solve a variety of tasks. First of all, with their help it was planned to carry out reconnaissance. It was also proposed to use it as a loitering ammunition, making a one-way flight. In all cases, the UAVs had to work on the commands of the operator, albeit with partial automation.
The Hunter project has already been developed using the latest technologies. At the UMEX-2022 exhibition, held from February 21 to 23 in Abu Dhabi, a new unmanned Hunter 2-S complex was introduced. It is based on the previously introduced Hunter-2, but differs from it with new controls and other features. Now we are talking about a complex with loitering ammunition for group use, operating as part of a "swarm".
At the UMEX-2022 exhibition, mock-ups of the launcher and drones were shown at different launch stages. Images of a "swarm" of devices in flight have also been published - so far only in the artist's mind. Apparently, the Hunter 2-S project is now at the preliminary development stage and has not yet reached full-fledged flight tests. How soon flights will begin and the design characteristics and capabilities will be confirmed is not reported.
However, the developer company is already talking about the great future of the project and notes its high importance for the defense industry of the UAE. Due to new technologies of artificial intelligence and group application, it is planned to obtain the widest possibilities and high efficiency. In addition, new developments will help the UAE catch up with world leaders and gain a foothold in the market.
Autonomous "Hunter"
The Hunter 2-S unmanned complex includes several main components. This is a UAV with new capabilities and functions, a launcher of the required configuration and an operator console that allows you to control the launch and flight of several drones. All of these facilities may be located permanently or on any suitable platform, land or surface.
The launcher for the "Hunter" is made in the form of a package of guides in a box-shaped casing. It is possible to manufacture installations of different configurations in accordance with the requirements and limitations of the carriers. The exhibition showed a product with 21 guides.
UAV Hunter 2-S is an aircraft-type product of a traditional aerodynamic design with folding planes. The drone has an elongated round body. Under its bow is placed a small fairing for observation devices. Niches are provided on the sides of the nose for laying the folded wing. The stabilizer has a similar design and also retracts into the fuselage. Two keels are provided on top. To optimize the internal volumes, the wing and stabilizer are made asymmetrical: one plane is located above the other.
The device has an electric power plant with a tail pusher propeller. Flight characteristics are not specified. Wingspan - 1,44 m with a length of 1,25 m. Take-off weight - 8 kg. The parameters of the warhead used to hit the target are not reported.
The main innovation of the Hunter 2-S project is a special control system with elements of artificial intelligence. She is responsible for autonomous control in flight according to a given program and must take into account various emerging factors. In addition, AI is tasked with searching for targets using standard detection tools, followed by guidance.
Several UAVs with such a control system can be networked and exchange data between themselves and the operator. Due to this, the devices will be able to fly in formation and together search and identify targets. They also plan to entrust the organization of the attack. The devices will have to determine the parameters of the target and the required number of combat units, and then choose which part of the “swarm” will go on the attack.
A group of drones will be able to attack a variety of targets on land or on the surface of the sea. In particular, the developers mention the possibility of hitting columns of armored vehicles or aircraft at airfields.
How exactly these principles will be implemented, how the decision to attack the target will be made, whether a person will remain in the control loops, etc., has not yet been specified. Also, all the main characteristics of the UAV, the type of surveillance equipment, etc. are unknown.
Objective difficulties
Thus, the companies EDGE Group and Halcon are not only engaged in the development and production of unmanned aerial systems, but also try to master advanced areas and technologies. So far, we are talking only about exhibition models of equipment and general promises, but in the future the situation may change. However, it is obvious that the implementation of all current plans is associated with certain difficulties and, possibly, problems.
The UAE industry, represented by EDGE Group and Halcon, has already shown its ability to create light and ultra-light class drones. In particular, "traditional" remote control systems based on the operator's console have been developed. Developments of this kind can and should form the basis of new projects, such as Hunter 2-S - and make them easier to create.
At the same time, fundamentally new means of autonomous control with AI have to be developed from scratch. To the best of our knowledge, the EDGE Group and its member companies do not have experience in this area, which makes it difficult to solve the problem. However, it is possible to involve third-party organizations, incl. foreign, having the necessary developments and solutions.
On their own or together with their colleagues, EDGE and Halcon have several technical and economic challenges to overcome. So, electronics should not only have all the required functions. It must also be compact and lightweight in order to fit on the proposed aerial platform. In addition, it is necessary to reduce its cost to a minimum so that loitering ammunition is economically viable.
If all these tasks can be completed, a very interesting and promising example of unmanned vehicles with noticeable commercial prospects will appear on the market. The proposed technical design of the Hunter 2-C complex simplifies its deployment and use, and also allows you to conduct reconnaissance and, without wasting time, hit the detected targets. In this case, it will be possible to use groups with minimal participation of the operator. Obviously, such a technique will attract the attention of customers.
Plans and opportunities
Thus, the UAE continues to develop its own defense industry and is trying to develop new directions for itself. Active and noticeable work is being carried out in the field of unmanned aerial systems. Several products of this class are already being tested, and a number of others are just being shown at exhibitions and in promotional materials.
In order to develop the unmanned direction, the Emirati EDGE Group plans to master technologies that are currently only available in the most developed countries. Whether it will be possible to do this and get all the desired results is unknown. The timing of the work is also questionable. However, even the very fact of the appearance of the Hunter 2-S project is of great interest. It shows that even industry newcomers can claim leadership, and perhaps with good reason.
- Ryabov Kirill
- EDGE Group
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