Alberta Hitting the Trail

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INDUSTRY
Hitting the Alberta
trail
Editor RICHARD GARDNER concludes his visit to Alberta looking at aerospace and defence companies centred on
Calgary and Edmonton.
S
ituated in a thriving research park just
across the street from the University of
Calgary is CDL Systems which started
life in 1992 and had just 32 software
specialists on its books in 2002, now 60, and
which has become a leading developer of
vehicle control station (VCS) software for
unmanned vehicle systems. Providing fully
integrated command, control and information systems for unmanned vehicle applications is right at the heart of where defence
technology is moving, so it is little wonder
that CDL has already made great strides in
working closely with all the leading
unmanned platform providers including AAI,
BAE Systems, EADS, CAE, General Atomics,
Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Meggitt and
MBDA.
VCS is used for controlling unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles,
high-speed air and sea targets and loitering
munitions, a growth area for new defence
weapons. The system software automatically
manages piloting tasks and allows for increasing
levels of autonomy as operators focus on the
main mission tasks. Real-time control and
monitoring capabilities enjoy an intuitive
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point-and-click user interface which results
from years of research and development aimed
at producing a software product that is tailored
for operators who may or may not have
previous piloting experience, in the case of
unmanned aerial system (UAS) applications.
Interoperability and interconnectivity are both
key to operating a multitude of UAVs (now
known also as UAS vehicles) across the operational battlespace, especially where more than
one service and many allied forces are active.
STANAG 4586 is the NATO software standard adopted for unmanned vehicle interoperability, involving communications between the
operator software, the platform vehicle and its
sensors and encapsulating vehicle specific functionality. CDL Systems has played a leading
role in developing this standard and was the
first company to implement it. Its VCS-4586
was the first STANAG 4586 system to be
fielded. To date around 70% of CDL’s work has
been for US clients but between 15-20% has
been for the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The US Army has shown the way by adopting,
at an early stage, a common architecture,
known as the one system ground control
station (OSGCS) for operating a range of UAS
July 2010 Aerospace International
vehicles for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, using its RQ-7B
Shadow and MQ-5B Hunter. Over half a
million operational flight hours have been
completed and this is rising as the MQ-1C Sky
Warrior enters service.
VCS-4586 can interface with virtually any
electro-optical or infrared sensor and geo-references the video to allow operators to issue a
command to look further by simply clicking on
the point of interest. A mission management
system reduces operator workload which still
allows a task to be modified in real-time if
mission priorities change, and flight routes can
be validated against terrain violations and
airspace constraints. Operators can use the
point-and-click interface to control multiple
vehicles, allowing them to concentrate on
mission objectives while the software manages
specific operational details. Interactive map
displays show vehicles, sensors and data links as
geo-referenced objects on a mission specific
map background, while a wide variety of
customised overlays can be displayed to
enhance situational awareness. A warning,
caution and advisory (WCA) system keeps the
operator informed of overall system status and
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INDUSTRY
Left: Alberta Transcontinental Highway.
Lower left: The CDL Systems team.
Lower right: Jeff Catherwood at Microhard
Systems.
any abnormalities in order to maintain safe and
optimal operations at all times.
Vehicle specific modules (VSM) are key
components in the system architecture and
VCS-4586 handles them as network nodes,
providing a mechanism to manage connections
to multiple vehicles, sensors and data links at
operator level. As Sundeep Kharey, business
development engineer at CDL, explained:
“VSM translates the protocol and houses the
specific functionality, including encapsulating
the performance. This is becoming an enabler
and we are working on the development of an
open architecture solution.” He told Aerospace
International that one ground station had
demonstrated its ability to handle 16
unmanned vehicles simultaneously and the
capability for managing multiple autonomous
operations was expanding all the time.
