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 soldier’s 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 : Modified Inverse Zimmerman

Span : 300 mm

Aspect Ratio : 1.45

Airfoil : S4083 camber

Camber : 3%

Wing thickness: 3mm

2) Golden Hawk

400 mm

span

300 mm

span

Planform : Cropped Delta with rounded trailing edge

Span : 300 mm

Aspect Ratio : 1.5

Airfoil : SM 4308 (Modified Eppler 61)

Camber : 3.69%

Sweep Angle : 21˚

3) PUSHPAK

Planform : Cropped Delta with rounded trailing edge

Span : 300 mm

Aspect Ratio : 1.5

Airfoil : SM 4308 (Modified Eppler 61)

Camber : 3.69%

Sweep Angle : 21˚

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 NP-

MICAV are presented. The paper is concluded by addressing issues related to

futuristic technologies required to counter ever increasing man made skirmishes and

natural disasters.