The development approach began with an analysis of the competition requirements, followed by a conventional design process with an important deviation: the preliminary design was frozen to allow for the construction of a wooden, Demon-strator UAV. This aircraft was built and airborne just two months into the project’s timeline, allow-ing for extensive and invaluable �light testing and development, all which informed the detailed design of the �inal UAS. By the time Grey Owl 1 & 2 were constructed, the Demonstrator System had matured, reaching minimum competition require-ments in a decisive Go-No-Go Test (February 27th, 2014)

Development Approach

Maiden Flight, December 18th, 2013

AUVSI Student UAS 2014 Competition

• Wing loading ground testing• System ventilation and cooling solutions• Electronics insolation (including EMI)• Communication robustness veri�ication• Static thrust testing• Flight termination incorporation

• Approval of aerodynamic con�iguration• Grey Owl UAV and autopilot calibration• Autonomous navigation veri�ication• Telemetry and payload communication range check• Performance under various wind conditions (up to 28kts and 15kts cross winds)• Geo-Fence and short-term fail Safe (RTL, Return to Launch) veri�ication• Single engine failure• Air drops

Continuous risk assessment and minimization – both safety risks and development risks – combining analysis, simulations & extensive (ground and �light) testing, along with ongoing participation of both manufacturing, operation and design teams (concur-rent engineering) in the development process

Developmental Testing & Risk AssessmentFlight Tests Included:

Ground Tests Included:

Flight Control trouble-shooting: component isolation

Wing Load Test

Static Thrust Test

Air Drop: Wind Tunnel Test Mission Planner: Navigation

Target Identification GUI

Target ID Algorithm

The Grey Owl System operates via communcation between the MGS (Mission Ground Station) and the UAS (Unmanned Aerial Sytsem). Both are split into two components to form parallel, independent subsystems–one for �light control and one tasked with target recognition–each with a dedicated com-munications module. This high-level operation is outlined below:

Below is the detailed system layout, in which the system seperation (between the Payload and Flight Control) can be seen on the hardware level (including seperate power supplies), ensuring that no fail-ure in the payload substem could endanger the aircraft’s safety.

A Dual Receiver was added to create a backup circuit (outlined in red) allowing the safety pilot to retain control of the aircraft in the event of an autopilot failure.

System Overview

Endurance up to 40minVstall – stall speed 23 KCASVmc – critical speed 29 KCASVx – best angle of climb speed 33 KCASVy – best rate of climb speed 37 KCASVc – cruise speed 40 KCASVmax – maximum cruise speed 52 KCAS

Endurance up to 40minVstall – stall speed 23 KCASVmc – critical speed 29 KCASVx – best angle of climb speed 33 KCASVy – best rate of climb speed 37 KCASVc – cruise speed 40 KCASVmax – maximum cruise speed 52 KCAS

Crew 4Length 1.90mWingspan 2.60mHeight 0.84mWing area 0.78m2Airfoil Eppler 560Aspect ratio 8.66Wing loading 13.33kg/m2Useful load 1.86kgMaximumtakeoff weight 10.4kgPowerplant 2 x Plettenberg orbit 25-16Propeller �ixed pitch 17x10”Power loading 159watt/kgLoad factor +3.5 / -1 g

Crew 4Length 1.90mWingspan 2.60mHeight 0.84mWing area 0.78m2Airfoil Eppler 560Aspect ratio 8.66Wing loading 13.33kg/m2Useful load 1.86kgMaximumtakeoff weight 10.4kgPowerplant 2 x Plettenberg orbit 25-16Propeller �ixed pitch 17x10”Power loading 159watt/kgLoad factor +3.5 / -1 g

System Specifications

• Autonomous Waypoint Navigation with variable altitude while avoiding restricted areas• Autonomous Searching of Ground Targets• Autonomous Targets Acquisition and Characteristics Identi�ication (Location, Shape, Color, Orientation Etc.)• Off-Axis Target Identi�ication and Classi�ication• Simulated Remote Info. Center RF Transmitting• Autonomous Air-Drop Canister to a Ground Target• Ground Control Station Operation

• Autonomous Waypoint Navigation with variable altitude while avoiding restricted areas• Autonomous Searching of Ground Targets• Autonomous Targets Acquisition and Characteristics Identi�ication (Location, Shape, Color, Orientation Etc.)• Off-Axis Target Identi�ication and Classi�ication• Simulated Remote Info. Center RF Transmitting• Autonomous Air-Drop Canister to a Ground Target• Ground Control Station Operation

General Characteristics:

Performance:

System Tasks:

Manufacturing the team’s two custom graphite-epoxy airframes

Technion Aerial Systems (TAS)

a team of both Aeronautical Engineering and Computer Science students

+,

Naor Moadav (Team Captain)Yaacov EisenthalMoshe DamkaniSagiv YaariGal DalaliMeir HalachmiNufar ZinOlya BilderOmer Habouba

Eli HayoonLiat KatzLi-tal KuppermanNadav O�irZiv NachumItai Guy

Aero. Students

C.S. Students

For its first participation in the competition, received 5th Placeout of 48 registered teams, 33 of which successfully met the requirements to compete.

Project Supervisor:Assistant for Aero. Eng.:Assistant for C.S.: GIF Lab Engineer: Safety Pilot:

Dror ArtziItai OrrAaron WetzlerYaaron HonenDolav Saimon

The Student UAS (Unmanned Air Systems) Competition is sponsored annually by the Seafarer Chapter of AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Inter-national). The competition allows schools from around the world to showcase creative solutions to demanding mission tasks.

Primary tasks each year require autonomous waypoint navigation and �light over a search area, throughout which are spread several targets whose characteristics must be determined and reported.

Additionally, each year presents a wide array of secondary tasks, new for 2014 being an Air Drop mission in which a projectile must be released from a height above 300ft and land within a certain target radius. The Grey Owl System complet-ed this task with an autonomous release algorithm.

Before competing, each system must pass thorough safety inspections and be programmed with failsafe measures in the event of communication failures. Teams must also submit a written Journal and present an oral Flight Readiness Review, each contributing to 25% of the �inal score, the remaining 50% being based on Flight-Mission performance.

About the Competition

Primary Mission: Target Acquisition Secondary Task: Air-Drop

Awards Banquet At the competition Flight Line: the Mission Ground Station

Manufacturing Tool for the Grey Owl UAVs