THE KARANTANIA UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM

Transcription

1 THE KARANTANIA UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM ABSTRACT Tomaž Meze, Bogo Štempihar, Mihael Grom MIBO MODLI d.o.o. Čevica 6, SI 1370 Logatec, Slovenia Tone Magister University of Ljubljana Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transportation Pot pomorščakov 4, SI 6320 Portorož, Slovenia The Karantania Unmanned Aerial System is presented in the paper, her design features, performance characteristics, modularity, mission capabilities, as well as logistical and operational footprints are described. 1 INTRODUCTION The Karantania Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is designed by Mr. Meze and Mr. Stempihar who developed the production technology. The development of Karantania Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is combined effort of a research team M working on a research project Research of the UAV systems employment into the Slovenian Army under contract to the Slovenian Ministry of Defense. The Karantania UAV presented is the production prototype, and her initial production batch already started at Mibo Modeli facilities. The initial batch of Karantania UAVs is planned for comparative analysis of different Karantanina UASs solutions as well as for development of a different concepts of her operations to meet Slovenian Army s evolving requirements. 2 KARANTANIA SPECIFICATIONS The design cycle of Slovenia s first purposely build UAV was guided by requirements of different areas of final product applicability: military front line intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support, military base perimeter security, border patrol, coastal surveillance, anti terrorism surveillance, law enforcement, and various civil applications (in the domain of aerial surveillance, safety, emergency, communications, monitoring and environmental).

2 Figure 1.a: The Karantania UAV layout.

3 The leading criteria for the Karantania UAV/UAS development were: short term preparedness, fast flight readiness, manoeuvrability & mobility of UAV equipped unit, interoperability, simplicity & user friendliness, modularity & universality & versatility, survivability & stealthiness. Figure 1.b: The Karantania UAV layout. The specifications (Table 1), performances (Table 2), and peculiarities of the Karantania UAV/UAS presented in figure 1 suit her to perform as up to the company level support aerial platform with the autonomous tactical close range all weather day or night intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The prime concept of the Karantania UAV/UAS operations is to fly over the hill ISR gathering missions. However, she s not meant only to orbit above target or loiter over an area of interest for real time combat assessment, the Karantania UAV/UAS supports a wide variety of complex missions. She s perfectly suited to defeat camouflage, concealment, and deception techniques to penetrate adversary s defences and locate, identify and continuously track stationary or mobile targets.

4 Table 1: The Karantania UAV technical data. Wingspan [m] 3.51 / optionally Length [m] 1.83 Empty Mass [kg] 2.7 Maximum Take off Mass [kg] 6.1 / 7 optionally Propulsion brushless electric motor propeller Engine take off power [kw] 1 Engine cruise power [kw] 0.2 Power Supply Lithium Polymer (Li Po) 14.5V/5A Structure Material composite: Carbon / Kevlar Payload [kg] 2.1* Note *: The payload capacity is inversely proportional with the UAV required range or endurance or loitering time; if greater payload capacity is needed the trade off with the range or endurance or loitering in necessary and vice versa. Table 2: The Karantania performances. Stall speed [km/h] < 30 Cruise Airspeed [km/h] Dash speed [km/h] > 150 Ceiling [m] 3000 (ISA) Vertical Flight Envelope [m] AGL Best Sensor Accuracy Altitude [m] 300 AGL Endurance (motor running) [h] > 1 Loitering (at typical 10km range) [h] 0.45 Operational Mission Radius [km] >16 Figure 2: The Karantania UAV payload and avionics bay.

5 The standard operational equipment of Karantania UAV consists of three axes gyro stabilised and gimballed payload with wide variety of day and night sensors (Figure 2). Stabilization of payload block secures stabilised picture regardless of aircraft vibrations, manoeuvring, and in flight turbulence. The payload block has aircraft independent GPS/INS navigational system which enables variety of payload advanced operational modes: observation, tracking, hold or point coordinate, pilot window with graphics super imposed on video. The data links represent indispensably functional equipment of each and any UAV/UAS. The Karantania UAV/UAS is equipped with two dual independent line off sight data links enabling continuous real time two way communication of the UAV and its on board payload with the ground control system via its ground data terminal. The data links provide: UAV command and control low rate (30Kb/s) up link, UAV status monitoring and mission progress reporting low rate (30Kb/s) down link, payload command and control medium rate (30Kb/s 1Mb/s) up link, payload product (video or data) high rate (< 1Mb/s) down link. 3 KARANTANIA UAS OPERATIONAL AND LOGISTICAL FOOTPRINT Being light weight the Karantania is man packed and man portable UAS of a compact category, operated by two servicemen with laptop based ground command and control system, including communication data links for continuous real time data/video acquisition and dissemination, from a 100m 100m clearing are parameters that define small operational footprint of the Karantania UAS. The Karantania UAV combat/front line survivability, and hence survivability of her operators, is enhanced with a quiet electric propulsion, small size, stealthy airframe, camouflage, superb maneuverability and gliding capabilities the Karantania is actually a stealthy UAV, it s hardly observable and hardly perceivable. Figure 3: The Karantania UAV s easy and quick assembly for flight.

6 The Karantania UAS operational deployment kit includes: three (3) Karantania UAVs, portable rugged laptop based ground control station with integrated remote video terminal, data link and location tracking antenna with accesories, extra Li Po battery set with accesories for charging them, field spare parts set, field basic repair kit, and is normally hauled around in a Hummer vehicle or the like. The operational and logistical footprint of the Karantania UAS can be minimised by deployment of basic operational kit consisting of only: one Karantania UAV, GCS and antenna, extra batteries pack and can be conveniently carried by two soldies. The total weight of the basic operational kit is approximately 10kgs, and all items can be packed into the 1.46m 0.62m 0.45m volume. In the filed the Karantania UAS enables fast response to the ISR support necessity, feasible are fast initial flight preparedness, return to flight readiness and swift tactical reposition of a unit (Table 3). Figure 4: The Karantania UAV/UAS basic operational kit. The Karantania s ground control system is based on rugged portable laptop computer its human computer interface is designed to be user friendly easy to operate with variety of flight modes preprogrammed into the flight control and navigation system (Table 3) and thus requiring only short time training (at present the training program development the goal is to train a serviceman in two days) prior the operational deployment of UAS. Table 3: The Karantania UAS operational procedures Flight Control Modes fully autonomous flight remote control / fly by camera flight dynamic in flight re tasking dynamic in flight change waypoints autonomous return (on data link loss) Launch Recovery Initial Flight Preparedness Return Flight Readiness Tactical Reposition / Withdrawal hand launch bungee launch air drop (in development) belly landing deep stall landing precision arresting net (in development) < 10 minutes 5 minutes < 3 minutes 100m 100m clearing (without the runway) Mission programming is reduced to the point and click preflight or in flight definition of route waypoints. Considering an advanced autopilot enabling the Karantania UAV/UAS autonomous GPS/INS waypoint navigation, operators with only marginal flight experience can easily plan missions for flight execution. Further

7 development of the Karantania UAS anticipate fully autonomous landing capabilities besides already operational autonomous climb out after hand launch of the UAV. While in flight the UAS operator focuses on controlling what the Karantania UAV sensors are looking at rather then flying her.