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Overview of MAV Research & Development at ADE

VS ChandraShekar Sc G, [vsc@ade.drdo.in]
Group Director, and Programme Director, NP-MICAV Aeronautical Development Establishment, Defence R&D Organization, Ministry of Defense, Government of India, New Thippasandra Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560075, India

EXTENDED ABSTRACT In the past decade, Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) have emerged as significant thrust area for research and development focus by the aerospace community. These vehicles offer clear advantages in terms of reduced weight, unusual shape and increased mission performance. The MAV will be an inevitable part of battlefield in the near future and many countries are presently evolving concept of operations with MAV augmenting soldiers capability. For instance, in the border area it can provide an excellent close range situational awareness to the soldiers at platoon/company level. It is also a well accepted fact that MAVs will find a major role in supporting paramilitary forces in countering insurgency & terrorism. These classes of air vehicles will also be very handy during disaster management operations wherein search and rescue missions are very crucial. Since early nineteen eighties ADE, Bengaluru, a premier DRDO laboratory, has been the primary nodal agency in design and development of Unmanned Aerial Systems in India, and more recently, ADE has embarked on the development of Micro Air Vehicles and Mini UAVs. This paper discusses the development of Fixed wing MAV (300 mm class) which is a Science & Technology project and a Mini UAV (2 KG class) which is being developed as a Technology Demonstrator for Low Intensity Conflicts. These two projects are being executed jointly by ADE and NAL, Bengaluru. The performance requirements for accomplishing mission objectives are also discussed. The details and issues related to airframe configuration, analysis, experimental validation, Autopilot, Data link and portable GCS are described in brief. The Image processing requirements and implementation for providing enhanced,

stabilized, mozaiced real time video imagery of the gaming area is presented. Although miniature Electro Optic daylight and un-cooled, micro bolometer based IR cameras are the most significant payloads used for close range surveillance leading to situational awareness, the recent advances made in acoustic

vector sensor has made ADE look at the possibility of carrying these miniaturized sensors on board the mini UAVs to localize ground/air borne targets which generate reasonable acoustic signatures. Here the target of importance is sniper fire from camouflaged location within a reasonable range on ground and air borne Micro / Mini Air vehicles. ADE has taken up this activity and the progress is discussed in brief. The images of the three different MAVs of 300 mm class developed as a part of the joint project between ADE an NAL are shown in the following figures. The three different Air Vehicle configurations in terms of different, documented / modified airfoils and planforms have been designed using open source software, analyzed using CFD tools and validated using wind tunnel tests and actual flight trials. The vehicles are integrated with indigenous auto pilot, Electro optic daylight video camera and data link with portable Ground Control Station (GCS). The video image is enhanced and mosaiced in real time and electronic stabilization is implemented in the ground system. 1) Black Kite

Planform Span

: :

Modified Inverse Zimmerman 300 mm 1.45 S4083 camber 3% 3mm

Aspect Ratio : Airfoil Camber : :

Wing thickness:

2) Golden Hawk

400 mm span 300 mm span

Planform Span

: :

Cropped Delta with rounded trailing edge 300 mm 1.5 SM 4308 (Modified Eppler 61) 3.69% 21

Aspect Ratio : Airfoil Camber : :

Sweep Angle :

3)

PUSHPAK

Planform Span

: :

Cropped Delta with rounded trailing edge 300 mm 1.5 SM 4308 (Modified Eppler 61) 3.69% 21

Aspect Ratio : Airfoil Camber : :

Sweep Angle :

The images of the MAV taken during one of the flight trials at a dried lake-bed near Hoskote, Bengaluru are shown pictorially in the following figures.

The 2 Kg class mini UAV is currently under development. The requirement is to fly with an endurance of 1 hr, a range of 10 Kms for both telemetry data/video imagery and an altitude of 300 m above Ground level (service ceiling of 15000 ft). The initial flights of the 2 Kg class mini UAV are also completed. The integration of indigenous auto pilot and the day light camera / IR camera is under progress. The following figure shows the images of the two proto vehicles which have been test

flown. The real time mosaicing of the ground images taken through a down looking video camera is also shown.

Acknowledging the emerging technology related to MAV and its promising missions in both military and civilian sectors, DRDO along with DST approved a National Programme on Micro Aerial Vehicles (NP-MICAV) and allotted funds to a tune of Rs 100 Crores (US $22 million) dedicated exclusively to carry out R&D activities on various MICAV related technologies. With this recent approval, ADE is now the epicenter for monitoring, mentoring and progressing all the requisite R&D activities and technologies leading to the development of fixed wing, rotary wing & flapping wing MAVs and Entomopters. The emphasis of the National Programme is on the development of fully autonomous MAVs (sizes varying from 300 mm, 150 mm and possibly 75 mm) capable of carrying a suitable, miniature, mission-dependant payload. The major objective is to promote and establish various MAV related technologies by sponsoring projects to academic institutions, R&D centers and industries. ADE is responsible for the planning, identification of work centers consistent with their expertise, according project sanctions, monitoring and facilitating delivery of the products on time. ADE also shares the responsibility of integrating various technologies leading to the development of end product. The various technology related projects proposed and taken up under NPMICAV are presented. The paper is concluded by addressing issues related to futuristic technologies required to counter ever increasing man made skirmishes and natural disasters.

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