From Aviation Week’s Ares weblog and posted at Military.com.
Israeli company Planum Vision is pushing a new type of fixed-route UAV that relies on an electric train cable line. As is the tendency of smaller companies these days, Planum Vision is using YouTube to get the word out. The word being that a fixed-route, train cable UAV, or TCUAV, is ideal for border patrol and protection of military bases by creating an automated surveillance that eliminates the failures associated with flight control, communications and human error.
TCUAV would also be useful in protecting oil pipelines, energy facilities and ports and other transportation hubs, according to the company. It’s not clear the company has any contracts or partners yet, although a related patent application was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization late last week.
– Christian
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So when the “bad” guys see it coming, they hide or move. I’d want a much, much longer tether than 60 meters — and a lower profile aircraft. I might propose a gyrocopter that you simply tow. With less wing area it might be less visible. You could also consider a counter rotating rotor electric helicopter. Interesting — with a large retractable coil of cable you could actually fly these out over the border a ways…
On the other hand — perhaps you could just put up static blimps like JLENS etc. They seem a far better solution, fly much higher (less susceptible to ground fire), and thus can cover a larger area.
I don’t get it. Is towing the UAV like a kite supposed to save fuel? Because it seems to me that all you’re getting for the capital investment of laying track is a UAV that can follow a fixed course, which I’m pretty sure isn’t rocket science. Or you could just post sensor-equipped aerostats at intervals along the line you’re trying to patrol. This looks like another solution in search of a problem — although if it came in HO scale, it might be pretty cool.
Whoa.…. Good thinking, nb!
i think that the idea is for the uav to follow a wire under the ground not to be on a tether. also i think that this tech. coupled with human monitoring and the capability for it to be flown off course by human control you could have it patrol a certain area then when it spots something a pilot could take over and fly it to that area
SO you get limited or no ability to check out anything suspicious. You would be limited to a single pass, so you would have to have eagle eyes yourself. Heck I Cessna 150 is a better bet. This would also be a very predictable system and easy to attack/destroy. Also even if you saved on fuel you have a massive cost associated with installing the system. Maybe im not understanding the system but it sounds like a really bad idea.
Kaltes, quit whining and click the link at the top of the story to see the full text…WITH LINKS…
It sure did take a long time for Israel to come up with similar ideas I already had in mind years ago. In Iraq, there are reports terrorist spotters watch outside of military installations to track UAV movements. This was not new since this already happened long ago in the conflict of Yugoslavia which Seria intel were watching military aircraft movement from NATO bases and alert any possible attacks by NATO jets including the F-117. I predict if this train cable UAV is in operation, it will have limited effect, and is vulnerable of vandalization of the cable to derail the UAV. Terrorists has creativity and its tactics evolve fast. It won’t take long for Hamas and Hezbollah to tackle its vulnerability. I’ll bet they will monitor its movement, and attempt to destroy the cable. My approach was just using trains. You can’t do an U-turn easily with these UAVs, but with unmanned trains, that is possible. It’s vulerable to destruction of the rail, but the border of US is less hostile and attacks on rails wouldn’t happen so often. Planum Vision thinks they had a great idea, but it’s nothing but trash to me.
>I don’t get it. Is towing the UAV like a kite supposed to save fuel?
You’ve got great creativity for mentioning a kite. You were one step near a better approach. I had in mind installing a power kite or tugged paraglider onto a ground vehicle and install sensors on it. It is more mobile and move more free without restrictions of cables or rails. I’ve sent mails to the Pentagon several times long ago installing power kites or paragliders as a low cost tactical UAV, but the Pentagon doesn’t seem to be interested in the idea. Well, it’s a low cost platform that is vulnerable to weather conditions, as same as the Israelis’ approach using cables, never to mean the silver bullet, but only a quantity issue.
>On the other hand — perhaps you could just put up static blimps like JLENS etc.
Israel used balloons for years installing sensors on it. Israel was not the first to use balloons as a surveillance platform, even it may have been the first unmanned balloon, there was once in US for use of manned observation balloon during civil war, and even way back in the 18th century by France, but it was very shocking for me to see balloons as sensor platforms by Israel the first time I recognized it. However, Pentagon has been one step further and smarter than Israel for using blimps. Well, not even the Israelis will beat the creativity of Americans.
You know what? Satellites are still the best. They’re becoming way more sophisticated and will continue to do so in the future. No technology is invulnerable. We’re seeing now that even ICBMs are not invulnerable, for the USA now has a very small number of operable anti-missile-missiles. Very successful tests have already been carried out. So the enemy will have to evolve…they ALWAYS do. Then the allies will evolve. It’s just a never-ending game. Peace would be so much easier, beneficial, and less expensive.
Well, Global Concern, just make the world a perfectly fair place, make everyone happy, eliminate every cultural grievance/jealousy, and we
I don’t see how hundreds of miles of rail electirfied no less would be cheaper than just adding the guidence and fuel to a regular UAV running a aireal track.
Not to mention if its on rail when they find enemy how do they begin orbits? Run back and forth on a track letting everyone know what time it is at the first turn.
Now if you used this instead for say a base perimeter we may have something. But even then is it cheaper than a balloon system? Although a short tower on a wheel with a low gear ratio, and one of these birds kiting it in a orbit from say 200–300 yard line?
Cell phones and cameras are so dam cheep nowadays it maybe cheaper to just buy a wireless internet mobile carrier and put camera phones tagged with small solar panel and battery every 200 yards or so on 20′ posts. Run it all to some of this recognition software that will recognize and que up suspicious activity for the monitor to approve and deploy intercept crews.
I’m a bad guy let’s say I’ll wait by the rail for it to come around and destroy it. You can even see me do it and by the time you get to that point i won’t be there. Infastructure maintenance costs for fixed rail systems, a breakdown of a unit on the rail will prevent another from getting past. Bottom line you loose your flexibility.
What is better network of 1,800 towers + UAVs that will cover the dead areas of those towers or building all in one system that cover all circles of defense ‚over all cost and maintenance much less is .….
I worked togeather with some ingeniers who made a prototype for a military drone — very interessting — it was abel to operate for hours. It shuold be used for spyflights — even in the night.