UNMANNED AERIAL

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

AND ITS APPLICATIONS

By

JOY KARMAKAR

INSTRUMENTATION SCIENCE

JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY

dedicated to ………..

MISSILE MAN DR A.P.J ABDUL KALAM (1931-2015)

INTRODUCTION

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) is

an aircraft without a human pilot.

It’s flight is either controlled

autonomously by computers or under

the remote control of a pilot on the

ground.

DEFINITION & DIFFERENCE WITH MISSILES

.UAV is defined as a

"powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator,

uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly

autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or

recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload".

Cruise Missiles are not considered UAVs because,

like many other guided missiles, the vehicle itself is an

weapon that is not reused,

even though it is also unmanned and in some cases

remotely guided.

Birth of uAv

1916 by A. M. Lows named

Kettering “BUG”

1935 (After World War-I), developed by the film star

and model airplane enthusiast Reginald Denny

1959 first US aircraft

1964, U.S. Navy initiated highly classified UAVs into

their first combat missions of the Vietnam War

Target and decoy

providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an

enemy aircraft or missile

Battlefield intelligence

Combat providing attack capability for high risk missions.

Research and development

Further development of UAV technologies to be integrated into

field deployed UAV aircraft.

Civil and Commercial UAVs

UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercial applications.

TYPE ALTITUDE RANGE

HANDHELD 600 m 2-5 km

TACTICAL 5500 m 100km

MALE

(medium altitude

long endurance)

7000 m 200 km

HALE

(high altitude long

endurance)

9100 m 250 km

HYPERSONIC 15200 m 300 km

IN TERMS of ALTITUDE/RANGE

SYSTEM COMPOSITION

PAYLOADSIt is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually

measured in terms of weight .

Driven by the needs of the operational task. These can range from:

(a) simple sub-systems consisting of video camera with a fixed lens

having a mass as little as 200 g, through

(b) a video system with a greater range capability, employing a

longer focal length lens with zoom facility, gyro-stabilised and with pan

and tilt function with a mass of probably 3–4 kg, to

(c) a high-power radar having a mass, with its power supplies, of

possibly up to 1000 kg.

Some more sophisticated UAV carry a combination of different types of

sensors, within a payload module or within a series of modules.

The Air Vehicle

Depending on needs of the operational mission air vehicle is designed

primarily task is to carry the mission payload to its point of

application,

operational range , air speed and endurance.

The endurance and range requirement will determine the

fuel load to be carried.

Navigation Systems

It is necessary for the operators to know, on demand, where the aircraft is

at any moment in time.

For fully autonomous operation, i.e. without any communication between

the CS and the air vehicle, sufficient navigation equipment must be

carried in the aircraft. This was achieved by radio tracking or by the

recognition of geographical features. While GPS services a seamless

navigation with cheap receiver, it may not receive the satellite signal by

the obstacles or the signal jamming. It is GPS/INS(inertial navigation

system) sensor fusion that might overcome these constraints. The ground

test showed that GPS/INS sensor fusion system could provide well the

altitude information as well as the trajectory according to a vehicle

movement.

where communication between aircraft and CS is virtually continuous

(i.e for unautonomous system), or where there is a risk of the GPS system

being blocked, other means of navigation are possible fall-back options……

Radar trackingHere the aircraft is fitted with a transponder

which responds to a RADAR scanner emitting

from the CS transmitter, so that the aircraft

position is seen on the CS radar display in

bearing and range.

Radio trackingHere the radio signal carrying data from the aircraft to the CS is tracked in

bearing from the CS, whilst its range is determined from the time taken for a

coded signal to travel between the aircraft and the CS.

Direct reckoningIf the mission is over land and the aircraft carries a TV camera, surveying

the ground, its position can be confirmed by relating visible geographical

features with their known position on a map.

CommunicationsThe principal, and probably the most demanding, requirement for the

communications system is to provide the data links (up and down) between

the CS and the aircraft.

(a) Uplink (i.e. from the CS to the aircraft)

i) Transmit flight path tasking which is then stored in the aircraft automatic

flight control system

ii) real-time flight control commands such as updated positional information

to the aircraft INS where relevant.

(b) Downlink (i.e. from the aircraft to the CS)

i) Transmit aircraft positional data

ii) payload imagery

iii) aircraft housekeeping data, e.g. fuel state, engine temperature, etc. to

the CS.

APPLICATIONS

A. Beyond the military applications of UAVs with whi

ch "drones" became most associated, numerous ci

vil aviation uses have been developed, including

B. aerial surveying of crops (land surveying)

C. acrobatic aerial footage in filmmaking,

D. search and rescue operations,

E. inspecting power lines and pipelines,

F. counting wildlife,

G. delivering medical supplies to remote or

otherwise inaccessible regions,

H. surveillance &

border patrol missions,

I. forest fire detection,

J. detection of illegal hunting,

K. fire and large accident investigation,

L. landslide measurement,

M. illegal landfill detection,

N. and crowd monitoring.

DISADVANTAGES

Civilian casualties

Can be hacked or given viruses

Too small for transportation of large materials

Low resistance to weather

Cannot refuel in flight

If contact is lost with the ground station, the

vehicle may be lost.

INDIAN UAV

DRDO RUSTOM a medium altitude

Long endurance combat air vehicle

Range about 250km,payload 95kg

DRDO NISHANT day night capability

UAV range about 160km,payload 45kg

LAKSHYA

high speed UAV ,range about 150 km , rocket assisted

launching system , only for millitary purpose.

CONCLUSION

However, the very dynamic nature of the field

also creates a significant amount of

uncertainty.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are an exciting field

in the world of aviation, with new discoveries.

Over the next 16 years, UAVs will become a

significant component of military, civil, and

perhaps even commercial aviation.