|
|
|
helping you keep an eye on things... |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Home / unmanned air systems
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Home | introduction | circuit design software | unmanned air systems | contact | what's new | site info
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
unmanned air systems |
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
www.nellis.af.mil/gallery/PublicAffairs/pages/UAV-Hellfire-Missile.htm |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) consists of an Unmanned Aircraft (UA) which is essentially a robot plane togther with a Ground Control System (GCS). The Unmanned Aircraft contains a flight control computer, precision navigation (GPS and an Inertial Measurement Unit) and flight control electronics, a low vibration engine (such as a Wankel engine) and a payload, such as a high resolution camera. The UA represents a new, cost effective and more environmentally responsible approach to aerial reconnaissance and geophysical survey work. Any aerial application, in which the payload weighs less than an average adult male (say 85 Kgs, although the US military allows a “worst case”soldier weight of 136 Kgs) could be performed less expensively and in a more environmentally friendly way, through the use of an Unmanned Air Vehicle. Unmanned Aircraft have an historical military presence, in the form of the German V1 flying bomb of Second World War vintage, followed by the modern turbine-powered cruise missile, such as the US Tomahawk cruisemissile shown below, made by Raytheon. There are also some differences between the V1, the cruise missile and the UAV: the Unmanned Aircraft returns for reuse. The early civilian Unmanned Aircraft was in essence a radio controlled aeroplane.
Characteristics of the above vehicles
An important parameter for military Unmanned Aircraft is their endurance time, whereas a prime parameter for civilian Unmanned Aircraft, especially those in use on survey work, is their range. For more interesting information on the history of Unmanned Aircraft, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles . The inexpensive Unmanned Aircraft can criss-cross a region, or, repeatedly patrol an area, for up to 30 hours at a time, under computer control, day and night, under almost any weather condition, in an environmentally sustainable manner. This makes it a compelling solution for all manner of aerial reconnaissance and geophysical survey work. A comprehensive overview of Unmanned Aircraft is provided in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle . Here we compare an Unmanned Aircraft for use in geophysical survey work with a Cessna Skylane.
Note the tremendous flight endurance for Unmanned Aircraft. from http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/ncrst/meetings/20031202SBA-UAV2003/Presentations/Wegener1.pdf
This photo is of the 2.7 Kg Dragon Eye UAV system at work in Fallujah. Photo by LTC Norm Root. as posted on http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/military_photos_20052111.asp
The 12,110 Kg Northrop Grumman “Global Hawk” with a range of 22,236 Km - from http://www.northropgrumman.com/unmanned/ The US military is spending an enormous amount of money and time on the development and deployment of Unmanned Air Systems, and it is instructive to learn of their progress. A comprehensive document on the activities and experience of the US military in this area is to be found in the latest UAS Roadmap 2007 - 2032:
Download from http://www.acq.osd.mil/usd/Unmanned%20Systems%20Roadmap.2007-2032.pdf or download a copy of the roadmap (12.250 MBytes) from the Barnard Microsystems site. Since both files are large, it may take some time after selecting to download either file before you see anything on the screen... The older US DoD Road Map for 2005-2030 is also still available.
download uav_roadmap2005 (note this is a big document: 9.216 MBytes)
© Barnard Microsystems Limited 2006 - 2008
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||