The final trials of the three-year Joint UAV Experimentation Programme (JUEP) were completed earlier this year. Sqn Ldr Jon Hiscox, SO2 UAV Air at the Royal Air Force’s Air Warfare Centre UAV Battlelab, said that the trials had been a success despite time and budgetary pressures. for acounting reasons the programmes budget had to be spent before the end of the financial year on 31st March. The three year programme has looked at the utility of UAVs in a number of scenarios, but the final trial conducted in the Benbecula proving area of the coast of north-west Scotland broke new ground in its launch, control and recovery of a UAV from a frigate.

For the trials Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland was equipped with a ground control station (GCS) in its helicopter hanger and with a launch catapult and skyhook retrieval system. During the course of the three-week trial the ScanEagle achieved six launches and four retrievals aboard the warship. The Type 23 frigate was also successfully able to demonstrate NATO Level 5 control of the UAV. There was also a second GCS on one of the islands in the trials area and operation of the ScanEagle was successfully passed between the two stations.

John W. Hayn, Boeing International Program Manager Unmanned ISR Systems, told Unmanned Systems that possibly the most technically challenging part of the trials, especially given the financial and time constraints, was the link establised with a Sea King helicopter. QinetiQ was responsible for the alterations to the aircraft which was fitted with an antenna to receive imagery from the ScanEagle and a flat panel display for its dissemination to the aircraft crew. As a result of this the teamwas able to achieve Level 2 control of the UAV from the helicopter. Hayn says that this is a first for any country.

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