20 August 2015

A helicopter capable of flying and avoiding obstacles—without a pilot at the controls: this is a project in which NGC International and its operating corporation NGC Aerospace, based in Sherbrooke, are playing a role.

At 300 kg, the LX300^TM drone helicopter will be one of the largest drones for civilian use to be marketed worldwide. Plans are for demonstration flights to be conducted by 2017.

More specifically, NGC will develop a smart avionics platform for guidance, navigation, and control, which will enable the aircraft to autonomously detect and avoid objects.

Thanks to this advanced feature, the pilotless helicopter could perform close-up operations, such as inspecting bridges, electrical lines, etc., or even conduct remote sensing to monitor hazardous sites. Other fields of application targeted are search and rescue, maritime operations, agriculture, and mining exploration, among others.

NGC will validate the avionic system in its automated simulation laboratory in the region’s industrial park. The Sherbrooke business will also collaborate in the validation of the system using high-fidelity simulation software and in performing drone platform test flights.

Costing $2.3M, the innovative project will be carried out in its entirety by Quebec companies: Laflamme Aéro Inc., the project leader, assisted by three industry partners—NGC, Roy Aircraft & Avionic Simulation, and Sinters America Inc.—and two university partners—the École Polytechnique de Montréal and the École de technologie supérieure.

Sources : NGC International and La Tribune
Photo Credit : Laflamme Aéro inc.