ISS Aerospace’s ten-bay HAL10 launcher is designed to keep multiple uncrewed aircraft protected, conditioned and ready for rapid deployment.
British uncrewed systems specialist ISS Aerospace has deployed its HAL10 launcher at a European airbase, taking the system beyond the prototype and test phase.
HAL10, short for Hybrid Aerial-Systems Launcher, can store, condition and autonomously deploy up to 10 small uncrewed aircraft in rapid succession. Its internal environment keeps the aircraft at an operational temperature, reducing the preparation required before launch.
The system can be installed permanently to protect an airbase or other critical site, or mounted on a vehicle to support deployed forces. Operators can launch aircraft individually, stagger sorties to maintain coverage or deploy several in quick succession when a mission requires greater aerial mass.
Managing multiple missions
At the heart of HAL10 is ISS Aerospace’s Stores Management System, which oversees the process from system readiness and effector selection through to conditioning, queuing and deployment. It also provides continuous telemetry while the launcher is in use.
This allows HAL10 to manage aircraft carrying different payloads or assigned to different missions, helping the system select the most appropriate effector while reducing the number of actions required from the operator.
Although platform agnostic, HAL10’s natural partner is the ISSOS WASP. The tube-launched aircraft can transition into multirotor flight in less than three seconds and carry modular payloads for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-UAS or strike missions.