With ups and downs

José Pinto getting ready to launch Nop-1 for multi-hop acoustic tests
NRP Escorpião ready to receive LSTS team
Joint operations with the guys in NRP Auriga with REMUS AUV
REP16 is not the only exercise in the water
NRP Auriga of in the distance for joint operations
José Pinto and Paulo Dias in diligent operations
A birds-eye view of deck operations
X8-05's fate after a troubled flight, back to the workshop for recovery

As the REP continues so do the operations with different vehicles and at different locations.

As planned the LSTS team boarded NRP Escorpião in order to tackle both E3 (Control and monitoring through multi-hop acoustic network) and E4 (Adaptive multibeam survey). At the helm of the operations were José Pinto and Paulo Dias and after a full day's operations initial results were encouraging. Previously undetected bugs were diagnosed and corrected with ease allowing testing to continue as expected.

Back on shore the UAV team head up to the Sesimbra cliffs in order to tackle E1 (Search & Rescue with an UAV equipped with an IR camera) and E13 (Autonomous VTOLairplane Mission). Before deploying X8-05 for the IR mission test flights were made with X8-02 (a stripped down version of the 05). Flights went well and determined the exercise could be carried out. Unfortunately wind conditions quickly changed after X8-05 took off and although attempts were made by the safety pilot to stabilize its flight the UAV took a dive on the rocky shoreline.

Although bruised the X8-05 is expected a full recovery to undergo the rest of the mission week. Nevertheless VTOL Missions went off without any incident having the day's outcome been much more positive than negative.