Utilizing the Drone Recharging Operational Payload System to Autonomously Establish and Replenish an Austere Airfield

The USAF currently has no standard interface or approach to attaching cargo or other payloads to the numerous different drones being used by a diverse set of career fields. To overcome this gap in standardization, TB2 Aerospace has designed and patented a universal Autonomous Alignment and Capture system for attaching, detaching, air dropping, and providing supplemental electric power to the UAS or power to the payload. TB2's main payload is its stackable, standardized cargo pod with supplemental power that is platform agnostic, modular, reconfigurable, and rechargeable. It has the ability to mate with any style or size (Group 1 through 5) of VTOL UAS. DROPS technology has the ability to become the UAS payload of choice for the USAF, and with ubiquitous employment of the cargo pod it will greatly reduce costs, increase operational capability, and simplify the effective employment of UAS across the DoD. The DROPS solution offered by TB2 Aerospace consists of a pod rack unit (PRU) with an internally mounted capture and alignment system, and a "pod" or cargo box. A pyramid shaped capture and alignment system is the standard interface for guiding a chosen UAS platform to the target pod, aligning on it, and then letting gravity do the work of seating onto the pod. In reverse, the capture and alignment system uses patented Electro-Permanent Magnets (EPMs) to release the cargo pod, either for airdrop (with an attached parachute) or on the ground (land and release using a Weight-on-Wheels Switch to release the payload from the UAV). The cargo pod currently is sized for any Group II UAS for carrying a cargo load such as 5-gallon jerry can, three boxes of small arms ammunition, or a case of Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs). The cargo pod is able to be scaled up and down for larger and smaller classes of UAS. DROPS also leverages an autonomous alignment and capture software system, and an in-flight Pod-to-UAS power transfer system to extend the range of the drone. The system enables standardization of the interfaces for UAS and payloads, significantly reducing the cost to users by reducing the need to customize the UAS platform for each mission. The interface standardization allows for interoperability and interchangeability of UAS to the payloads for radios, sensors, and/or cargo. Ultimately, TB2 Aerospace aims to do for UAS operators what ISO Shipping Containers did for the shipping world: standardize the container load for all DoD VTOL UAS platforms–thereby allowing industry manufacturers to continue advancing their UAS designs and technology, without having to constantly customize their aircraft.