TEKEVER and the Portuguese Navy Sign A Scientific and Industrial Collaboration Protocol

The TEKEVER Group and the Portuguese Navy signed on June 24th, at the Naval School, two Protocols that establish the principles of their mutual scientific and industrial collaboration for the development of joint activities in the domains of autonomous aerial systems, communications systems and of the management of complex systems. 

Strengthening an already long-term partnership between TEKEVER and the Portuguese Navy, the Protocols now signed translate the development of studies and research activities, the exchange of knowledge and technological and operational know-how and also the implementation of operational activities for the validation and testing of systems, with the ultimate goal of modernising the Portuguese Navy's operational assets and enhancing its readiness level.

At the ceremony, Rear-Admiral Edgar Bastos Ribeiro, Commander of the Naval School, underlined the relevance for the Portuguese Navy, and for the Naval School in particular, of this opportunity to contribute significantly to the national innovation effort. On its turn, TEKEVER's CEO, Eng. Pedro Sinogas, highlighted the Company's proud to have the Portuguese Navy as a privileged partner in the endeavour to develop synergies that are able to consolidate both entities' leading positions in the scope of the Economy of the Sea. 

TEKEVER Awarded Two More Innovative Projects by EDA

TEKEVER ASDS has just been awarded two more research and development projects by the European Defence Agency (EDA), reinforcing its status as the leading Portuguese company involved with EDA projects. 

The new projects are the Soldier Portable Energy Reserve PACK (SPER-PACK) and the uLtralight weigh bulletproof VESTs (LIVEST), both funded under EDA's Combat Equipment for Dismounted Soldier (CEDS) programme. Led by TEKEVER, SPER-PACK will assess different technologies for energy generation, storage and management considering the operational environment and the user profiles, in order to propose a preliminary design of a flexible, plug 'n' play power supply system for the dismounted soldier. The SPER-PACK design will also anticipate the integration of different technologies at or before mission time, being capable of supporting multiple and unanticipated energy generation, harvesting and storage solutions, supported by a powerful and smart power management subsystem. The SPER-PACK Consortium is comprised of TEKEVER, FOI, CEA and Sagem.

 The LIVEST Project will investigate the feasibility of developing a Smart Wearable Textile & Body Armour System based on a soft body armour, enabled through the use of 3D textile structures, especially conceived to reduce weight and increase comfort, and the combination of 3D fabric with current ballistic woven fabric, aiming to reduce trauma cause by high energy impact of bullets and to improve the armour's ballistic protection performance. The Project will also address the integration of wearable electronics for 3D structure and vest monitoring. The LIVEST Consortium is led by AITEX and composed of CITEVE, Paul Boyé Technologies and TEKEVER.

With SPER-PACK and LIVEST, TEKEVER reinforces its position as the Portuguese company with the largest participation in the European Defence Agency's innovation programmes.

AR1 Blue Ray at SEGUREX 2013 – Technology At The Service Of Security

With the Technology at the Service of Security slogan, the TEKEVER Group presents its unmanned aerial and ground systems portfolio for safety and security operations at the SEGUREX 2013 exhibition, which is taking place at FIL, in Lisbon, from May 7th to 11th. 

"TEKEVER's UAS systems are a real added-value to the Portuguese safety and security forces' current capacity, enabling the integration of an asset that delivers true air superiority to those forces' performance in the field.", explained Ricardo Mendes, the TEKEVER Group COO. Ricardo Mendes spoke at the opening of SEGUREX 2013 during the visit of the Portuguese Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. Miguel Macedo, to the exhibition area of the Public Safety Police (PSP), where the AR1 Blue Ray is on display.

To signal this event, and in close coordination with the PSP, the AR1 Blue Ray performed a monitoring mission at the Parque das Nações site, accompanying the arrival of Dr. Miguel Macedo and its staff to the site to preside the event's opening. An excerpt of the video footage may be viewed at http://autonomous.tekever.com/ar1.

