Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

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Krossblade SkyProwler
VUAVs use VTOL concepts such as B. the quadrocopter design of the AirRobot AR-100B

A Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( English for vertically take off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle ), abbreviated VTOL UAV , more rarely VUAV or VT UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) that can take off and land vertically. The maximum take-off weight is between 19 g (Nano Hummingbird) and 5.5 t (Unmanned Kaman K-Max ), depending on the type .

Constructive design

Most types can both hover and take off independently after a landing, so they don't need a runway or special take-off or landing devices. Many specimens are equipped with cameras and can take pictures and / or videos while they are hovering or on land, which are either saved or transmitted via radio technology (hover & star functionality).

Rotary leaf concepts

helicopter

Unlike in manned aviation, helicopters are also VTOL UAVs within the UAV community . On the one hand, the classic embodiment of man-carrying helicopters was implemented as a UAV, with tail rotor , coaxial rotor or Flettner double rotor configuration. Furthermore, a large number of aircraft are operated in the quadrocopter design, also with more rotors, such as hexa- or octocopter. There are also versions with a ducted propeller as a lifting fan, such. B. the Honeywell RQ-16 T-Hawk, Aurora Golden Eye or ST Aero FanTail , which is differentiated from the classic stern starters in that the lift during the entire flight is mainly generated by the rotary wing and these UAVs do not transition into aerodynamic level flight ( Transition ).

Combination aircraft

Combination helicopters, also known as compounds, are a combination of a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. As with a flight wrench, the main propulsion is not generated by the main rotor. In the case of vertical take-off, the main rotor generates the lift, while thrust and / or traction engines take over the propulsion during horizontal flight. Wings or even locked rotors (stop rotor aircraft) then take over the lift. This configuration enables, on the one hand, higher flight performance and, on the other hand, an increase in efficiency compared to a helicopter. An example of this is the Sikorsky Dragon Warrior .

Convertible aircraft

Convertible aircraft, also known as transformation aircraft or transformation helicopters, use the configuration of a helicopter with one or more mostly horizontally arranged rotors for vertical take- offs . In the transition ( Transition ) to horizontal flight, the rotors to be reconfigured for the production of propulsion. This is often done by tilting the rotor together with the wings ( tilting vanes ), as well as tilting the rotors alone ( tilting rotor or also called tilting rotor ). They combine the advantages of rotary wing aircraft and fixed wing aircraft. Examples of this are Bell Eagle Eye or IAI Panther , which has an additional horizontal rotor, which, unlike the other two propellers, cannot be tilted.

There is also a first VTOL UAV in a jet aircraft version. Excalibur from Aurora Flight Sciences generates the lift or propulsion by a single tiltable jet engine. The control or stabilization takes place via three integrated ducted propellers.

Fixed wing aircraft

The tail-sitter (Tail Sitter) -VUAVs Skytote of AeroVironment, V-Bat of MLB Company or flexible rotor of Aerovel are being tested. Here the propeller is used briefly to hover or to accelerate the UAV to the speed that is necessary to generate enough lift on the wings for level flight.

Ornithopters

Ornithopters , also known as flapping wings, are modeled on the flapping of birds' wings. The first functional, remote-controlled ornithopters with camera equipment that would be conceivable for micro-air-vehicle applications have recently appeared .

Airships

Airships as UAVs are also in the implementation phase. The main advantage is the long endurance of several days.

Advantages and disadvantages

VUAVs offer particular advantages compared to manned VTOL systems when investigating damage in hostile environments, such as B. after a nuclear reactor accident. In contrast to classic fixed-wing UAVs, a smaller observation distance can also be taken when hovering.

The disadvantages of electrically operated VUAVs are the relatively short maximum duration of use of 20-30 minutes. Initial tests with fuel cells , however, quadrupled this time, at least with fixed-wing aircraft. The hybrid concepts also promise significantly more economical and faster level flight, which at the same time increases the range. Furthermore, there are initial concepts of how the batteries of VUAVs can be charged in the air using laser energy.

Differentiation between UAVs and airworthy RPVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) (here: aircraft) can usually both be remotely controlled via radio. However, a UAV differs from the RPV in the fact that a UAV always has a Flight Control System (FCS) and can stay in the air even without a radio link. At the same time, another system ensures that a UAV can navigate autonomously in the airspace.

Application spectrum

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VTOL UAVs are currently used in the military, by authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) and in aerial photography . The use of VUAVs is only just in the initial phase and there are currently various approaches to civilian use.

