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▼ Japanese Company HAMA, A Newcomer To The UAV Sector, Presented Its New Seaplane UAV Hamadori Family At DSEI Japan.
- Category:Other
As well as offering UAVs of all types, including fixed-wing, VTOL and Rotary, Hama differs from other drone designers around the world by offering a range of medium-sized aerial UAVs capable of taking off and landing in water like a seaplane.
The Nippose company takes care of development from A to Z: from the concept and design phase to manufacturing and the design of the drone’s piloting software. The latest is the UAV Hamadori seaplane.
Designed for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) or Search and Rescue (SAR) missions over the sea, thanks to its on-board EO/IR gimbal camera, the HAMADORI UAV has the ability to take off and land autonomously on the water, and to communicate with vehicles or other underwater assets thanks to its acoustic communication antenna, making it like a relay between underwater platforms and those on the surface, whether at sea or on land, thus extending its mission possibilities.
“It can communicate with submarines, mines or UUVs, etc., and relay communication between submarine assets and air and ground assets […] a unique point that cannot be achieved with a conventional UAV […] and which could prevent the mobilization of overly large assets such as manned vessels.” said Takenori Hashimoto, head of internotional business development at HAMA.
HAMA claims to be able to integrate other sensors of various kinds into the UAV, thus broadening the range of possible missions. The company representative mentions that it would be conceivable for the UAV to assist in anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare or other missions.
To give itself every chance, the Japan-based company has developed two other versions of the HAMADORI concept. The one shown at the show was the HAMADORI 3000, a number referring to its three-meter wingspan – the smallest version.
Its big brother is the HAMADORI 6000, with twice the wingspan. Finally, HAMA is working on a catamaran version of its drone. The latter design would offer greater carrying capacity and flexibility.
For the moment, only the Hamadori 3000 is operational, and was used to observe the aftermaths of an earthquake off the Noto peninsula. HAMA has not yet entered the military market, however, and hopes to do so soon.
Discussions are currently underway with the Japanese MOD. The 6000 version and the catamaran are still in the prototype phase, the former having had its maiden flight last year, while the latter is still in the assembly phase and should have its maiden flight later this year.
As regards the technical details of the various models, the HAMADORI 3000 is a relatively light drone weighing just 29kg and capable of cruising at speeds of 35 knots with an range of 140km and an autonomy of 2 hours. It can land in seas with waves of up to 2 meters.
The HAMADORI 6000 is a real step up from its little brother. In fact, HAMA has announced an 8-hour autonomy and a flight range of 740km. Its cruising speed will be doubled, and it should be able to land in 3m waves.
Various sensors such as sonar and other oceanographic data collectors could be installed.
The Nippose company takes care of development from A to Z: from the concept and design phase to manufacturing and the design of the drone’s piloting software. The latest is the UAV Hamadori seaplane.
Designed for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) or Search and Rescue (SAR) missions over the sea, thanks to its on-board EO/IR gimbal camera, the HAMADORI UAV has the ability to take off and land autonomously on the water, and to communicate with vehicles or other underwater assets thanks to its acoustic communication antenna, making it like a relay between underwater platforms and those on the surface, whether at sea or on land, thus extending its mission possibilities.
“It can communicate with submarines, mines or UUVs, etc., and relay communication between submarine assets and air and ground assets […] a unique point that cannot be achieved with a conventional UAV […] and which could prevent the mobilization of overly large assets such as manned vessels.” said Takenori Hashimoto, head of internotional business development at HAMA.
HAMA claims to be able to integrate other sensors of various kinds into the UAV, thus broadening the range of possible missions. The company representative mentions that it would be conceivable for the UAV to assist in anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare or other missions.
To give itself every chance, the Japan-based company has developed two other versions of the HAMADORI concept. The one shown at the show was the HAMADORI 3000, a number referring to its three-meter wingspan – the smallest version.
Its big brother is the HAMADORI 6000, with twice the wingspan. Finally, HAMA is working on a catamaran version of its drone. The latter design would offer greater carrying capacity and flexibility.
For the moment, only the Hamadori 3000 is operational, and was used to observe the aftermaths of an earthquake off the Noto peninsula. HAMA has not yet entered the military market, however, and hopes to do so soon.
Discussions are currently underway with the Japanese MOD. The 6000 version and the catamaran are still in the prototype phase, the former having had its maiden flight last year, while the latter is still in the assembly phase and should have its maiden flight later this year.
As regards the technical details of the various models, the HAMADORI 3000 is a relatively light drone weighing just 29kg and capable of cruising at speeds of 35 knots with an range of 140km and an autonomy of 2 hours. It can land in seas with waves of up to 2 meters.
The HAMADORI 6000 is a real step up from its little brother. In fact, HAMA has announced an 8-hour autonomy and a flight range of 740km. Its cruising speed will be doubled, and it should be able to land in 3m waves.
Various sensors such as sonar and other oceanographic data collectors could be installed.
- 27/5 18:55
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