Motors, drives and motion control: Green Hills Software tapped for Saab UAV

Boston, MA — Green Hills Software , developer of device software optimization (DSO) tools and real-time operating systems (RTOS), announced that Saab aerosystems Saab Skeldar unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Saab also selected Green Hills Software’s Multi debugger and its Green Hills Probe for developing the UAV’s redundant flight control unit, based on the Freescale MPC5554 microcontroller.

Saab Skeldar UAV will have embedded flight controls. Source: Defense Update

“We selected Green Hills Software because it provided the best toolset for the MPC5554, our chosen processor,” commented Torbjörn Helgesson, system engineer, Computer System Architecture, Saab. “The project was jump-started thanks to the [RTOS], which quickly gave us a working base for the development. The integrated debugging and monitoring facilities within the operating system were particularly useful and the supplied board support package formed the basis for our own tailored [board support package (BSP)].”Saab’s Skeldar is a fully autonomous, lightweight, unmanned helicopter. It can hover and perform vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) with a minimum of field preparation or additional equipment. The system is designed to support military as well as civil operations, national and international missions, and to operate during day and night. Potential applications include target acquisition and designation, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. Weighing 150 kg, Skeldar has a maximum speed of 100 km/h, 4-hour operating endurance and a range of up to 100 km.— C.G. Masi , senior editor Control Engineering News DeskRegister here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.

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