Micro Air Vehicles for Munition Bomb Damage Indication

"The U. S. Air Force has identified a need to develop innovative concepts for gathering timely and accurate bomb damage assessment (BDA) information. This information is used by mission planners to quantify the success of an airborne attack, determine theextent of any collateral damage, and ultimately provide information as to whether additional attacks are necessary. One particularly attractive BDA concept involves the use of low-value assets such as micro air vehicles (MAVs) to gather BDA informationand transmit this information to applicable ground or airborne platforms. The sensor-equipped MAV would be attached to an air-launched munition and deployed at a pre-determined point along the munition's descent trajectory. Following deployment, the airvehicle would achieve stable flight and proceed to the target area to record the impact event and gather post-impact BDA imagery. The MAV would continue to loiter in the target area and transmit real-time imagery until its on-board power source wasexhausted. The focus of this research is to develop implementable hardware and software solutions that enable the use of low-cost, expendable MAVs for BDA missions. Specifically, the research will address: (1) the design, fabrication, and packaging ofthe munition-deployed MAV, (2) the stability and autonomous guidance and navigation capability of the air vehicle, and (3) the collection and transmission of real-time video imagery from the