Unmanned Systems Technology 004 | Delair-Tech DT18 | Autopilots | Rotron RT600 | Unmanned surface vehicles | AMRC | Motion control | Batteries

to be aborted and for the craft to return automatically to base. Based on self- diagnosis of the autopilot, level three is lack of navigation. The UAV has an auto-diagnostic function that runs in parallel with the control process. Errors, once detected, are analysed and sorted, and an appropriate response is triggered. Five categories of alarms are defined, with the corresponding responses as shown opposite. De Lagarde notes that the DGAC was satisfied by those levels of contingency. Proving its robustness and stability, the DT18 has been flown immediately ahead of a storm – very high winds and fierce rain – in Mexico to help predict damage. It has also been flown in mountainous regions with peaks and valleys that unavoidably break the data links, and has successfully accomplished its missions. The DT18 has been used on every continent and proved itself through temperature extremes from -25 C in Canada to +45 C in Mexico. Moreover, at the time of writing (in mid-2015), the DT18 was still the only small civilian UAV anywhere in the world with blanket approval for BVLOS from a national authority for all of its type as opposed to one-off and specific zone approvals. A remarkable device, and one that adds up to a very effective tool for commercial users. Simple but effective: the DT18