What exactly are UAVs?

With all this talk about UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), you may be wondering; What exactly is a UAV? What qualifies it to be a UAV airplane, UAV helicopter, Micro UAV, or quad-copter. UAVs are commonly known as drones or an airplane without a pilot on board. The flight of the UAV is controlled primarily autonomously by computers in the UAV or under the remote control of an operator on the ground or in another vehicle. There’s tons of different types of UAVs, including different sizes, shapes, configurations, and characteristics. They are primarily deployed for military applications, however conjointly utilized in a small but growing variety of civil applications, like firefighting and nonmilitary security work, like surveillance of pipelines. UAVs are typically most popular for missions that are too ‘dull, dirty, or dangerous’ for manned craft.

barracuda ucav
An example UAV airplane (Barracuda UCAV)
Photo: trdefence.com

In the USA, the U.S. Navy and shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration has adopted the name unmanned aircraft (UA) aircraft craft systems with no flight crew on board. Some other common names include UAV, UAV airplane, drone, remotely piloted vehicle (RPV), remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), remotely operated aircraft (ROA), and for those “limited-size” (as outlined by the FAI) pilotless craft flown within the USA’s National Airspace System, flown alone for recreation and sport functions like models, which are typically flown beneath the voluntary safety standards of the Academy of Model aeronautics, the United States’ national aeromodeling organization. to control a UA for non-recreational functions within the us, users should acquire a Certificate of Authorization (CoA) to work in national airspace. Currently, COAs need a public entity as a sponsor. for instance, once BP needed to watch oil spills, they operated the Aeryon Scout UAV beneath a COA granted to the University of alaska Fairbanks. COAs are granted for each land and shipborne operations.

Because of this general approach UAS are not included within the U.S. Munitions List category VIII – airplanes and Associated equipment. Vice versa, the “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems” are clearly mentioned at paragraph 121-16 Missile Technology control Regime Annex of the U.S. Munitions List. A more in depth explanation is that the Missile Technology control Regime Annex levels rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems together.

  Different terms used for defining UAVs include:

  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(s)

  • Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle(s)

  • Uninhabited Aircraft Vehicle

  • Unmanned Air Vehicle

  • Unmanned Airborne Vehicle

  • Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle

  • Unmanned Vehicle

  • Upper Atmosphere Vehicle

Mariner unmanned aerial vehicle

From my previous posts I’ve shared with you the information of the Predator UAV class. Today I will bring you a variant of the Predator called the Mariner unmanned aerial vehicle. The mariner is a highly successful UAV airplane intended for use as a long endurance maritime and border surveillance missions. This variant can be equipped with extra fuel allowing it to fly on long missions up to 49 hours. That’s 2 whole days, no human would be able to sit in a plane for that long and keep sane. With the ability to carry 800 pounds of internal payloads the mariner also has the ability to carry external payloads up 3,800 pounds providing for multiple missions able to be accomplished from a single UAV. 

mariner uav
Mariner UAV
Photo: dsto.defence.gov.au
The Mariner UAV airplane is designed to meet the standards of the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program (BAMS) since it can provide instantaneous data directly to the system for target tracking and regular maritime surveillance. The Mariner UAV airplane is a top choice for homeland security due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness. The wingspan of this UAV is 88ft with the length at 36ft. It is designed to operate at a ceiling of 50,000ft and a maximum airspeed of 230kts. The predator has moved from a concept to being able to transform into a UAV with the ability to provide surveillance for 49 hours straight, that’s a huge advance in technology and I can’t wait to see what’s to come in the future!

SQ-4 Micro UAV

Today I introduce you to the SQ-4 Recon UAV. British company BCB unveiled this cutting-edge technology on October 16, 2012. This is another of those MAV (Miniature aerial vehicle) type quad-copters I’ve talked about in the past. With the small size of this UAV and its’ ability to fit in the palm of your hand it’s no wonder this UAV is making  news globally. BCB claims this UAV can fly up to 30 minutes on a full charge and can operate up to 1.5miles away from the operator. With 10 ultrasonic sonar modules it can maneuver in tight spaces and can even land on narrow perches out of the operators line of sight. With the motors stopped the onboard cameras can record 8 hours of live video before the UAV has to be recharged. In addition to all this the MAV has infrared LEDs allowing for stealth flight at night and recon in the dark.
quadcopter
SQ-4 Micro UAV
Photo: bcbin.com
The SQ-4 can be operated by remote control with its onboard camera. An autopilot feature uses GPS for automatic navigation. BCB says it’s easy to fly and can be operated with little training. The UAV can also be configured to automatically return to its start point when the battery reaches 30%. The UAV has the ability to automatically hover at a set point during an emergency and if it is flipped or knocked off course while in operation it has the technology to correct itself. According to specifications the UAV weights about 10.2oz with its extended battery. The SQ-4 has an operation altitude up to 1,300 feet and can fly up to 15mph. At the beginning of the flight it emits a semi-loud 71db but it fades during flight. This is awesome new technology and I have no doubt this will soon become very prominent all around the globe.