Civilian use

Inspections / factory security
  • Offshore plants (e.g. wind farms, platforms)
  • Port facilities (e.g. container terminal, port entrance)
  • Large industrial plants (e.g. refineries, power plants, tank farms, chimneys)
  • Overhead lines
  • Wind turbines
  • Pipelines
Environment / nature protection
  • Monitoring of the forest stand and condition
  • Investigation of the extent of damage after oil pollution
  • quick measurement of local air pollution
  • quick measurement of local water pollution
Species protection
  • Monitoring compliance with fishing quotas
  • Monitoring of animal populations (e.g. fish and marine mammal populations, populations in national parks, sea birds, migratory birds)
Monument protection
  • Review of the structure of protected buildings
  • Protection against robbery excavations
Monitoring of large-scale sporting events (e.g. regattas, rallies, marathons)
Aerial photography / television recordings
Agriculture
  • Optimization of the harvest periods
  • Exploration of crop damage
  • Monitoring of free range herds
Research and science
  • Aerial archeology

Use in the area of ​​responsibility of the authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS)

SAR (Search and Rescue)
  • Search for missing people
  • Search for buried victims
  • Search for castaways
Civil protection
  • Investigation of the extent of damage in the event of natural disasters (e.g. storms, floods, snow and mudslides, large or wild fires, earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic activity)
  • Investigation of the extent of damage in disasters of a technical-biological nature (e.g. nuclear reactor accidents, chemical or oil accidents)
  • Measurement of the spread of toxic (fire) gases
  • Support of the mission coordination through live images
public safety
  • Monitoring of major events / demonstrations
  • Contribution to solving crimes
  • Traffic monitoring
Communication relay to extend the range

Military operation

  • CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue)
  • Communication relay (e.g. to request CSAR staff, to extend the range)
  • Material replenishment
  • Escorts (e.g. convoy protection)
  • Patrol flights
  • Scouting flights
  • tactical reconnaissance (e.g. in urban areas or even inside buildings, BDA)
  • monitoring
  • Target marker
  • Explosive ordnance search (e.g. mine or IED detection, detection of ABC contamination)
  • Electronic warfare
  • Use of ordnance (e.g. light guided missiles)

Sample applications

VTOL concept control el. drive Max. Take-off weight Max. Flight duration designation
Ornithopters RPV Yes 19 g 8 min AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird Nano Hummingbird.jpg
Quadcopter UAV Yes 1 kg 30 min AirRobot AR-100B AirRobot AR-100B.jpg
Quadcopter UAV Yes 1.3 kg 20 min Aeryon Labs Inc. Scout Aeryon Scout UAV.jpg
Lifting fan UAV Yes 1.5 kg 25 min EMT fan copter FanCopter 1024x768.jpg
Lifting fan UAV Yes 6 kg 33 min Selex Galileo Asio UAV Asio.jpg
Lifting fan UAV No 8.4 kg 40 min Honeywell RQ-16 T-Hawk Class1Soldiers2.jpg
Convertible aircraft (tilt rotor) UAV Yes 12.3 kg 90 min IAI mini panther
helicopter UAV No 13 kg 60 min EADS Scorpio EADS drone fh000011.jpg
Helicopter (coaxial) UAV No 45 kg 90 min Swiss UAV KOAX X-240 ILA 2010 Saturday 094.JPG
Convertible aircraft (tilt rotor) UAV Yes 65 kg 6 h IAI panthers
Lifting fan RPV No 154 kg 3 h Sikorsky Cypher Cypher UAV.JPG
Helicopter (coaxial) UAV No 190 kg 4 h EADS Sharc Paris Air Show 2007-06-24 n29.jpg
helicopter UAV No 200 kg 5 h Saab V-150 Skeldar UAV Saab Skeldar.jpg
helicopter UAV No 200 kg 6 h Schiebel Camcopter S-100 Schiebel Camcopter S-100 at ILA 2010.jpg
Combination aircraft UAV No 645 kg Boeing X-50 X-50 3d view.png
helicopter UAV No 690 kg 8 h EADS Orka Paris Air Show 2007-06-24 n28.jpg
Convertible aircraft (tilt rotor) UAV No 1020 kg 8 h Bell Eagle Eye
helicopter UAV No 1430 kg 8 h Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout Fire Scout unmanned helicopter crop.jpg

Legal situation (Germany) as of March 18, 2011

For the operators and manufacturers of UAVs, the operation of these aeronautical devices is not yet adequately regulated in Germany. There are currently various efforts to integrate UAVs into the airspace. The aim here is to gain knowledge about the requirements for airworthiness and participation in air traffic (flight operations in the respective airspaces, avoidance of collisions, compliance with the evasive rules). The aim is to demonstrate that it is possible to safely participate in air traffic with UAVs. It will u. a. Emergency landing procedures, the robustness of data links and the sensors checked.

