Tecnologia militar N°4/2016 : ECA Group solutions: efficient and reliable

Published in Tecnologia Militar 4/2016, December 2016

Read the pdf File (Spanish)

English translation by Louis Elcabache

ECA Group:  efficient and reliable solutions

ECA Group is renowned for its expertise in robotics, automated systems, simulation and industrial processes. Ever since 1936 it has been developing complete innovative technological solutions to perform complex missions in hostile or restrictive environments.

Its products are used by a demanding international clientele requiring the highest levels of safety and efficiency, mainly in the sectors of defence, maritime, aerospace, simulation, energy and industrial equipment.

The Group has always been at the forefront of innovation ever since it was founded in 1936. It has built up the trust of  its customers worldwide thanks to the reliability and performance of its solutions, at minimum cost.

UNMANNED VEHICLES FOR ROUTE OPENING AND CLEARANCE

Route opening operations collaborating between UAV and UGV 

The past decades proliferation of Unmanned Vehicles in French Military Industry results from the need to cope with one major growing threat: improvised explosive device (IED). To avoid victims and perform route opening and clearance missions, soldiers can now benefit from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). These specific ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) are dedicated to military and homeland security operations. Expanding operational capabilities of Ground Forces, they can be quickly deployed for Information Security and Reconnaissance (ISR) & Counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) missions.

Enable the Progression of the troops in safe condition.

The point is to help specific units - such as the DOIP in the French Army (Détachement d’Ouverture d’Itinéraire Piégé) - to enable the progression of the rest of the troops in safe condition. Every day, they accomplish a meticulous work requesting a lot of vigilance. In order to assist them and increase the efficiency of their missions, ECA Group has developed High-Tech, field proven robotics systems.

Collaborative operations for reconnaissance between UAV and UGV(IT180 & COBRA MK2 - ECA Group)

Potential threat in African hut  detected using a ECA Group's IT180 UAV

Airborne COBRA MK2 UGV mini robot is quickly drop on site

Investigation can start for path clearance

The IT180 UAV(ECA Group UAV), which is actually named in the French Army DROGEN (DROne pour le GENie; translated "Drone for Engineering units"), is a Vertical Take-Off & Landing Unmanned Aerial System. In the Route Opening & Clearance process, it helps and assists the troops during their mission by making surveillance of the area using mainly Electro Optical Device. Its stealthiness is particularly appreciated by users who want to operate without being detected during Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions in military operations. Thanks to its intrinsic stability thanks to its counter-rotating rotors, it is the only product in its category able to carry such high-performance detection systems in severe environmental conditions. It is a unique product in its category – a real Jeep of the air that took more than four years of R&D with several patents being filed.

The COBRA MK2 UGV (ECA Group UGV), which is actually named MINIROGEN (MINI RObot pour le GENie ; translated "Mininrobot for Engineering units"), in the French Army, is a lightweight mini Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) designed to perform multiple civilian or military operations. Thanks to its different mission modules, it brings key advantages in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device), and also in Chemical & Radiological detection. The COBRA MK2 UGV is an all-terrain UGV that can be operated anywhere (earth, sand, grass, concrete, asphalt, mud), at any time, thanks to its high resilience to harsh conditions such as heat, cold, rain, snow, or fog. Working to minimize Soldiers' exposure to direct hazards, its modular design allows for multiple payloads to be integrated according to purpose.

Discover ECA Group UGV solutions

Discover ECA Group UAV solutions