The Berlin air show will for the first time feature a dedicated, outdoor "UAS Plaza" when the ILA 2012 event takes place from 11-16 September at the brand new Berlin ExpoCenter Airport. Organisers say Cassidian, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman will display their products "at the UAS Plaza or on their company stands". The Bundeswehr will show the Aladin, KZO and Luna unmanned aircraft systems on its display area. Accompanying the UAS display will be a conference programme, focusing on payload suppliers and service providers, as well as training and simulation.

Tekever's (booth 558) AR4 Light Ray autonomous UAS is making its debut at the show this year, with the aim of positioning itself as a potential supplier to the US market. The move follows the AR4's appearance in the daily flying display at last month's Farnborough air show, marking the first-ever inclusion of an autonomous UAV in the demonstration programme.

Rockwell Collins has been awarded a contract by the Naval Research Lab (NRL) to provide its TacNet Tactical Radio (TTR) to bring Link 16 networking capability to a broader range of military platforms. Deliveries will begin by February 2013. Platforms and users that can benefit from the TTR include unmanned air systems, rotary wing aircraft, forward air controllers, military vehicles, mobile and transportable ground stations and small maritime assets that have not previously had access to Link 16 capability.

Source: Flight Daily News