Report

On

UAV

Prepared For:

Prof. Dr. Ahmed Bahgat

Prepared by:

KHGHOST

2010-05-18

Index:

1-Introduction……………………………………………………………1

2-UAV Types……………………………………………………………..2

3-UAV Function’s………………………………………………………..3

4-Design

Degree of autonomy…………………………………………………...5

Endurance……………………………………………………………...7

5-Conclusion………………………………………………………………8

6-References…………………………………………………...………….9

I

Introduction:

The UAV is an acronym for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which is an aircraft with no piloton board. UAVs can be remote controlled aircraft (e.g. flown by a pilot at a groundcontrol station) or can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or morecomplex dynamic automation systems. UAVs are currently used for a number ofmissions, including reconnaissance and attack roles. a UAV is defined as being capableof controlled, sustained level flight and powered by a jet or reciprocating engine. Inaddition, a cruise missile can be considered to be a UAV, but is treated separately on thebasis that the vehicle is the weapon. The acronym UAV has been expanded in some casesto UAVS (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle System). The FAA (Federal AviationAdministration) has adopted the acronym UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) to reflectthe fact that these complex systems include ground stations and other elements besidesthe actual air vehicles.

Officially, the term 'Unmanned Aerial Vehicle' was changed to 'Unmanned AircraftSystem' to reflect the fact that these complex systems include ground stations and otherelements besides the actual air vehicles. The term UAS, however, is not widely used asthe term UAV has become part of the modern lexicon.

UAV can carry cameras, sensors, communications equipment or other payloads. Theyhave been used in a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering role since the 1950s, andmore challenging roles are envisioned, including combat missions

Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used by researchers, hobbyists,Civilian organizations and the military for different purposes, due to the lack of risk to a pilotand their low cost.

1

UAV Types

UAV’s can be classified according to their construction or the kind of energy source theywork with or any other aspect however in this report we will classify them depending onthe goal of the UAV:

1-Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates anenemy aircraft or missile

2-Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence

3-Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk missions

4-Logistics - UAVs specifically designed for cargo and logistics operation

5-Research and development - used to further develop UAV technologies to be integratedinto field deployed UAV aircraft

6-Civil and Commercial UAVs - UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercialapplications.

Some of the UAV used for surveillance and compact operation’s are shown in thepictures below:

Global Hawk surveillance aircraft

Hunter-killer surveillance UAV UAV rotorcraft

2

UAV Function’s

1-REMOTE SENSING:

UAV remote sensing functions include electromagnetic spectrum sensors, biologicalsensors, and chemical sensors. A UAV's electromagnetic sensors typically include visualspectrum, infrared, or near infrared cameras as well as radar systems. Otherelectromagnetic wave detectors such as microwave and ultraviolet spectrum sensors mayalso be used, but are uncommon. Biological sensors are sensors capable of detecting theairborne presence of various microorganisms and other biological factors. Chemicalsensors use laser spectroscopy to analyze the concentrations of each element in the air.

Thermal images (expressed in °C) acquired with a helicopter UAV

UAV detection of crop stress using the photochemical-reflectance

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2-TRANSPORT

UAVs can transport goods using various means based on the configuration of the UAVitself. Most payloads are stored in an internal payload bay somewhere in the airframe. Formany helicopter configurations, external payloads can be tethered to the bottom of theairframe. With fixed wing UAVs, payloads can also be attached to the airframe, butaerodynamics of the aircraft with the payload must be assessed. For such situations,payloads are often enclosed in aerodynamic pods for transport.

3-SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Unmanned aircraft are uniquely capable of penetrating areas which may be too dangerousfor piloted craft such as the hurricane regions and volcano area’s where measurement’sfor certain parameters are required for scientific researches .UAV also providesmeasurements far closer to the water’s surface than previously captured. Furtherapplications for unmanned aircraft can be explored once solutions have been developedfor their accommodation within national airspace.

4-ARMED ATTACKS

UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles are now used as platforms for hitting ground targetsin sensitive areas. Armed UAV’s were first used in late 2001 from bases in Pakistan andUzbekistan, mostly for assassinations inside Afghanistan. Since then, there were severalreported cases of such assassinations taking place in Pakistan, this time from Afghan-based Predators. The advantage of using an unmanned vehicle, rather than a mannedaircraft in such cases is to avoid a diplomatic embarrassment should the aircraft be shotdown and the pilots captured, since the bombings took place in countries deemed friendlyand without the official permission of those countries.

