Unmanned Aerial Systems

Tech.Sgt.Muharrem SARLIK

Content IntroductionHistory of UAVsSub-Systems of UAVClassificationFunctionsAdvantages & DisadvantagesRegulations

Introduction•  UAVs were known by many different names,

such as robot plane, drone, pilotless aircraft, and remotely piloted vehicle (RPV). The Federal Aviation Administration implemented a generic class name for them, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), to indicate that these aircraft systems also comprise a datalink, control systems, ground control stations, and other related support equipment. However, they are generally known as UAVs.

Introduction (cont’d)• An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), known as

a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot.• Drone stand for Dynamic Remotely Operated

Navigation Equipment.• Its flight is either pre-defined or controlled

autonomously by a computer or under the remote control of a pilot on the ground.

History• The first unmanned aircraft systems

were balloons.• The Montgolfier brothers were the first to

experiment with balloons in 1782.• Ballons were used in both the American

Civil War of 1861- 1865 and in 1944 in hopesof starting fires on enemy sides.

• In the 1950s, Project Gopher and Genetrix wereboth forms of balloons used to spy on the Soviet Union.

History (cont’d)• The Aerial Steam Carriage was built in 1848 by

John Stringfellow and William Henson.• This aircraft was a steam powered, propeller

driven model aircraft with a 10 foot wingspan.

• The most successful steam carriage of the timewas built by SamuelLangley in 1896.He called it the“Aerodrome Number 5.”

History (cont’d)First Major AmericanUnmanned Aircraft System;• The Kettering Bug, invented in

1918 by Charles Kettering, Orville Wright and Elmer Sperry, was a cruise missile invented for the American Army.

• It was a gasoline fueled, propeller driven biplane thatflew on a preset course todrop missiles on enemy lines.

• The bug had many successfultest runs but was never usedin combat.

History (cont’d)First Major GermanUnmanned Aircraft Systems;• The “Henschel Hs 293” and

the “Fritz-X” were createdby the Germans and were radio controlled glide bombs.

• Two Fritz-X bombssuccessfully sunk the Italian battleship Roma in 1943.

• The “Buzz Bomb” was a German cruise missile, flown in 944, that was ram jet powered and could travel up to 400 mph.

History (cont’d)• The 1950′s and 1960′s saw the advancement

of UAV mission parameters, propulsion and guidance systems. The US Navy and Air Force started programs to convert surplus aircraft into target drones.

• The birth of U.S. UAVs began in 1959 when United States Air Force officers were concerned about losing pilots over hostile territory and they thought of unmanned flights.

• In the year 1964, U.S Navy initiated America’s highly classified ‘Red Wagon’ UAVs into their first combat missions of the Vietnam war.

Sub-Systems of UAV

Classification• Although most UAVs are fixed-wing aircraft,

rotorcraft designs are also used. UAVs typically fall into one of six functional categories:

Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile

Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk

missions Logistics - UAVs specifically designed for cargo and

logistics operation Research and Development - used to further develop

UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed UAV aircraft

Civil and Commercial - UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercial applications

Classification (cont’d)• They can also be categorized in terms of size /

range / altitude:Category Range AltitudeHandheld about 2 km 2,000 ft

(600 m)Close up to 10 km 5,000 ft (1,500 m) NATO type up to 50 km 10,000 ft (3,000 m)Tactical about 160 km 18,000 ft

(5,500 m)MALE over 200 km 30,000 ft

(9,000 m)HALE over 30,000 ft indefinite rangeHYPERSONIC over 200 km 50,000 ft

(15,200 m)

Functions• UAVs perform a wide variety of functions. The

majority of these functions are some form of remote sensing; this is central to the reconnaissance role most UAVs fulfill. Less common UAV functions include interaction and transport.

Functions (cont’d) Remote Sensing Transport Scientific Research Armed Attack Search and Rescue Sports Disaster Relief Agriculture Land Survey and Environment ……

• The list of applications for UAVs keeps growing.

Advantages• Does not contain or need a qualified pilot on

board,• Can enter environments that are dangerous

to human life,• Reduces the exposure risk of the aircraft

operator,• Performing visual or thermal imaging of

region,• Can be programmed to complete the mission

autonomously even when contact with its gas is lost.

Diadvantages• Can get hacked,• Low resistance to weather,• Cannot refuel in flight• If connection is lost with the Ground Station,

the vehicle may be lost.• Terrorist activities will increase drastically, if

the drone technology is exposed to wrong people.

Regulations• According to the regulations of Directorate

General of Civil Aviation, the UAV whose maximum take-off mass (MTOM) is heavier than 4 kg., maximum speed is faster than 50 km, and height above ground level (AGL) is less than 100 mt. doesn’t require any licence.