UAV Navigation VECTOR-600

The UAV Navigation VECTOR-600 (Spain) is an industrial autopilot for fixed-wing aircraft, VTOLs and rotary-wing aircraft. It works with two processors and two IMUs and is developed to the procedures of the aviation standards DO-178C for software and DO-254 for hardware; these standards describe development procedures and are not in themselves an approval of the device.

The two CPUs deliver 850 MIPS each and have 16 MB flash and 256 MB RAM each. The sensors capture rates up to ±300 °/s and accelerations up to ±8 g (15 g on request) at sampling rates up to 500 Hz; the altimeter covers −2,000 to 36,000 ft above sea level (about 11,000 m) at ±3 % accuracy. Interfaces are 2 × CAN (1 Mbit/s), 3 × RS-232, 2 × RS-422/485, 24 GPIO, PWM at 50, 200 or 400 Hz, 8 ADC at 12 bit and a GNSS connector in SMA form. The input voltage is 9 to 36 V; the unit measures 45 × 68 × 74.5 mm and weighs 180 g. The firmware is proprietary.

As environmental standards the manufacturer names MIL-STD-810 for climatic and environmental testing and MIL-STD-461 for electromagnetic compatibility, plus ASTM F3201-16 on the software dependability of unmanned systems and ISO 9001. In the EU operation depends on the finished platform; fixed-wing aircraft and VTOLs flying long-range typically belong in the specific category, which requires a risk assessment.

When selecting, integration counts: proprietary firmware means ground station and configuration from one source, but less freedom in payload and interchangeability. The 180 g and the format suit larger airframes, not small platforms. Wear sits in the connectors of the RS-232/422 data links and in the GNSS connector; vibration affects the IMUs, so damping and calibration are to be planned after every modification.