doctor_fungcool
12-07-2007, 04:55 AM
http://www.defensereview.com/article846.html
DefenseReview.com has received video footage of a weaponized version of the AutoCopter self-stabilized unmanned mini-helicopter being tested for the first time in sunny Huntsville, Alabama (The download link for this video is further down in this article.). The AutoCopter is made by Neural Robotics Incorporated (NRI), and the armament/weapons portion of the package is comprised of a 12-gauge Auto Assault-12 Full-Auto Shotgun (a.k.a. AA-12 Full-Auto Shotgun) made by Military Police Systems, Inc. (MPS). DefRev first reported on the AA-12 back in June of last year (2005). NRI is calling the newly-weaponized AutoCopter the "AutoCopter Gunship". Catchy.
This is a very important event. Let us explain:
First, to Defense Review's knowledge, the basic NRI AutoCopter is currently one of the most advanced/innovative unmanned mini-helicopters in the world, and is one of the two best unmanned mini-helicopter for under $100,000 of which we are aware (Rotomotion, LLC claims they have the other one). What's so innovative about it? Well, for starters, the AutoCopter is...
self-stabilized, using patented "intelligent" neural network-based flight control algorithms (fancy engineer-speak for "automated flight controls") to allow anyone to fly the AutoCopter with little-to-no previous remote-control (RC) piloting experience. These automated flight controls make the AutoCopter the easiest mini-unmanned helicopter to to fly, and the hardest to crash. Basically, the AutoCopter's neural networked-based automatic flight control system won't allow the pilot to do anything catastrophic (a.k.a. stupid).
The AutoCopter robotic mini-helicopter has two flight modes: semi-autonomous and fully autonomous. In semi-autonomous, the operator (RC pilot) is "in control" of the aircraft. We put "in control" in quotes because the real control is achieved by the AutoCopter's computer, which interperets the operators commands and translates them into flight surface movement via servo motor activation, similar to a modern fighter jet's fly-by-wire system. Basically, the operator tells the AutoCopter what he/she wants it to do, and the AutoCopter's computer figures out exactly how to make that happen.
For the fully-autonomous flight mode, the AutoCopter utilizes a GPS system, where the operator uploads a flight plan to the AutoCopter via a laptop computer, using GPS waypoints. In this mode, the operator "starts the AutoCopter, engages the Flight Control System, commands the AutoCopter to take off and turns all flight operations over to the FCS." The operator can regain manual control of the AutoCopter at any time by going back to the semi-autonomous mode. If the AutoCopter flies out of RC range, it will turn around and come back within range. If it runs out of gas (it's gasoline-powered), a parachute will automatically deploy and guide the AutoCopter back to the ground slowly and safely.
However, as cool as all this is, before the AA-12 shotgun came along and turned it into the "AutoCopter Gunship", the AutoCopter was limited to applications like aerial photography, surveillance, pipeline and utility line inspection, (unarmed) convoy escort, and mine detection--all worthwile applications to be sure, but not exactly anything "transformational" (i.e. paradigm-shifting). However, with the addition of a single AA12, the AutoCopter Gunship's virtual pilot can not only see and photograph the enemy, he can now seek out, locate, identify, and destroy/terminate (i.e. kill) the enemy with extreme prejudice at 300 rounds-per-minute (and potentially tens of thousands of actual projectiles per minute), and he's got a rather large 12-gauge ammunition suite at his disposal (a vertitable ammo smorgasbord, if you will) with which to accomplish this. This capability is transformational, and indeed constitutes a true paradigm shift in lethality and force multiplication, especially when you have swarms of these AutoCopter Gunships flying throughout the battlespace.
For instance, let's say the AutoCopter Gunship's operator spots a group of enemy insurgents/terrorists trying to gun it out with U.S. forces on an Iraqi city street, or sticking their heads out of buildings and shooting at our forces from an elevated position. He can fly the AutoCopter Gunship at them at approx. 60-mph and engage them with standard 2.75-inch 12-gauge shotgun ammo or 3-inch FRAG-12 grenade rounds (since the AA-12 is currently being modified to function with this round) at 300 RPM (rounds-per minute). Just to give the reader an idea of the kind of firepower an AA-12-equipped AutoCopter is capable of delivering on target at up to 100 yards, the AA12 shotgun can deliver aprox. 1900 .18-Cal. BBs within 4 seconds out of its 20-shot drum. With #4 shot, the operator can place approx. 3,500 projectiles on target(s). And, with #6 Hevi-Shot (made by the good folks at Environ-Metal, Inc.) the operator can accurately unload approx. 5,000 projectiles on the target(s), and kill those targets out to a distance of approx. 67 yards. If the enemy is inside a car or light-armored vehicle, the operator can fire on that vehicle with 20 armor-piercing (AP) FRAG-12 rounds (capable of penetrating up to 1/2 of rolled homogenous steel), or a combination of AP and HE (High-Explosive) rounds--and, he can engage the enemy out to 200-300 yards (according to our understanding), especially while firing from an elevated position (unconfirmed/unverified). The high-explosive (HE) FRAG-12 round will punch through a standard vehicle's skin, and explode inside the vehicle, releasing 90 ball projectiles at very high velocity in all directions, shredding the occupants. The FRAG-12 round can also be used to engage targets inside buildings.
The AA-12 Shotgun effectively turns the AutoCopter from a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into an incredibly lethal unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), or "unmanned combat armed rotorcraft (UCAR)". Previously limited to surveillance, the AutoCopter in gunship configuration can now perform "seek and destroy" missions. Previously relegated to "convoy escort", the AutoCopter can now be tasked with convoy security/force protection. This constitutes a significant leap in mission capability, and it has the potential to be a significant force multiplier in multiple combat environments, including urban warfare/MOUT environments.
