Italy’s Leonardo unveiled a number of new developments in relation to its AWHero rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (RW UAV) on the first day of the Seafuture 2023 exhibition, held at La Spezia Naval base from 5 to 8 June 2023.
The new developments include: a heavy fuel powerplant based on a unique twin-engine solution, increasing efficiency, safety and time between overhauls; airframe modifications that deliver significant operational and support advantages in relation to powerplant integration, payload bay capacity, system/sensor integration and field of view, maintainability, and on-deck stability; advanced sensor modularity; introduction of the Leonardo Gabbiano TS Ultralight maritime radar for unmatched all-weather wide area coverage; enhanced survivability; and cyber resilience.
The AWHero is an RW UAV with a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg that Leonardo developed specifically for naval operations. It has a payload capacity of up to 20 kg in the nose and up to 40 kg in the belly, an endurance of six hours and a datalink range of 100 km. As well as the Gabbiano TS Ultralight maritime radar, its modular payload bays can carry electro-optical/infra-red sensors, electronic support measures, a sonobuoy data relays system or a light imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor.
Since its introduction in 2019, the AWHero RW UAV has been conducting maritime surveillance capability demonstrations on ships within the framework of the OCEAN 2020 initiative: the European Defence Fund’s strategic research programme for naval surveillance technology and maritime safety, which includes 43 organisations across Europe but is led by Leonardo.
“AWHero is part of a forward-looking roadmap that Leonardo is implementing to maintain its leadership in vertical flight applications in the frame of current and future technological evolutions, which will extensively reshape this industry,” Gian Piero Cutillo, MD of Leonardo Helicopters, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Within this roadmap, uncrewed systems and relevant enabling technologies (ie automation/autonomy, communications, sensors integration and fusion) are key elements in which the company has been significantly investing, while leveraging a fruitful collaboration with the Italian Military Authorities.
“The system enhancements unveiled today reflect the incremental yet firm move from basic design to a CONOPS [concept of operations]-focused configuration. This is particularly true for the relevant naval applications, which remain a priority market for these kinds of systems, which are able to meet intelligence and situational awareness extension capabilities with an optimised use of resources.”
Peter Felstead