The AR1 Blue Ray has been at the centre of the strategic partnership between the TEKEVER Group and PSP, namely its Special Unit, with the ambition to provide this Unit with a UAS empowered with the most advanced information and reconnaissance capabilities for safety and security operations, including surveillance and monitoring of wide areas or crowds, as well as search and patrolling of areas and perimeters. Able to deliver high-definition imagery in real time, the AR1 Blue Ray comprises electro-optic and infrared sensors that ensure a broad operational coverage in day and night environments. "TEKEVER has been promoting the training of several police officers with the AR1 Blue Ray, to support PSP's missions and to have state-of-the-art Portuguese technology at the service of citizens' safety in Portugal.", concluded Ricardo Mendes.

The scope of the TEKEVER – PSP strategic partnership also includes the development of autonomous land systems, specifically designed for reconnaissance missions in urban environments. Hence, the LR1 SPYBOT is a small robot extremely robust that collects image and audio information and transmits in real time up to a 250-meter distance (outdoor environment), ensuring the situational awareness of the operational site.  This equipment is also in display at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Pavilion, at SEGUREX.

TEKEVER Conducts Successful Trials of the AR4 Light Ray UAS in Colombia

TEKEVER conducted an intensive one-week set of trials of the AR4 Light Ray UAS to the Colombian Armed Forces, to validate the system's powerful capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, under the extreme altitude and weather conditions of Colombia.

With very intense military activity against guerrilla forces and narcotraffic groups, the Colombian Armed Forces are everyday faced with the need to carry out ISTAR missions under extreme weather and geographic conditions. The Colombian landscape is poised with high altitude mountains that contribute to a very instable weather, prune to swift changes and speedy winds. These conditions, coupled with very dense vegetation, pose a true ambitious challenge to the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems by the Colombian Armed Forces.

The technical trials carried out by the AR4 Light Ray UAS were performed at high altitudes, around 3000 meters (about 10.000 feet) and right in the heart of the mountainous region surrounding Bogotá, demonstrating the system’s ability to perform in the most challenging scenarios and under the most demanding weather conditions.

"The trials were a complete success," said Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER Group COO. "We met and exceeded the goals we had planned for, by demonstrating the usage of the system to perform multiple types of missions in one of the most challenging environments in the world."

In partnership with the Aviation Global Group, TEKEVER's AR4 Light Ray demonstration followed a special invitation from the Colombian Armed Forces in November 2012 to see first-hand the outstanding performance of the system, after its global market launch at the 2012 Farnborough International Air Show.

The Colombian Armed Forces retrieved valuable lessons from the demonstrations, which will be instrumental for its ongoing procurement on mini-UASs that are specially designed for surveillance missions and capable of delivering true airborne superiority. 

"After these trials, we are extremely confident that our system will be successful in fulfilling the special requirements of the Colombian Armed Forces.", said Ricardo Mendes. He reinforced that this opportunity to present the AR4 Light Ray UAS to the Colombian Armed Forces represents an important step towards the reinforcement of Portuguese aeronautics in the global aerospace market. 

TEKEVER Unveils AR5 Life Ray in Portugal

TEKEVER publicly presents for the first time in Portugal the latest addition to its family of Unmanned Aerial Systems, the Tactical UAS AR5 Life Ray, at the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) Annual Convention, taking place on October 10th-12th, in Lisbon. TEKEVER sponsors the most important event for ASD, an Association that has 28 member associations in 20 countries, representing more than 2,000 companies with approximately 80,000 suppliers and bringing together the major players at the ASDS market.

Specifically designed for Maritime and Near-Shore Surveillance and Search and Rescue (SAR) missions, the AR5 Life Ray is an impressive 9-meter wingspan platform, able to achieve a cruise speed of 120 km/h, carry a 90-kg payload for multiple sensors and provide satellite communications, thus delivering a new added advantage to current monitoring activities and rescue operations. 

"For centuries, Portugal has looked towards the Sea for technological, social, cultural and economic prosperity. Once, we led innovation in Maritime environments, and it gave us greatness. Now, we are working hard to really push the envelope of technology with the AR5 Life Ray UAS, and it makes a lot of sense that a great product, primarily targeted to the Maritime Market, comes from Portugal.", commented TEKEVER’s COO Ricardo Mendes. The AR5 Life Ray is scheduled to begin operational tests in 2013.

