On- demand rapid runway lighting inspection

The USAF currently utilizes the Smart Air Force Monitoring System (SAFMS) which operates autonomous small drones that are deployed from a mobile or stationary launchpad and housing ground-station called the Easy Guard (EG). EG is a military-grade plastic enclosure which is modular, stackable, and supports precise autonomous landing and fast direct charging. Easy Aerial’s Remote Management Software (ERMS) controls the operation of the EG, which also houses, protects, allows for inspection of, and recharges the drone. The Falcon (quadcopter) or Osprey (hexacopter) drone, which is housed within the EG, has the ability to fly autonomously and precisely land inside any EG upon completion of its autonomous and/or remotely triggered mission by an alarm. The drones can land in both their original EG or any other EG that is part of the system, and can land in EG’s that have changed their location during their flight, including landing in a moving vehicle up to 25 mph.  The typical payload is a gimbaled zoom camera with a thermal imager. Runway lightning system is a safety critical element which must be inspected several times every day. The runway lightning system is spread out over several hundred feet and sometimes has limited accessibility, resulting in routine manual inspection. After reviewing the drone-in-a-box for perimeter security technology, Dover Air Force Base (AFB) has requested to examine the possibility of using the already-available commercially-sold technology to rapid, all-weather, reliable method for inspection of runway lighting systems.