Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: to divert defense technology - operating drones from 1000 km away

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

三菱重工、1000キロ先のドローン操作　防衛技術を転用

2020/11/16 18:00日本経済新聞　電子版

三菱重工業は1千キロメートル離れた場所から複数のドローンをまとめて操作できるシステムを2021年度にも実用化する。機体の安定飛行を可能にする防衛技術を民間向けに転用し、一般的な商用ドローンでは難しい高度な制御を実現した。災害予知や送電線の警備といった活用を見込んでおり、ドローンビジネスの拡大を促しそうだ。

新システムでは、例えば東京にいながら鹿児島県の種子島にある機体を飛ばすことが可能になる。

三菱重工が手がける防衛用の潜水艦や戦闘機は自身の機体の動きを制御しながら相手を自動追尾したり、異常があったら通知したりするなどの機能を持つ。今回はそうした技術を活用し、風速30メートルの環境下でも遠隔地にある数十機以上のドローンを一括制御しながら動かせるようにした。

秘匿性の高いインターネット回線を経由して1千キロメートル離れた先のドローンを操作する。無線でつなぐ一般的なドローンは操作場所から数キロメートルの範囲でしか動けず、複数台を同時に操作することも難しい。

洪水など気象条件や時期に応じた自然災害の観測での活用を見込む。これまで人手がかかっていた電力会社による送電線の監視や、通信会社の回線点検にも役立つとみている。25年度までにはドローンで撮影したデータの解析サービスも始める。人工知能（AI）や、人工衛星を駆使した緻密な画像処理などの防衛関連技術を生かす。

新システムは日本国内向けだが、政府は操作者が目視できない状態での有人地帯でのドローン飛行を許可が無い限り認めていない。実用化にはこうした規制の緩和が不可欠となる。

国内の重工大手は航空機など民間向けの事業環境が厳しくなるなかで、防衛技術の活用を進めている。三菱重工はドローン向けを含めた防衛技術の民間転用で28年度に100億円の売上高を目指す。

Translation

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries would by 2021 put into practical use a system that might operate multiple drones from a distance of 1,000 kilometers. The defense technology that enabled stable flights of  aircrafts was diverted to the private sector, and an advanced control that was difficult to have in ordinary commercial drones was realized. It was expected to be used for disaster prediction and power transmission line security, and was likely to promote the expansion of the drone business.

With this new system, for example, it would be possible to fly an aircraft in Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture while staying in Tokyo.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries dealt with submarines and fighters for defense use that had functions such as tracking automatically the opponent while controlling the movement of their own aircrafts, and had the ability to make notification if there was an abnormality. This time, using such technology, it made possible to operate dozens of drones in remote areas while controlling them collectively even in an environment with a wind speed of 30 meters.

The drone could be operated 1,000 kilometers away by using a highly concealed internet connection. An ordinary wirelessly connected drone could move only within a few kilometers from the operating location, and also it was difficult to operate multiple units at the same time.

The new system was expected to be helpful in observing natural disasters that were related to weather conditions and time, such as floods. It was expected to be useful for electricity companies to monitor their transmission lines, and for doing line inspections by telecommunications companies, both were labor-intensive jobs. By 2025, a data analysis service performed with drones would be started. Defense-related technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and precise image processing that might make a full use of satellites could be back to life.

The new system was for domestic use in Japan, the government did not allow drone flying in populated areas without the operator's visibility, unless with a permit. To make practical use possible, the relaxation of these regulations would be indispensable.

Major heavy industry companies in Japan were promoting the use of defense technology amid the severe business environment in the private sector such as aircraft. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries by diverting defense technology to the private sector, including for drones, aimed to have 10 billion yen sales in FY2028

              To me, it is inconceible that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries can create a system that can operate multiple drones from a distance of 1,000 kilometers. 1,000 kilometers is a very long distance in terms of operating a drone.