Best Paper Award for TEKEVER at ICCRTS 2012

TEKEVER received the Best Paper Award of the 17th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (ICCRTS) that was held from June 19th to 21st in Fairfax, USA.

TEKEVER’s paper describes “The Role of Social Media in Crisis: A European Holistic Approach to the Adoption of Online and Mobile Communications in Crisis Response and Search and Rescue Efforts” aiming to discuss how citizens and first responders may use mobile and internet technologies to establish an interactive and fruitful dialogue during crises response efforts.

TEKEVER’s scientific paper was selected of a universe of more than 100 articles, presented by researchers, investigators and professionals do command and control from all over the World.

With the 2012 edition dedicated to “Operationalizing C2 Agility”, ICCRTS is the most iconic symposium in the command and control world, hosted by the DoD Command and Control Research Program (CCRP), within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

To read the ICCRTS 2012 Best Paper, please see http://dodccrp.org/events/17th_iccrts_2012/post_conference/html/best_papers.html 

President Cavaco Silva Signs TEKEVER’s new UAV for Maritime Operations

The TEKEVER Group presented the new Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle for Maritime Operations in this year’s edition of the Sea Forum, visited by the President of the Portuguese Republic Cavaco Silva that kindly agreed to sign the aircraft, which aims to establish a new era for the missions of the Portuguese Navy.

Specifically designed for maritime surveillance operations, the new UAV reveals advanced capabilities in detection, localisation and tracking of elements of interest, producing high-resolution imagery and video. This potential, allied to the possibility to pursue maritime operations under adverse meteorological conditions, is a differentiating element to the importance of autonomous aerial vehicles in the domains of maritime traffic control, coastal surveillance, fishing activity inspection, illegal activities’ detection, piracy combat and search and rescue operations.

In the context of the Sea Forum 2012, the TEKEVER Group presented its portfolio of maritime safety and security solutions that is the result of intense research and development efforts, involving specialised know-how and promising technologies in the areas of autonomous aerial vehicles, future generation communications systems and network-enabled command and control systems.

 

TEKEVER's MEP Project with News Highlight

TEKEVER Aerospace, Defence and Security featured the Portuguese News, with its Project Portable Energy Modules for the Dismounted Soldier (MEP).

TEKEVER ASDS's MEP Project was presented to the Portuguese Defence Minister, during a seminar on Defence Technologies, held yesterday at the facilities of INEGI, also a partner of the MEP Project.

MEP aims at providing the dismounted soldier with more power and increased autonomy while reducing weight, through the use of novel energy generation, harvesting and management technologies.

To view the news report, please go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvhRlxmC-Rc.

TEKEVER Communication Systems WAC Stars in the MEP Project

TEKEVER presented its Project Portable Energy Modules for the Dismounted Soldier (MEP) at the INEGI’s 25th Anniversary celebrations.

An ongoing development, the MEP Project envisages the creation of two portable energy modules, rechargeable with the soldier’s movement, and a module dedicated to the energy storage and management. Developed by TEKEVER Communication Systems, this component is part of the wireless tactical communication system (WAC), which also provides audio and video signals and positioning data. In a consortium with INEGI, Alma Design and the Infantry Practical School, TEKEVER also undertakes the responsibility for the integration activities involving the prototypes.

Already being field-tested by the Portuguese Army, this equipment will enable the Portuguese Armed Forces to have one of the most innovative technological solutions in Europe for the soldier’s autonomy and energy management problem. 

TEKEVER Autonomous Systems Signs a Partnership with the Portuguese Army

TEKEVER Autonomous Systems signed today a Collaboration Protocol with the Portuguese Army aiming the joint implementation of research, development and innovation activities that benefit the Army’s operational missions.
For the duration of this Protocol, TEKEVER Autonomous Systems, the Portuguese Army and Aveiro University join efforts to converge the scientific research and the national industry innovation with the Armed Forces’ pressing operational needs.
The signed partnership reinforces the TEKEVER Group’s ambition to establish itself as a leading reference in the national Defence and Security market, an effort that is sustained by the innovative product and services’ portfolio in communications systems and autonomous platforms.