We envision a class of miniature robotic aircraft dubbed Flexrotors which offer range, endurance, and economy at levels associated with wing-borne flight, together with capability for hover and fully-automated turnaround. Routine operations of these aircraft will include dynamic transitions between wing- and thrust-borne flight, for launch and retrieval as well as for hover-and-stare 0x9D interludes while underway. Ground testing and thrust-borne flights in Phase I, and hardware-in-loop transition simulations, have prepared us to move quickly into flight transitions in Phase II. Flight testing will encompass several candidate transition techniques, in calm and windy conditions, and at weights up to maximum gross. We expect that by the conclusion of Phase II these maneuvers will be common and routine throughout the flight envelope.
Benefit: Miniature VTOL aircraft promise substantially to reduce acquisition and deployment costs for robotic-aircraft systems, while offering unprecedented capability. Consequently they may well make robotic aircraft competitive in multiple new applications for which current designs are uneconomic. Commercial possibilities include ship-based imaging reconnaissance, geomagnetic survey, weather reconnaissance, and atmospheric research.
Keywords: MAV, Flexrotor, OAV, Tiltrotor, UAV, STUAS, robotic aircraft, MEUAS
