Terminal Guidance for Autonomous Aerial Refueling

Autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) is an important capability for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to increase its flying range and endurance without increasing its size. In Phase I, Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. (ASC) developed a novel tracking method that utilizes both 2D intensity and 3D point-cloud data acquired with a 3D Flash LIDAR sensor for autonomous aerial refueling. The experimental results demonstrate how relative position and orientation between the sensor and the simulated drogue can be easily and efficiently established. The primary objective in Phase II is to explore additional desired characteristics that ASC"s 3D Flash LIDAR cameras possess in particular, the capability of imaging through challenging environments such as in the dark or in foggy conditions. The goal in this Phase II is to develop a 3D camera suite that can be configured in different ways to serve as a test bed for data acquisition to prove the assumptions required in various conditions.