Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) |
The Mobile Ground Control Station (MGCS) from General Atomics is a UAS control center, enclosed in a either a 24-foot shelter or 30-foot trailer, used to control one GA-ASI aircraft |
General Atomics gets Army go-ahead for UAV universal ground control station integration - Military & Aerospace Electronics
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., 11 May 2011. Plans by the U.S. military to consolidate its numbers of ground control stations for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be moving forward with the announcement Tuesday of a contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in Poway, Calif., to integrate a Universal Ground Control Station.
The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems a $9 million contract Friday to work together with AAI Corp. in Hunt Valley, Md., which is the developer of the Army's Universal Ground Control Station, or UGCS. The contract
calls for General Atomics to procure hardware, help AAI with development funding, and complete integration of the UGCS with the General Atomics MQ-1C Grey Eagle UAV, which is an extended-range version of the General Atomics Predator UAV.
Building a Better Ground Station
The Army is pursuing the Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) to improve upon its decade-old One System Ground Control Station (OSGCS). UGCS is designed to operate three types of Army unmanned aircraft: Gray Eagle, Hunter and Shadow. While UGCS retains the exterior of OSGCS—an HMMWV-mounted shelter for both Hunter and Shadow and a 5-ton truck for the longer-endurance Gray Eagle—the new consoles and software that operate all three aircraft are identical.
“You can take soldiers and instead of training them on multiple ground control stations, you can train them on one ground control station,” said Lieutenant Colonel James Kennedy, the Common Systems Integration (CSI) product manager in the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office. “Then, regardless of where they are stationed, they’ll be able to fly whatever aircraft their particular unit is using.”
It’s Better to Share: Breaking Down UAV GCS Barriers
UAVs have played a crucial role in gathering intelligence in the US military’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are thousands of UAVs gathering and distributing valuable data on the enemy, but each system uses its own proprietary subsystem to control the air vehicle as well as receive and process the data. Yet commanders need access to information gathered by all types of UAVs that are flying missions in their area of operation. Recognizing this shortcoming, the Pentagon began an effort in 2008 to break down the proprietary barriers between UAV systems and create a single GCS that will fly all types of drones.
It’s Better to Share: Breaking Down UAV GCS Barriers
UAVs have played a crucial role in gathering intelligence in the US military’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are thousands of UAVs gathering and distributing valuable data on the enemy, but each system uses its own proprietary subsystem to control the air vehicle as well as receive and process the data. Yet commanders need access to information gathered by all types of UAVs that are flying missions in their area of operation. Recognizing this shortcoming, the Pentagon began an effort in 2008 to break down the proprietary barriers between UAV systems and create a single GCS that will fly all types of drones.
No comments:
Post a Comment