Conférence par Chris Day - Vice President ISTAR and UAV Business Line - Thales UK

Mercredi 10 mars 2010 à 17 h 00 - Amphi 2 - Campus SUPAERO

Contact : Jean-Marc.Moschetta@isae.fr

Abstract :
Making predictions 20 years out is an interesting challenge - history teaches us that a lot can happen in this time frame, and that a seemingly high number of insurmountable barriers can be overcome, leading to a technological, sociological and economical revolution that changes the fundamentals of everyday life. The Internet revolution has already shown us how quickly innovative new technologies can fundamentally change the way we interact in our every day lives, both at work and at home. This paper begins with a vision for unmanned systems as an important adjunct to manned aviation. If we seize the opportunities before us today, European industry and academia could be at the forefront of an unmanned technological and commercial revolution with growing opportunities in research, engineering, service provision, component supply, operational support and, of course, manufacturing. However, the road to where unmanned systems are today has been long, and we need to overcome some significant barriers if a vibrant unmanned industry is to be a reality in twenty years. The presentation sets the scene with the current UK MoD Watchkeeper programme to be introduced into service during 2010, outlines some of the challenges ahead for European UAV developments, and finally details potential future evolutions of UAV technologies.