So far, the regulations for unmanned aircraft according to § 4a Luftverkehrsordnung (LuftVO) (last amended by Art. 1 G of January 18, 2010 I 11) i. V. m. Section 1, Paragraph 2, No. 11 (other devices intended for the use of the airspace) Aviation Act (LuftVG), if they are operated in the airspace at a height of more than 30 m above ground or water. According to § 15a Para. 3 LuftVO, it is forbidden to operate unmanned aircraft if they weigh more than 25 kg or if the helmsman is out of sight of the UAV. Section 15a (3) LuftVO also defines what is meant by visibility . In addition, the ascent of unmanned aircraft within the meaning of Section 1 (2) No. 11 LuftVG requires the permission of the competent authority in accordance with Section 16 (1) and 3 LuftVO.

In contrast to this, permission from the competent authority only needs to be obtained for model aircraft if the model aircraft is heavier than 5 kg, is closer than 1.5 km to the boundary of an airfield or is equipped with an internal combustion engine and closer than 1.5 km to residential areas is operated. The flight model is legally different from an unmanned aerial vehicle by the way it is used. While a model aircraft may only be operated for the purpose of sports or recreational activities ( Section 1 (1) No. 8 LuftVZO), this purpose is questioned at the latest when the camera is installed, as is usually the case with a UAV.

This means that UAVs with a maximum take-off mass of over 25 kg must be approved individually. Similar approval regulations apply as for man-carrying aircraft. The operation of such UAVs also requires the possession of a (model) pilot's license and is only possible on approved airfields.

For the police, a technical qualification as "aircraft remote operator" is required to operate the UAVs and can be acquired as part of a two-day training course.

There are already proposals for a new legal regulation for the operation of smaller UAVs under 150 kg. In excess of 150 kg take-off weight, European law applies (application of "Part 21" by EC Regulation 1702/2003).

See also

literature

  • Sven Angermann / Andreas Frahm: Development of an unmanned flight system (VTOL UAV): Design and construction of a 4-rotor, floating measuring platform for payload requirements of up to 10kg . VDM, 2009, ISBN 978-3-639-22109-1 .
  • Reg Austin: Unmanned Aircraft Systems: UAVS Design, Development and Deployment . John Wiley and Sons, 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-05819-0 .
  • Kimon P. Valavanis: Advances in unmanned aerial vehicles - State of the art and the road to autonomy . Springer, Dordrecht 2007, ISBN 978-1-4020-6113-4 .
  • Office of the Secretary of Defense: Unmanned Systems Roadmap 2007 - 2032 at Federation of American Scientists , 188 pages (PDF) (12 MB), last accessed on March 13, 2011

Web links

Commons : VTOL UAV  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/usroadmap2007.pdf DoD USA: Unmanned Systems Roadmap 2007-2032
  2. ↑ http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,168741,00.html Military.com: Hover and Stare: FCS Testing UAVs
  3. ↑ Sophisticated High End UAV Technology ( Memento from September 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Aeryon Labs Inc .: Perch-and-stare Capability
  4. ↑ http://www.suasnews.com/2011/08/7831/video-of-aerovel-flexrotor-transition sUAS News: Aerovel Flexrotor Transition
  5. ↑ http://www.avinc.com/resources/press_release/aerovironment_puma_small_uas_achieves_record_flight AeroVironment: AeroVironment Puma Small UAS Achieves Record Flight of Over Nine Hours Using Fuel Cell Battery Hybrid System
  6. ↑ Horizon Energy Systems - Products ( Memento from March 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Horizon Energy Systems: AEROPAK - Fuel Cell Propulsion System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  7. ↑ http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~thb/Publications/Conceptual%20Design%20of%20FCUAV%20v2.4.4.pdf Thomas H. Bradley et al: Design Studies for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (PDF ) (0.84 MB)
  8. ↑ UAV Power Links ( Memento from April 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) LaserMotive: UAV Power Links
  9. ↑ http://www.suasnews.com/2011/08/6580/aerial-farm-aid sUAS News: Aerial Farm Aid
  10. ↑ http://www.suasnews.com/2011/04/4977/two-year-research-project-targets-agricultural-productivity sUAS News: Agricultural Productivity
  11. ↑ http://www.insidegnss.com/auto/janfeb08-wp.pdf Maria de Fátima Bento: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: An Overview (PDF) (0.43 MB)
  12. ↑ UAV Roof Working Group ( Memento from October 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) UAV DA-CH: German-speaking working group for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)
  13. ↑ http://www.bdli.de/index.php?option=com_bdliboard&view=forums&layout=forum&fid=37&Itemid=15 BDLI: UAV technical committee
  14. ↑ Ordinance amending the LuftVO and other air traffic regulations of January 27, 2010 (BGLI. 2010 Part I No. 2S. 11 ff.) P. 13 , buzer.de
  15. ↑ https://euro-police.noblogs.org/2010/03/unbemannt-luftfahrzeuge-ziviles-luftrecht-und-seine-ausektiven-auf-den-milit-rischen-bereich Prof. Dr. jur. Elmar Giemulla, Technical University Berlin: Unmanned aerial vehicles - civil aviation law and its effects on the military sector