This topic is designed by the US Naval Air Systems Command to develop a self contained terminal guidance system (TGS) that autonomously detects and tracks the drogue from an airborne fuel tanker in the vicinity of UAV host platform for purposes of accomplishing Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR). The TGS sensor should be compact, light weight and consume low power. The autonomous sensor system is desired to operate as payload on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for refueling and extending the flight mission time of the UAV. Proposed herein is an AAR Terminal Guidance System that; (1) Provides Three Dimensional object resolution, utilizing high resolution dual mode sensor with millimeter wave ranging radar plus EO/IR camera, thus ensuring excellent range resolution and cross range resolution, (2) Incorporates imaging, tracking, and homing software, (3) Operates under all weather and environmental conditions, (4) Provides accurate relative orientation measurement between the refueling probe on the aircraft and the drogue, (5) Maintains stealth under normal flight, deployed only during refueling, and (6) Will not interfere with the functionality of the refueling system.
Benefit: A goal of this program is that the results of Phase I will provide supporting evidence that a dual mode sensor consisting of Millimeter Wave 3D radar, EO/IR sensor plus fused date processing is a very useful tool to detect, in real time, the drogue and other objects in the field-of-view of the sensors during TGS. An initial avenue to commercialization is for the defense application intended by the US Navy in this solicitation for terminal guidance for autonomous aerial refueling. Commercial use includes inspection of facilities in remote areas such as power lines, pipelines, dams and water systems, volcanoes, inaccessible areas, etc. In the commercial/industrial markets are obstacle detection and surveillance applications involving hazardous objects such as aircraft, vehicle and human detection in remote areas or urban environment for state and local law enforcement. Commercial use includes helicopters used in medical ambulance service, passenger ferry service, helicopters and UAVs in the inspection of facilities in remote areas such as power lines, pipelines, dams and water systems, volcanoes, inaccessible areas, etc. The 3D MMWR sensor technology offers benefit as well for the automotive forward looking radar sensor market for collision warning/intelligent cruise control.
Keywords: dual-mode sensor, dual-mode sensor, UAV, aerial refueling
