BlueHalo launches next generation of Intense Eye UAS

The next generation of Intense Eye unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform from BlueHalo (Arlington, Va., U.S.) will incorporate an injection-molded chassis using HX5, a multiscale reinforced polymer from Alpine Advanced Materials (Alpine, Dallas, Texas, U.S.). HX5 has been tested against some of the harshest environments on Earth and was engineered to replace machined aerospace-grade aluminum, making the Intense Eye UAS stronger and lighter with increased efficiency and payload capacity.

The Intense Eye UAS family is a 750-millimeter class 4 rotor vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS for dual-use in commercial and military operations. The system’s software and avionics are strengthened by BlueHalo’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies — providing autonomy, communications systems and swarm logic capabilities.

“Through our strategic focus on small business partnerships, BlueHalo has worked closely with the Alpine team to develop a lighter, stronger, more capable UAS through injection molding engineering,” says James Batt, BlueHalo chief growth officer. “The next generation of our Intense Eye UAS product line features this innovative HX5 airframe in combination with BlueHalo’s industry-leading autonomy and AI/ML capabilities, providing new mission-critical solutions to warfighters and expanding opportunities for our commercial partners.”

“This is a victory for injection-molded HX5, which is ideal for the drone industry for many reasons,” adds David Brantner, CEO of Alpine Advanced Materials. “Our engineering team worked closely with BlueHalo throughout the process, leveraging all of HX5’s material advantages to create an innovative, tough-to-kill unmanned aerial system designed for complex battlespace environments.”

The BlueHalo team worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Alpine, collaborating throughout development to strengthen the frame design based on mold flow analysis to promote good fiber alignment and strength in critical areas. In addition to the mechanical and environmental benefits provided by using the HX5 polymer, the injection molding process has enabled BlueHalo to accelerate production and delivery. BlueHalo can modify the IE-V3 for custom applications, including autonomous swarming solutions, payload development and deployment, test targets, fire and rescue operations, atmospheric profiling, education and research and more.