Adaptation of a Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft

UAVs are widely used in many applications, including search and rescue, mapping and surveying, surveillance, and payload transportation, among others. While fixed-wing UAVs can successfully fulfill these tasks, many of them require a large amount of space for takeoffs and landings.

The team converted a preexisting small airframe to have vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. This UAV offers the benefits of other fixed-wing vehicles but can accomplish tasks discreetly and without requiring the extra space necessary for most fixed-wing aircrafts.

In order to effectively integrate vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, the team added four additional motors onto the existing airframe in a quadrangle design, providing aircraft stability on its vertical axis as well as keeping aerodynamics similar to the original fixed wing UAV. This was accomplished while keeping the same footprint as the original aircraft.