More Than Just Surveillance
In the current teaming model, ground-controlled drones work with SAR helicopters to spot and retrieve victims. The two operate separately, with information being shared between ground-based drone controllers and helicopter crews in flight.
Sikorsky’s SuperSearch is being developed and designed to incorporate Matrix technology for SAR operations. According to Sikorsky, SuperSearch uses an advanced algorithm to search within a designated area for an object such as a life raft or boat. The company’s simulations have shown that SuperSearch can find such objects up to 30% faster than when using a traditional search pattern.
Igor Cherepinsky is director of Sikorsky Innovations, the section of Sikorsky that develops next-generation technology such as the Sikorsky Matrix autonomous flight control system. As far as Cherepinsky is concerned, SuperSearch is only the beginning of what Matrix can provide for SAR operations, especially those using teamed helicopters and drones. He foresees a time when a Sikorsky SAR helicopter using Matrix will fly in tandem with a series of autonomous surveillance drones. In this model, the drones scour the search area, sending their data back to the helicopter’s computers that automatically sift through the sightings and alert the pilots to the most likely matches.
Since the helicopter’s flight systems are being managed by Matrix, the pilots can spare the time to critically analyze the pre-sifted drone data. This allows them to make better- informed decisions quicker, resulting in faster rescues and more lives saved. “We want to get away from pilots having to focus on managing the cyclic and collective, and let them be able to think more about the actual rescue,” Cherepinsky said. “We also want to reduce the workload of interfacing with a massive suite of sensors, by having only the most useful of contacts presented to them in an integrated fashion.”
Advanced teaming SAR response is also on the mind of Leonardo Helicopters, which bills itself as the only OEM that develops and manufactures SAR helicopters and a full range of drones. “Our company has successfully demonstrated manned/unmanned teaming technologies and capabilities to enhance SAR operations during different operational exercises,” said Roberto Pretolani, the company’s Rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (RUAV) marketing manager. These exercises include the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Italian Blade 2015, the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior 2016, and the EDA’s OCEAN2020 in 2019.
“Performing SAR operations with a mix of manned and unmanned platforms can effectively increase search persistence and area coverage while limiting the use of manned aircraft only when strictly necessary,” Pretolani said. “As an example, Leonardo’s AWHero 200kg-class rotary unmanned system can provide up to six hours all-weather search capability while equipped with a SAR sensor suite including electro-optical/infrared camera, automatic identification sensor, and maritime search radar. An AWHero system composed of two air vehicles can be deployed in rotation to further extend search persistence up to 24 hours.”
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July/Aug 2021
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