By Shweta Sehgal
Paris. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian awarded the Innovation Trophy Oct 18 to ECA Group during the inauguration of the Euronaval trade show.
ECA won the prestigious trophy for its patent application, baptized STERNA, which combines the use of an UAV and a magnetic sensor carried by a drone to measure a ship’s magnetism.
This patent is the fruit of a joint effort between ECA Group and EOST (Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre), the French School and Observatory for Earth Sciences, in the scope of a partnership related to magnetism in the naval sector, an ECA statement said here.
The application has been installed on an IT180 drone, a mini rotary-wing UAV that can be easily operated from any ship due to its compact size and its high-accuracy navigation even in strong winds. The application can also be configured to operate in a tethered version to act as a radio relay or to detect drifting mines, for example.
The innovation, rewarded at the opening of Euronaval here, includes a drone carry a magnetic sensor able to measure a ship’s magnetism while performing an aerial survey. Having a low magnetic signature is essential for these ships to avoid exploding on mines able to detect a magnetic mass. Measuring a ship’s magnetism is important as it enables in adjustment of onboard compensation systems in order to modify its magnetism to the lowest possible values.
Using this innovation, any vessel equipped with UAV IT180 will be able to verify and periodically adjust its magnetism as often as possible.
So far, this capability is available only at submarine bases with fixed or permanent facility.
This innovation is rooted in a multi-task approach of the IT180 in the naval sector. Any ship can accommodate the IT180 as a technical tool capable of performing various tasks serving the ship’s crew or its mission:
– Interception of suspicious vessels;
– Detection of drifting mines;
– Measure a ship’s magnetism;
– Radar calibration;
– Radio relay for communications with aerial or surface drones;
– Recovery of data from underwater drones