Silverfox UAV (BAE systems)

I promised you some information on BAE systems Silver Fox UAV airplane and today I bring it to you! This UAV is capable of autonomous aerial surveillance imaging at a cost effective price. With the ability to carry sensor payloads of four pounds and being able to transmit real time video images directly to a ground station; this unmanned system has a lot going for it! A single ground station can operate up to ten units. The Silver Fox unmanned airplane system was originally developed by Advanced Ceramics Research and was later purchased by BAE in 2009. The airplane is powered by a gas/electric system and weighs about 30lbs. It has the ability to carry infrared and electro-optical systems giving it the capability to provide full-motion imagery for 24 hour surveillance. The UAV carries small payloads performs fully autonomous take-offs and landings. Supporting military operations for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance this UAV can do much more than one task.
bae systems
A Silver Fox UAV on a launching platform
Photo: baesystems.com
The Silver Fox is made of a modular structure and is powered by a small model airplane piston engine. The airframe has the ability to be equipped with wings of various sizes. This allows it to trade duration and payload weight for speed or weight carrying capacity. Normally launched by hand this UAV airplane also has the ability to be launched by a compressed-air launcher. GPS navigation is used to make this UAV airplane to fly full-autonomous missions of up to ten hours. The mission is pre-planned using the laptop computer employed in the ground control station. The GCS has a limitation due to its data-link being line-of-sight but ranges up to 20nm are possible. A typical altitude for the Silver Fox to fly its mission at is 500-1200ft above the ground. Ceiling limitation for the unmanned airplane is about 12,000 feet. Currently sensors for video imaging are equipped but with a payload capacity of 4 pounds anything is possible.
bae silver fox
Silver Fox UAV in flight
Photo: baesystems.com
Development of this unmanned airplane is still continuing, mainly in the field of new sensors to be used with the system. Sensors can include biological and chemical agent detectors. Another sensor being tested is an improved camera system with automatic recording capabilities, swiveling, and improved zoom abilities. When data recording is enabled the Silver Fox is expected to be able to fly automatic missions of up to 180 miles. The latest information I’ve found says that the new flight control system supports a fully autonomous “convoy reconnaissance” mode. In this mode the UAV automatically flies ahead of a control vehicle in the convoy. With future improvements including a diesel engine, the flight time could be increased all the way up to 20 hours. 

The EADS Barracuda unmanned combat airplane

I bring to you today some information on another reconnaissance and combat UAV airplane. The EADS Barracuda  is an European unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and is currently under development by the company EADS. This UAV airplane is intended for reconnaissance as well as combat. Germany and Spain have teamed up to develop this aircraft and add the UAV airplane to their military. The first development of the project was stopped after the first prototype crashed at sea while approaching for a landing during a test flight. The UAV airplane project resumed in 2008 with the second prototype finished in November, 2008. The rebuilt Barracuda went through a series of successful and promising test flights in Goose Bay, Canada during the middle of 2009.  Further tests of the UAV airplane continued in 2010 and 2012.
eads uav
Source: defencetalk.com
 The Barracuda unmanned airplane is in competition primarily with the Dassault nEUROn for defense contracts. Both UAV airplanes are designed with stealth in mind and have around the same top airspeed of Mach 0.85. Not too much is known about this UCAV due to the classified nature of the project  but speculation says that it will have a ceiling of about 20,000ft and will be able to carry a payload of 300kg.

uav airplane

Comparison of UCAV types including the Barracuda, X-45a, X-47a, and the Sky-X
Photo: abovetopsecret.com
With a wingspan of 7.22m and a length of 8.25m and a weight of three tons this UAV airplane is classified as medium size. The engine is made by Pratt and Whitney Canada and produces a huge amount of thrust at 14kN. Room under the fuselage is left for addition sensors that may wish to be carried  for different applications of the unmanned combat airplane. The control systems for the UCAV are fly-by-wire, with the landing gear controlled by hydraulics. The Barracuda system was designed as a technology test bed with a modular structure and a interchangeable configuration. This should enable a wide variety of types of missions to be flown.