无人机整机
无人机配件
无人机服务
设备与工具
Warrior (Aero-Marine) Ltd has commenced flying of the first 4.0m span GULL 36 UAV in the English Channel.
This is the first formal work achieved by the new generation of stepless seaplane hulls developed by Warrior. These patented designs reflect the revolution in slender-hulled surface craft design in the last 20 years, improving performance and enabling Warrior’s seaplanes to handle twice as large waves as equivalent seaplanes.
James Labouchere, CEO states: “Both the hull and configuration contribute to the GULL working effectively in common sea conditions. The wave-piercing ability enables useful taxi speeds for surface operations and the GULL uses wave profiles to its advantage for take-off.”
New opportunities arise from combining boat functions and aircraft cruise performance, and switching spontaneously between aerial and surface functions. This combination enables surface work to be achieved at higher speeds than any vessel. Greater effect is won by switching spontaneously between air and surface, to bring multiple payload types to bear on more targets in a wider range of circumstances.
These attributes offer exceptional capabilities for sampling, persistent tracking and observation of surface and subsurface targets. They will also enable fast remote insertion/extraction of small secondary unmanned surface and underwater vessels.
Combined with its use from lake, river and shore, and dirt strips with amphibious gear, the GULL is expected to achieve tasks that currently need multiple vehicle types and complex communications. In doing so, the GULL will enable a robust multi-role solution with a minimum of communications and one-stage data processing, to then transmit usable information and instruction.
The interface of UAVs with ships remains generally problematic, requiring unwelcome launch and recovery equipment on deck. Solutions are also needed to enable UAVs to operate without imposing on other aerial assets and without requiring ships to change course or speed.
With UK Defence Technology Centre R & D funds, Warrior has developed and trialled, at reduced scale, a towed-sled Launch and Recovery System, SledLARS. The SledLARS can be launched and retrieved from either the beam or stern of a parent vessel and can automatically release and recover a fast-taxiing seaplane UAV (or a USV). This can be done while under high speed tow and on any point of wind.
This removes the need for deck-mounted equipment for either launch or recovery, enables the GULL to be operated from both small and large vessels and allows ships’ other aerial activities to continue simultaneously with little or no interference.
James Labouchere says: “The GULL is the first UAV seaplane that has been conceived and developed for both the coastal and offshore environment. No other published concept that we have seen can even approach the GULL’s combination of performance and seamanship.”
Warrior has designs into which manufacturers of mature UAV systems can integrate their engineering. This is anticipated by Warrior to be a low-risk process and the results will be systems that greatly simplify achieving maritime objectives, and bring valuable new objectives within reach.
Warrior is developing the GULL and related platform systems for open market licensing or partnering with system providers in both commercial and defence applications.
