Hybrid Propulsion System for the M-PAV

DARcorporation proposes to expand the design of the Multi-Purpose Aerial Vehicle (M-PAV) by exploring the feasibility of hybrid-electric propulsion.  The M-PAV preliminary design and proof of concept flight testing of a SubScale Demonstrator (SSD) vehicle was completed as a part of the AF Explore 1.0 project sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Transformational Capabilities Office (TCO), in coordination with the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability (AFWIC). The M-PAV design is intended as an attritable UAV capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) operations in austere or degraded environments near the front lines.  The M-PAV is designed to be a family of aircraft scaled to meet different missions including ISR, resupply, weapons loft (a mission conceptualized by the TCO as the emplacement of munitions on an airborne platform, in- or near-theater, for agile combat employment).  Phase I activities will be aimed at defining, developing and designing a hybrid electric propulsion system as an option for the smaller scale M-PAV aircraft.  Phase II will focus on further design, analysis and testing of the hybrid electric propulsion system as an element of the overall M-PAV aircraft design.