Unmanned and Autonomous Systems

Keeping the human operator out of harms way and maintaining operational performance with reduced crew requirements is driving the increasing demand for unmanned and autonomous systems.

The goal of the US armed forces is that by 2015 a third of its operational ground combat vehicles will be unmanned, a goal that is echoed in many armed forces around the World. BAE Systems has vast experience in the development of the algorithms and architectures that support the drive for increased and enhanced autonomy within the battlespace. We continue to build and evolve our expertise in this area in order to identify routes to the introduction of autonomy in both military and commercial environments.
Our solutions span the range of technologies  required to deliver the right capabilities for growth of autonomy in the battlespace, on the land, at sea and in the air. From collision-avoidance algorithms through to adaptive behaviours and machines that learn, the Advanced Technology Centre leads the development of next-generation unmanned systems. Our expertise is differentiated through a strong understanding of the systems engineering aspects required to enable the growth of enhanced autonomy to be realised. Taking such an approach allows us to focus not only on the individual vehicle aspects but also the wider interoperability and communications challenges.

At the heart of our understanding is the model: “sense, think and act”. “Sense” enables the system to understand ‘what is where’ by processing an appropriate mix of sensors to deliver timely perceptions of its environment, including localisation, mapping and picture compilation. “Think” puts the perception of the system’s environment into context and enables an understanding of decision making, planning and how to effect the changes that are required for the success of the system’s mission. “Act”, through a hierarchical, deliberative,behavioural and reactive control framework executes the system’s plans, maintaining control of its trajectory while also reacting in a timely manner to the dynamic environment within which it operates.

Our autonomous exploration work has produced platforms capable of navigation, decision-making, obstacle avoidance and path planning with or without GPS (global positioning system).
Our aim is to produce an integrated autonomous capability demonstrating fully autonomous, multiple air and land vehicles undertaking co-operative missions for extended periods in harsh environments and adverse conditions.

Our solutions span the range of technologies required to deliver the right capabilities for growth of autonomy in the battlespace,on the land,at sea and in the air.

• Adaptive behaviours
• Automated manufacturing technologies
• Co-operative environment exploration
• Command and control
• Distributed co-operative control
• GPS denied navigation
• Image exploitation
• Intelligent collision avoidance
• Robotics
• System learning
• Tactical decision making
• Target recognition
• Tele operation