Design of a Launch and Capture System for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The team was asked to design and develop an assisted launch and capture system for unmanned aerial vehicles that can decrease takeoff and landing distance by 10 percent. The team tested the concept by designing and building a subscale prototype that uses compressed air to provide extra thrust sufficient to decrease the launch distance. For capture, the system slides the launch box from the center of the runway and uses a cable to catch the plane as it touches down. The cable provides the resistance to slow the plane down and stop it within the decreased landing limit. The modular design allows the system to launch and capture the plane efficiently without damaging it. The design can be scaled to accommodate full-size unmanned aerial vehicles and used for future testing.