5-SEARCH AND RESCUE

UAVs will likely play an increased role in search and rescue in the United States. Thiswas demonstrated by the successful use of UAVs during the 2008 hurricanes that struckLouisiana and Texas.

4

Design

1-DEGREE OF AUTONOMY

Early UAVs used during the Vietnam War after launch captured video that was recordedto film or tape on the aircraft. These aircraft often were launched and flew either in astraight line or in preset circles collecting video until they ran out of fuel and landed.After landing, the film was recovered for analysis. Because of the simple nature of theseaircraft, they were often called drones. As new radio control systems became available,UAVs were often remote controlled and the term "remotely piloted vehicle" came intovogue. Today's UAVs often combine remote control and computerized automation. Moresophisticated versions may have built-in control and/or guidance systems to perform low-level human pilot duties such as speed and flight-path stabilization, and simple scriptednavigation functions such as waypoint following. In news and other discussions, often theterm "drone" is still mistakenly used to refer to these more sophisticated aircraft.

From this perspective, most early UAVs are not autonomous at all. In fact, the field ofair-vehicle autonomy is a recently emerging field, whose economics is largely driven bythe military to develop battle-ready technology. Compared to the manufacturing of UAVflight hardware, the market for autonomy technology is fairly immature and undeveloped.Because of this, autonomy has been and may continue to be the bottleneck for futureUAV developments, and the overall value and rate of expansion of the future UAVmarket could be largely driven by advances to be made in the field of autonomy

UAV monitoring and control at ground control station

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2- Endurance

Because UAVs are not burdened with the physiological limitations of human pilots, theycan be designed for maximized on-station times. The maximum flight duration ofunmanned aerial vehicles varies widely. Internal combustion engine aircraft endurancedepends strongly on the percentage of fuel burned as a fraction of total weight (theBreguet endurance equation), and so is largely independent of aircraft size. Solar electricUAVs hold the potential for unlimited flight, a concept championed by the HeliosPrototype, which unfortunately was destroyed in a 2003 crash. The table below showssome types of UAV and their endurance capability.

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Conclusion

The earliest unmanned aerial vehicle was A. M. Low's "Aerial Target" of 1916. Anumber of remote-controlled airplane advances followed, including the Hewitt-SperryAutomatic Airplane, during and after World War I, including the first scale RPV (RemotePiloted Vehicle), developed by the film star and model airplane enthusiast ReginaldDenny in 1935. More were made in the technology rush during the Second World War;these were used both to train antiaircraft gunners and to fly attack missions. Jet engineswere applied after WW2, in such types as the Teledyne Ryan Firebee I of 1951, whilecompanies like Beechcraft also got in the game with their Model 1001 for the UnitedStates Navy in 1955. Nevertheless, they were little more than remote-controlled airplanesuntil the Vietnam Era.

With the maturing and miniaturization of applicable technologies as seen in the 1980sand 1990s, interest in UAVs grew within the higher echelons of the US military. UAVswere seen to offer the possibility of cheaper, more capable fighting machines that couldbe used without risk to aircrews. Initial generations were primarily surveillance aircraft,but some were armed (such as the MQ-1 Predator, which utilized AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles). An armed UAV is known as an unmanned combat air vehicle(UCAV).

As a tool for search and rescue, UAVs can help find humans lost in the wilderness,trapped in collapsed buildings, or adrift at sea. The future look’s wide open for the UAVapplication and more need’s are increased in it every day , small or micro UAV will beavailable soon in the military of USA as an eye for the soldier’s in the city war’s and itsseems like the UAV industry will only rise at least for the next two decades .

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References

1- Highlights of GAO-10-331, The Department of Defense (DOD) report ofthe USA

2- http://www.theuav.com

3- http://www.fas.org/

4- http://www.astech-engineering.com

5- http://en.wikipedia.org

6- http://www.defense-update.com

7- http://www.4flying.com/

8- http://defense-arab.com/vb/

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