A Quadcopter System To Catch Drones Mid-Air
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Landing fixed-wing UAVs is a problem, a big problem. The added weight from proper landing gear greatly reduces a drone’s range and operational capability, thus limiting both the type and range of missions the machinery could be used for. Now, Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary, has come up with a solution crazy enough that it just works.
It’s called FLARES – Flying Launch and Recovery System – and it uses a technique that first burst into public consciousness three years ago, with the Mars Rover landing: the Skyhook.
The two-step system first lifts the winged UAV with the aid of a large quadcopter. When sufficient altitude has been achieved, the craft revs up its engines and takes off to perform any number of missions, while the quadcopter returns to base. At the end of the mission, the copter rises again, and catches the UAV clean from the sky in a maneuver remarkably similar to a fisherman reeling in his catch. Essentially, the recovery system function like a smaller, vertical, airborne version of arresting gear normally found on an aircraft carrier.
Over the summer, Insitu conducted a series of tests using its own ScanEagle, a 13-year old drone that was used by the US Navy, the US Marine Corps, the Australian Army and others in active war zones.
The ScanEagle is relatively small when it comes to military drones. With a wingspan of just over 3 meters and weighing about 20kg, it is just within the class of newer consumer drones. It is, however, fast. Really fast. The ScanEagle travels at a speed of to 80 knots (148km/h), and is one of the few mid-range drones authorised for commercial use by the Federal Aviation Authority.
In the tests, Insitu established that the FLARES system could launch and retrieve low weight versions of ScanEagle with high reliability. When adapted for general use, the system could reliably launch and catch any winged UAV that weighs 17.5 to 20 kg.
The combined two-drone system allows for strengths from both sides to complement each other. The quad-copter launch and retrieval system makes takeoff and landing simple in almost all environments, while removing the landing gear from the UAV reduces risks and improves operational ability.