Fraser, manager aeronautical products and certification at Amtech, described how this involves
replacing, where necessary, replacement components for use on older airframes and, if no
longer available, identifying alternatives and
obtaining the necessary approvals. Product
development includes integrating new equipment in existing aircraft and a recent example
has included fitting and getting approval for
NightSun search lamps and an anti-icing system
for use aboard the Cessna Caravan light trans-
Amtech Engineering
Amtech Engineering has a main office in
Medicine Hat as well as a facility in Calgary and Alberta from the air.
specialises in aerospace and defence engineering, including prototyping, systems integration and field deployment of remote sensing port aircraft. It also includes engine conversions,
and automated electro-mechanical and process battery relocations, air ambulance conversions,
control systems. A particular area of expertise custom interior modifications to pressurised
includes R&D and system development and fuselages (to take camera ports and antenna
technical support. The company is small but penetrations) and the design, modification and
has extensive networking arrangements with certification of floatplane conversions.
many Canadian organisations with whom it Structural testing and flight characteristics evalworks closely. These include
uation on float conversions is
the Canadian Space Agency,
carried out (on light aircraft such
the Defence Research &
as the Cessna 182) and with this
Development
Canada
... one ground goes flight manual supplements
(DRDC Suffield), Diverse
liaison with the certification
station
had and
Engineering and Viking Air
authorities.
Modifications
its include upgrading flight and
of BC Canada. Aircraft demonstrated
modification and repair ability to handle 16 navigation management systems,
certification is a core unmanned vehicles the addition and integration of
activity. This involves the simultaneously ...
GPS with other avionics systems,
design/airworthiness
TCAS, EFIS and cockpit voice
substantiation of large and
recorders and enhanced surveilsmall aircraft modifications
lance systems. Certification of
and repairs, and has
external stores for special operaTransport Canada approval to work on struc- tions platforms have included fitting Exta wing
tures, provide damage tolerance assessments, mounting pylons to carry external stores for
avionics and electrical systems, flight dynamics, multiple towed aerial target operations. A
flight testing and wind-tunnel expertise.
topical subject just now is the environmental
As a part of on-going ageing aircraft threat from leaking underwater oil pipelines.
programmes, Amtech is able to help predict the Amtech has developed Project Nimbus which
remaining fatigue life on aircraft structures. Ian involves fitting a large capacity oil dispersant
“
”
July 2010 Aerospace International
WAAS is now
As we reported in the May issue, the Wide Area
Augmentation System (WAAS) is up and
running and is bringing safer flying operations to
small airports and airstrips all over the USA and
Canada. NovAtel is a Calgary based company
employing around 350 personnel that is a major
provider of precision global navigation satellite
system (GNSS) components and subsystems
and is involved in the provision of the network of
WAAS ground stations that ‘correct’ the GPS
signal to enable safe precision approaches to be
made by GPS-equipped aircraft fitted with the
appropriate receivers. As well as commercial
communications activity, the company has
defence interests and works closely with the US
Department of Defense (DoD) and Europe’s
Galileo consortium and Thales. NovAtel sells its
processing chips to the OEM manufacturers and
it is moving closer to the defence market for
future growth. At the moment some 95% of the
company’s products are sold for export, bringing
annual revenues to C$120m. The company has
targeted UAS manufacturers and systems
suppliers for future growth.
Networked communicator
Microhard Systems is a wireless communications and networking company that has been
supplying industrial markets since 1997 and
military markets since 2002. With over
150,000 installations worldwide, some 10,000
of them are installed in unmanned vehicle
systems. Microhard combines in one facility,
situated in Calgary, all its engineering and
production manufacturing activity. Though it
started supplying products to the oil and gas
sector its Serial, Ethernet and Gateway devices
are now growing rapidly in application within
the defence sector where innovative technology
is taking the company beyond the COTS
market into full military specification components. Secure communications and open architecture is more important than ever as the UAS
market develops. Remote diagnostics on IP
devices and multi-addressing on serial products
create consistent and reliable links for monitoring and telemetry applications. Protecting
data and networks is a high priority and
Microhard products, which are supplied to
major OEMs and defence contractors
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spraying system in the rear cabin of a converted
C-130 Hercules. The company has also developed a wider defence systems and military engineering capability with expertise in explosive
and mechanical techniques for dealing with
buried landmines and terrorist devices.
INDUSTRY
including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin,
Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Thales, BAE
Systems, General Dynamics, L-3, EADS and
QinetiQ, have the highest security, with
advanced encryption, authentication and
secure login features. Proprietary frequency
hopping spread spectrum technology is
immune to radio frequency (RF) ‘sniffers’ and
other malicious intrusions.
