E400 Rapid Mapping and Inspection UAS for Air Force Base Operations

The Air Force performs multiple tasks that could be performed more quickly and effectively using small unmanned aircraft (sUAS). The E400 is the latest in a series of commercially successful aerial data collection sUAS. Event 38 proposes modifying the E400 by adding vertical takeoff and landing capability, a steerable payload gimbal, and combine the ground control equipment into a single handheld device with a single tablet interface. Leveraging the commercial heritage of the E400, the improvements investigated and implemented in Phase I, and the proposed developments in Phase II, the E400 will meet the needs of multiple AF end users. Event 38 is working with AF end users at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst fire department to discover and geolocate wildfires. Other Air Force end users identified require aerial data collection for surveying, inspection and ecological surveys. The proposed developments enable Air Force users to rapidly collect the data required by their respective mission, improving their ability to sustain mission critical operations.