16 October 2003

STARA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AWARDED US ARMY CONTRACT TO DELIVER SMALL MUNITIONS FROM UAV

On September 25th, STARA Technologies was awarded a contract by US Army TACOM-ARDEC, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ to demonstrate the use of its existing miniature guided parafoil technology to deliver top-attack munitions from a light-weight Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The light-weight Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has proved itself as an effective reconnaissance tool in Iraq and Afghanistan.  However the aircraft has not yet been able to perform as a successful strike platform because it can not bear the weight of conventional munitions.

The current advances in smaller and lighter submunitions is the first step towards converting the UAV into an attack aircraft.  However there is an additional problem.  The UAV’s slow speed forces it to fly higher than the range of small arms fire making it difficult to place these submunitions on target. STARA’s guided parafoil delivery system addresses this second issue, filling the gap between the armed armed, high flying UAV and the target below.

Unlike free falling conventional parachutes, STARA’s guided parafoils incorporate Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to autonomously fly towards a target while overcoming any winds encountered on the way down.

This will make it possible for the UAV to select targets with its surveillance equipment and then program STARA’s units to accurately deliver submunitions to these targets, destroying them with lethal, pinpoint accuracy.  .

STARA’s Chief Engineer Glen Bailey commented, “The use of the GDS to deliver submunitions from a UAV is definitely the attack platform of the future.”  He also indicated that, while the system will be modified to drop munitions, the GDS can also be used to drop blood or survival equipment to wounded troops in remote areas.

29 August 2003

STARA TECHNOLOGIES INC. INVITED TO PRESENT UAV LAUNCHED GUIDANCE UNITS AT ARMY'S PRECISION AIRDROP TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (PATCAD)

The United States Army invites STARA Technologies to demonstrate its miniature guided delivery system at the Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCAD) on the Yuma Proving Grounds in November.  Click for more details...

2 May, 2003

STARA Technologies wins Navy SBIR contract N03-141 entitled "Precision Air Delivery (PAD) Carrier for Expendable Ground-based Sensors"

SBIR Topic Description:

There is a need for the capability to accurately place various types of ground based sensors such as biological/chemical, meteorological, audio/video surveillance, communication monitoring/decoying and vehicle/personnel movement sensors. Using the latest technology, miniature versions of some of these sensors already exist and others are in development or are being planned. Both deployment and operation of these sensors are generally required to be covert. Covert air delivery from high altitude, long standoff distances can be achieved by the development of a precision air drop carrier that can be deployed from standard military aircraft countermeasures dispensers and that can carry and accurately place various types of miniature expendable ground based sensors. This carrier should be wind supported during descent and employ a miniature airborne guidance unit (AGU), using GPS waypoint navigation to accurately reach its pre-programmed target. AGU, power, GPS antenna, control actuators and parachute/parafoil must be designed to require a minimum of space within a volume equivalent to an MJU-10B countermeasures flare (2" x 2.5" x 8"), allowing maximum space availability for the selected sensor module. It is assumed that selected sensor modules will be independent units containing sensor, power and data communications. All components including the sensor module compartment must be protected from the high pyrotechnic shock loading of explosive deployment from countermeasures dispensers.

24 January, 2003

STARA begins internal development of its generic delivery system. 

Description:

Due to the growing need to accurately deliver small payloads, STARA has begun designing a generic parafoil system capable of  delivering nearly any payload weighing between 5 and 50 pounds.  Our generic delivery system (GDS) is designed to be remotely dropped from a UAV or hand-tossed from most MAVs. Potential payloads are blood packets, munitions, sensors and  supplies.