Jeff Catherwood, Microhard’s sales manager,
underlined the growing trend towards
commonality concerning data links for UAS
applications. His company’s latest Nano Series
of modems has an incredibly small footprint
offering greater design flexibility. Such a micro
platform can provide comprehensive communications and data transfer as well as control for
UAS autopilot functions. Catherwood added:
“We’re very diversified and are developing both
cations are even more demanding, for example
the need to G-proof cabling, and in the past
military specifications have involved too much
bureaucracy, according to Kevin Pelletier,
VariSystems’ sales and marketing manager. In
his view a breakthrough in changing attitudes
was needed to enable costs to be reduced so
that the adoption of improved products could
be made easier. This applied in particular to
standards and legacy products. Quality control
was everything, he said and the final products
were subject to testing at every stage of production. With applications for defence and aerospace use, safety standards in cabling and
wiring were paramount, as was regulatory
knowledge. The nature of this production
required very specialised machinery and
manufacturing techniques and innovative
ideas were producing even more reliable cables.
Ian Darnley of Sunwest Aviation and Learjet.
in civil and military markets, working to keep
the technology balanced. We see a big market
for small UAVs which have civil as well as military applications. Our technology is highly
scaleable and we are currently investing highly
in R&D — if you don’t do that you are done
for. We donate material to academia and have
University partnerships — that’s another good
way of investing in the future.”
VariSystems
By way of a contrast in specialist production,
the Editor next visited VariSystems which
produces over-moulded cable and wiring
products. Like so many other manufacturing
companies in Alberta that are now diversifying
into military markets, this company has 40
years’ experience serving the oil industry,
where product reliability has been developed
in the toughest environments. Military appli-
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A major project for VariSystems has been
renewing cabling in the huge British Army
training range at Suffield.
Flying high
Sunwest Aviation, based at Calgary Airport, is
well placed to serve one of the busiest aviation
markets in Canada, thanks to its proximity to
the wealth-generating oil and gas sectors which
take full advantage of Alberta’s status as the
depository for the world’s second largest known
reserves of oil. There are 12 major business
aviation companies operating in the area and
Sunwest Aviation is one of the biggest. Its portfolio includes ownership of 40 aircraft, from
the Dassault Falcon family to the Cessna
Caravan and it also manages a large number of
non-owned aircraft on behalf of clients, as well
as providing charter services. As Ian Darnley,
director of business development at Sunwest
July 2010 Aerospace International
explained, the high cost of maintaining the
company-owned fleet is offset by leasing out
and commercial operations. “Charter revenue
is a bonus, though with the managed aircraft
the owner always gets priority”.
Cargo business is expanding and can now
involve up to 25% of the aircraft fleet. Small
packages, for urgent spares and supplies, are
carried on scheduled and non-scheduled flights
in aircraft that include Metros, Caravans and
Chieftains. Courier services, including cheque
clearing, are regular tasks. Sometimes flights are
also provided for other small regional carriers.
Medical evacuation is also growing. This
includes air ambulance tasking and the delivery
of organs for transplant. With so many small
scattered communities in country, mobile
medical teams are also frequent users of
Skywest’s services. Darnley commented, “Oil
companies are very demanding and we often
have to fly into very remote locations. We have
230 employees with 40-50 engineers and
currently own three hangars, though we want
more. Some clients start off with chartering
from us and then as utilisation rises, decide to
buy their own aircraft. We advise and evaluate
suitable aircraft on their behalf, and might typically acquire up to 15 aircraft per year for such
clients.”
Although business aviation in the USA has
dropped dramatically since 2008, it is growing
again in Canada and Ian Darnley is optimistic.
Asked if he thinks very light jets (VLJs) are
making an impact, he says they don’t really
work well for his company’s commercial operations. One pilot ops are not really suitable and
two take up too much passenger capacity in
such small airframes. What Sunwest wants is
jets that can carry six to eight passengers on
flights of up to 1,000 miles, mostly orientated
North-South, rather than East-West. Although
Edmonton is more central, Calgary Airport is
larger and that is where the company’s corporate HQ is situated. As well as oil and gas, the
real estate, construction and investment
banking sectors are all showing a need for more
business air travel. Where is the company
going? According to Darnley, the future
involves more managed aircraft to look after,
more client consultancy service and perhaps the
acquisition of larger aircraft, such as the
Bombardier Dash 8-Q400.
Aerotech
According to Geoff Ritchie, of Aerotech
International, an aviation technical solutions
consultant, based at Edmonton, new operators are reluctant to break into the North
American market. The USA is widely
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INDUSTRY
regarded by many in air transport as a closed
market but Canada is expected to demonstrate better aviation growth over the coming
years. Transport Canada has a flexible attitude
he says, with signs that it is willing to support
change in the status quo. The business model
for operating new and leased aircraft is
changing, he says. In a boom customers want
aircraft and buy time through the lessors but
in the bad times they want to give them back.
