Innovative Quiet Unmanned Air Vehicle Technologies

Two aerodynamic breakthroughs by members of the proposing team, provide an opportunity for significantly lowering the acoustic signature of UAVs while enhancing their overall mission performance. FloDesign’s patented Mixer Ejector Propulsion System combined with Rotating Composites Technologies LLC’s patented light-weight fan represents the Next Generation of quiet, high efficiency propulsors applicable to a wide variety of UAV configurations and sizes. The proposed system is radically different than any existing shrouded fan system, adding a second light-weight bypass duct and lobed mixers to dramatically increase the propulsive system’s thrust to weight and horsepower output from take-off through loiter. Most importantly for current purposes, the MEPS shifts a large portion of the thrust force from the rotating fan blades to the two static shrouds, leading to a lightly loaded, much quieter fan design. MEPS also increases fan efficiency by reducing swirl losses, has a lower radar cross section than its propeller counterpart and provides a simple means for thrust vectoring. The proposed program will assess the technical feasibility of the MEPS system for quieting small UAV’s as well as to significantly reduce the engine size/volume/weight required to meet the desired mission profile—thereby either allowing for increased payload and/or loiter time.