Rescue/Recovery Parachutes:
This weeks post focuses on rescue/recovery parachute solutions for UAV’s. At the moment, most small UAV’s don’t have a rescue parachute but they are a great idea to protect the air vehicle/payload asset as well as protect any people or property. Parachute solutions are used on rockets and even Cirrus Aircraft has a ballistic recovery solution if there is a problem with the engine. Here is a great video where a guy was trying to fly from CA to Hawaii and ran out of gas recently. This video highlights how these types of systems can work to save people and assets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBCUQlF3MMU.
Hobby mult-icopters are becoming very popular for aerial photography but most don’t have a parachute system. At this year’s CES in Vegas, a Chinese manufacturer came out with a new multi-copter that includes a rescue chute. The company is Hubsan and here is a video with more info. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD6__UpwXZ0. There are companies that are developing “bolt on” parachute solutions for multi-copters but the challenge is always weight and deployment means. You want to make sure the parachute can deploy successfully at low altitudes (say 20-30m), for these hobby multi-copter solutions. Some deployment means include: spring, compressed air, or ballistics.
Several UAV manufacturers are seeing the benefits in adding a rescue chute to protect the expensive air vehicle and payloads of defense UAV’s in case of a system failure. Some are also using the parachute as a recovery method making it runway independent and it produces less stress on the air vehicle compared to net or wire capture methods. There are several ways to mount these systems on fixed wing UAV’s. I have shown a typical opening sequence below:
Figure 1: Graphic showing deployment of rescue/recovery chute on fixed wing UAV
Parachute technology is advancing to provide lightweight solutions for the UAV market. These systems will become more important as commercial applications are flying over civilian areas. There are various methods and these systems can be customized to meet the UAV manufacturers requirements for max speed at deployment and max sink rate. You can find out more about these systems by going to www.uavpropulsiontech.com/skygraphics.
Key UAV News for the week:
- US Special Ops issues RFP for UAS Operations http://www.uasvision.com/2015/04/13/us-special-ops-issues-rfp-for-uas-operations/
- Space X tries Tricky Rocket Landing Again http://www.marketwatch.com/story/space-x-tries-tricky-rocket-landing-again-2015-04-13?dist=countdown&link=sfmw
- The 3DR Solo is one Scary-Smart Drone http://www.wired.com/2015/04/3dr-solo-drone/?mbid=social_twitter
- China, Russia, Eastern Europe Boost Defense Spending http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/budget/2015/04/13/study-china-russia-eastern-europe-boost-defense-spending/25736453/
Industry Events for the week:
- Aero 2015, Friedrichshafen, Germany, April 15-18. http://www.aero-expo.com/aero-en/
- Sea-Air-Space Exposition, National Harbor, MD, April 13-15 http://www.seaairspace.org/
- LAAD Defence and Security International Exhibition, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 13-17. http://www.laadexpo.com.br/2015/en/
Quote for the week:
UAV Propulsion Tech is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hardware solution provider of propulsion, servo, autopilot, rescue/recovery parachutes, electric turbofans, pneumatic launchers, fuel flow/level sensors, hyperspectral cameras, INS, digital compasses, fuel cells, motors/generators, GCS and gyro-stabilized EO/IR gimbal solutions. Click on the HOME link above or go to www.uavpropulsiontech.com for more info.