Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV
A micro-UAV system was developed to be deployed from a host aircraft at normal jet cruise conditions (between 25,000 and 35,000 feet altitude and Mach 0.8) using the standard MJU-10/B countermeasure flare form factor. The system (measuring 49mm × 62mm × 180mm) fits in the flare canister in place of...
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| Format: | Article |
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114244 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5790-0200 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-3579 |
| _version_ | 1826198192728834048 |
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| author | Tao, Tony Hansman Jr, Robert J |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Tao, Tony Hansman Jr, Robert J |
| author_sort | Tao, Tony |
| collection | MIT |
| description | A micro-UAV system was developed to be deployed from a host aircraft at normal jet cruise conditions (between 25,000 and 35,000 feet altitude and Mach 0.8) using the standard MJU-10/B countermeasure flare form factor. The system (measuring 49mm × 62mm × 180mm) fits in the flare canister in place of the chaff. The 220-gram battery-powered, pusher-propelled UAV has folding tandem wings with elevon control surfaces on the rear wing. A case protects the UAV during ejection. In freefall, the system is stabilized and decelerated with a drag streamer to approximately 40 m/s, when the case opens and the vehicle unfolds. The UAV was designed to maximize endurance while station-keeping in 30 m/s winds. Estimated level-flight endurance at 30,000 feet carrying a 10-gram payload is 45 minutes with greater endurance at lower altitudes. Up to 45 minutes of glide endurance can be achieved depending on deployment altitude. The small dimensions and low Reynolds number of the wings required manufacturing constraints to be considered in the airfoil design to prevent laminar separation which impacted controllability. Compact folding mechanisms were designed to enable wing folding. An elevon control mechanism was designed to engage automatically with the control surface when the rear wing unfold. Ejection shock, deployment, and flight tests were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:00:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/114244 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:00:43Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1142442022-09-27T16:31:45Z Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV Tao, Tony Hansman Jr, Robert J Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Tao, Tony Hansman Jr, Robert J A micro-UAV system was developed to be deployed from a host aircraft at normal jet cruise conditions (between 25,000 and 35,000 feet altitude and Mach 0.8) using the standard MJU-10/B countermeasure flare form factor. The system (measuring 49mm × 62mm × 180mm) fits in the flare canister in place of the chaff. The 220-gram battery-powered, pusher-propelled UAV has folding tandem wings with elevon control surfaces on the rear wing. A case protects the UAV during ejection. In freefall, the system is stabilized and decelerated with a drag streamer to approximately 40 m/s, when the case opens and the vehicle unfolds. The UAV was designed to maximize endurance while station-keeping in 30 m/s winds. Estimated level-flight endurance at 30,000 feet carrying a 10-gram payload is 45 minutes with greater endurance at lower altitudes. Up to 45 minutes of glide endurance can be achieved depending on deployment altitude. The small dimensions and low Reynolds number of the wings required manufacturing constraints to be considered in the airfoil design to prevent laminar separation which impacted controllability. Compact folding mechanisms were designed to enable wing folding. An elevon control mechanism was designed to engage automatically with the control surface when the rear wing unfold. Ejection shock, deployment, and flight tests were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. 2018-03-21T14:54:44Z 2018-03-21T14:54:44Z 2016-01 2018-03-21T12:35:14Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/ConferencePaper 978-1-62410-393-3 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114244 Tao, Tony S., and R John Hansman. “Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV.” 54th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, January 2016, San Diego, California, USA, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5790-0200 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-3579 http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2016-1742 54th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) MIT Web Domain |
| spellingShingle | Tao, Tony Hansman Jr, Robert J Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title | Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title_full | Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title_fullStr | Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title_short | Development of an In-Flight-Deployable Micro-UAV |
| title_sort | development of an in flight deployable micro uav |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114244 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5790-0200 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-3579 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taotony developmentofaninflightdeployablemicrouav AT hansmanjrrobertj developmentofaninflightdeployablemicrouav |