DefenseReview.com has received video footage of a weaponized version of the AutoCopter self-stabilized unmanned mini-helicopter being tested for the first time in sunny Huntsville, Alabama (The download link for this video is further down in this article.). The AutoCopter is made by Neural Robotics Incorporated (NRI), and the armament/weapons portion of the package is comprised of a 12-gauge Auto Assault-12 Full-Auto Shotgun (a.k.a. AA-12 Full-Auto Shotgun) made by Military Police Systems, Inc. (MPS). DefRev first reported on the AA-12 back in June of last year (2005). NRI is calling the newly-weaponized AutoCopter the "AutoCopter Gunship". Catchy.
This is a very important event. Let us explain:
First, to Defense Review's knowledge, the basic NRI AutoCopter is currently one of the most advanced/innovative unmanned mini-helicopters in the world, and is one of the two best unmanned mini-helicopter for under $100,000 of which we are aware (Rotomotion, LLC claims they have the other one). What's so innovative about it? Well, for starters, the AutoCopter is...
self-stabilized, using patented "intelligent" neural network-based flight control algorithms (fancy engineer-speak for "automated flight controls") to allow anyone to fly the AutoCopter with little-to-no previous remote-control (RC) piloting experience. These automated flight controls make the AutoCopter the easiest mini-unmanned helicopter to to fly, and the hardest to crash. Basically, the AutoCopter's neural networked-based automatic flight control system won't allow the pilot to do anything catastrophic (a.k.a. stupid).
The AutoCopter robotic mini-helicopter has two flight modes: semi-autonomous and fully autonomous. In semi-autonomous, the operator (RC pilot) is "in control" of the aircraft. We put "in control" in quotes because the real control is achieved by the AutoCopter's computer, which interperets the operators commands and translates them into flight surface movement via servo motor activation, similar to a modern fighter jet's fly-by-wire system. Basically, the operator tells the AutoCopter what he/she wants it to do, and the AutoCopter's computer figures out exactly how to make that happen.
For the fully-autonomous flight mode, the AutoCopter utilizes a GPS system, where the operator uploads a flight plan to the AutoCopter via a laptop computer, using GPS waypoints. In this mode, the operator "starts the AutoCopter, engages the Flight Control System, commands the AutoCopter to take off and turns all flight operations over to the FCS." The operator can regain manual control of the AutoCopter at any time by going back to the semi-autonomous mode. If the AutoCopter flies out of RC range, it will turn around and come back within range. If it runs out of gas (it's gasoline-powered), a parachute will automatically deploy and guide the AutoCopter back to the ground slowly and safely.
However, as cool as all this is, before the AA-12 shotgun came along and turned it into the "AutoCopter Gunship", the AutoCopter was limited to applications like aerial photography, surveillance, pipeline and utility line inspection, (unarmed) convoy escort, and mine detection--all worthwile applications to be sure, but not exactly anything "transformational" (i.e. paradigm-shifting). However, with the addition of a single AA12, the AutoCopter Gunship's virtual pilot can not only see and photograph the enemy, he can now seek out, locate, identify, and destroy/terminate (i.e. kill) the enemy with extreme prejudice at 300 rounds-per-minute (and potentially tens of thousands of actual projectiles per minute), and he's got a rather large 12-gauge ammunition suite at his disposal (a vertitable ammo smorgasbord, if you will) with which to accomplish this. This capability is transformational, and indeed constitutes a true paradigm shift in lethality and force multiplication, especially when you have swarms of these AutoCopter Gunships flying throughout the battlespace.
For instance, let's say the AutoCopter Gunship's operator spots a group of enemy insurgents/terrorists trying to gun it out with U.S. forces on an Iraqi city street, or sticking their heads out of buildings and shooting at our forces from an elevated position. He can fly the AutoCopter Gunship at them at approx. 60-mph and engage them with standard 2.75-inch 12-gauge shotgun ammo or 3-inch FRAG-12 grenade rounds (since the AA-12 is currently being modified to function with this round) at 300 RPM (rounds-per minute). Just to give the reader an idea of the kind of firepower an AA-12-equipped AutoCopter is capable of delivering on target at up to 100 yards, the AA12 shotgun can deliver aprox. 1900 .18-Cal. BBs within 4 seconds out of its 20-shot drum. With #4 shot, the operator can place approx. 3,500 projectiles on target(s). And, with #6 Hevi-Shot (made by the good folks at Environ-Metal, Inc.) the operator can accurately unload approx. 5,000 projectiles on the target(s), and kill those targets out to a distance of approx. 67 yards. If the enemy is inside a car or light-armored vehicle, the operator can fire on that vehicle with 20 armor-piercing (AP) FRAG-12 rounds (capable of penetrating up to 1/2 of rolled homogenous steel), or a combination of AP and HE (High-Explosive) rounds--and, he can engage the enemy out to 200-300 yards (according to our understanding), especially while firing from an elevated position (unconfirmed/unverified). The high-explosive (HE) FRAG-12 round will punch through a standard vehicle's skin, and explode inside the vehicle, releasing 90 ball projectiles at very high velocity in all directions, shredding the occupants. The FRAG-12 round can also be used to engage targets inside buildings.
The AA-12 Shotgun effectively turns the AutoCopter from a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into an incredibly lethal unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), or "unmanned combat armed rotorcraft (UCAR)". Previously limited to surveillance, the AutoCopter in gunship configuration can now perform "seek and destroy" missions. Previously relegated to "convoy escort", the AutoCopter can now be tasked with convoy security/force protection. This constitutes a significant leap in mission capability, and it has the potential to be a significant force multiplier in multiple combat environments, including urban warfare/MOUT environments.