Multi-Purpose Long Endurance UAV Payload Pod for Austere Operations

TB2 Aerospace has designed and patented a universal Autonomous Alignment and Capture system for attaching and delivering UAV Cargo Pods and payloads. The same UAV used to deliver tactical supplies such as ammunition, blood, batteries and radios can also be utilized to deliver non-cargo payloads such as ISR Ground Sensors, CBRN sensors/samplers, weapons systems and C-UAS Pods. No Airmen are required to be involved in the autonomous capture, delivery and recovery of the DROPS Payloads/Pods. The UAV is guided to the Pod by IR beacon-based terminal approach system and uses Electro-Permanent Magnets (EPM’s) to dock and lock the UAV to the POD.In order to establish an austere base using ACE doctrine, we propose using the DROPS system, in this case on a dedicated long-range UAV. The DROPS system paired with a Quickstep Protean UAV enables the capability to deliver supplies and simultaneously provide a long-endurance ISR, C2 and overwatch capability using the exact same airframe with variable payloads.In addition to the Cargo Pod the DROPS system can be applied to any payload of any size to allow for autonomous alignment and capture of the payload by the UAV. The DROPS system allows for autonomous: UAV-to-Payload docking, UAV-to-combat vehicle docking and locking (ship, Unmanned Ground System, combat vehicle), and UAV-payload-to-combat vehicle docking and locking.