Although lease rates are lower in a depressed
market, aircraft tend to be turned round more
quickly which keeps the market moving.
What companies such as his own do to help is
carry out valuations for customers of their
flying assets. He says some costs will be identified that the airlines would not realise themselves and this might involve liability issues.
Using external expertise can achieve the same
aim at a more reasonable cost than if busy
customers try to do it themselves.
Quantium Technologies specialises in advanced coatings for defence applications.
Biodetection
Hot erosion coating
Dycor Technologies specialises in providing
wireless data communications for remote
hostile, limited infrastructure environments,
biodetection technology and services. Once
again the company’s markets are split between
the oil and defence sectors. The detection of
biological agents has been an important area of
activity, working closely with the DRDC and
specialised equipment was supplied to the US
DoD for use in the First Gulf War. Increasingly
regarded as a major global threat is ‘bio-terrorism’ where biological or ‘dirty’ radioactive
material might be released into populated
urban areas, as well as the military battlefield.
The company is working with US agencies, as
well as the UK’s Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and is helping to
develop better detection technologies to
counter the threat. Agents such as anthrax
require only the tiniest amounts to be released,
with potentially devastating results, and so
sample-seeking collector devices and the development of concepts of operation are taking
much effort. Most recently, the Public Health
Agency of Canada put into place sophisticated
monitoring measures during the Winter
Olympic Games and the lessons learned are
being leveraged for future international applications. How best to protect against bio-threats
involves many specialist partners in Canada
and overseas, involving facilities with suitable
test and evaluation capabilities. Speed of
analysis is key, and other issues involving
common factors across several different threat
areas are making this one of the most crucial
counter terrorist initiatives at present.
Advanced coatings for defence applications is a
specialist activity at Quantium Technologies.
High temperature hot erosion coating is most
likely to feature in the future for aerospace
applications though these innovative processes
have come via the petrochemical sector. Dr
Robert Deuis is program principal at
Quantium and has been researching the
defence potential for many of the company’s
technologies. This includes weapons coatings
and ballistic protection. This work into
advanced materials is in its 12th year and is
taking the research closer to production in the
defence field. With a focus on high temperature coatings, his work is addressing performance degradation through corrosion and
wear. He pointed out that some gun barrel
technology, in widespread global use today, has
not progressed significantly in 100 years. No
innovative coatings technology has been
adopted despite the huge advantages that this
could bring.
He was looking at two platform technologies that could make a difference. One was
weapon systems and gun barrels and the other
was tubular pods for other weapons. Cleaner
technological ways of production, using
advanced methodologies could bring even
greater precision and protection for internal
surfaces. One factor, however, is that many
OEM suppliers don’t want products to last for
too long as they want to sell replacements! This
is hugely wasteful within defence budgets and
nobody has addressed it up until now. The
adapted coatings technology, which uses
catalytic surfaces integrated into commerJuly 2010 Aerospace International
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cially-viable coating systems, if applied to
defence products could certainly help break
the cycle in military programme R&D cost
rises as non-specialist suppliers might not need
to re-discover, at great cost, what is already
known in other industrial sectors.
The US DoD is particularly interested in
the savings potential following a Quantium
contract win and a report that identified 42
projects that might be suitable for adapted
coatings technology. The DoD may be cutting
its budgets but it is still hungry for innovation,
according to Dr Peter Unwin. He said it was
untrue to suggest that defence technology has
to take longer and cost more. Quite often
OEMs have a vested interest in making it so
but in the petrochemical sector technological
programmes and new products also have to
operate in extremes of temperature, be hardwearing, rugged and reliable and offer value for
money but they don’t have massively long
approval timescales and can get the end
product in service a lot quicker, sometimes in
around 18 months instead of many years!
The new coatings are capable of significantly
increasing the hardness of steel products and
providing high fracture toughness and high
ductility — a combination of properties
achieved through nanotechnology and once
considered impossible to attain. There is much
that the defence sector can learn here and it
seems that the US DoD is now aware that very
big savings could be achieved and the lives of
weapons could be considerably extended (in
some cases doubled). This is one adapted innovation that is truly poised for greater things in
the field of aerospace and defence.