Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV) System Design and Operation

A small 15cm Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV), applicable in military and civilian environments, is feasible within the near future. The MUAV will meet realistic operational requirements including payload weight of up to 20 gm, maximum speed of 100 kts, range to 60 km, endurance of 20 min, altitudes up to 10,000 ft with capabilities to dash and loiter/hover, agility to maneuver upon command, and covertness of operation. It will operate in benign and hazardous (nuclear, chemical, biological) environments as dictated by battlefield mission strategies and civilian and commercial applications. Our system design study will analyze a) composite materials for airframe structural strength and skin aerodynamics; b) multi-use of structural components which double as surface-mount PC boards for electronic processing and signal and power routing; c) matched propulsion system (engine, propeller, exhaust, fuels), d) flight control systems; e) navigation and guidance systems, f) communications systems for grounded-based control up links and MUAV-developed video down links; and g) crew supported launch and recovery systems. Our operational study will consider the air vehicle, sensor camera (video and perhaps gas sampling) and other payloads, ground-mobile based unit, and crew support. We plan to use existing simulation capability final specifications. Because of the weight and size limitations in a 15cm MAUV, our concepts include a ground-based visual autopilot applying automated machine vision from down-linked video; IAI's virtual hover mythology; and launch and recovery systems. Another concept is a MAUV swarm mode.