Irina MARCU^

It is well known that the UASs became essential in this century, both for military and civilian purposes, as well as in scientific and economic activities. Even if the current drones are quite complex, the national security needs a system updated with new technologies for a better accomplishment of missions performed in a safe way, especially in unsegregated civil airspace and under hostile conditions.

BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF UASs
TO STRENGTHEN NATIONAL SECURITY

INCAS has a very long history related to the unmanned aircraft system. In 1997 the institute developed the first drone / UAV for training and aerial surveillance missions – the IAR-T having civil and military purposes.

The UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) seen as a system includes several essential sub-systems (components): the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), the payload, the navigation sub-systems, the control station, the UAV launch and recovery sub-systems, the communication and support sub-systems (maintenance, transport, etc.).

Building on the experience gained over the years, today, INCAS is at the forefront of UAVs development. In order to develop a global innovative type of UAS to be used in specific applications / missions aiming to strengthen the national security, INCAS is currently integrating this experience in an ambitious project.

The program provides specific tasks focusing on the following targets: searching for missing / hidden persons in natural environments covered with vegetation; gathering information from the place of events: fires, explosions, industrial accidents, floods, etc.; persistent surveillance of areas with events that have a continuous spatio-temporal evolution (fire, flood, natural disasters, industrial accidents, etc.); close surveillance of areas where mass events are conducted which are susceptible of targeted attacks; patrolling of some areas (border-way, communications infrastructure – electrical networks, pipelines, etc.); gathering information on certain activities with spatial or static evolution (illegal trafficking, terrorist activities etc.); mapping of hardly accessible areas, such as hydrographic basin with flooding risk, forests, etc.; road traffic surveillance, detection of traffic jams and accidents, traffic flow, detection of traffic rules violation; NBC contamination level detection of an area / object; providing temporary radio coverage of mobile radio networks in inaccessible areas or where the terrestrial networks are unavailable / degraded.

The new system prototype is a concept based on a fleet of 2 unmanned air vehicles (a hybrid platform VTOL-FW and a multicopter platform – Hexacopter), a ground mobile system GCS (Ground Control Station) based on two off-road 4×4 vehicles and an information management system. With all these components, the system features independent and autonomous 24 hours functionality being capable to operate in extreme conditions (wind, rain, various extreme temperatures, solar radiation, etc.). Also it can handle interaction with the particularities mission in unsegregated civil airspace (radio jamming and interference, etc.) or direct hostility (blunt objects, physical bottlenecks, etc.).

MISSION BASELINE SCENARIO

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS OPERATION

A team will operate the UAS System fulfilling different roles: a pilot for air platform, an analyst of information (operating crew commander), a driver for GCS vehicle and a technician to prepare the platform for launching and recovery.

UAVs FLEET

Hybrid tandem wing quadcopter

• Payload (5 kg)

• Maximum takeoff weight of 24 kg

• Minimum and maximum Cruise Speed 100 / 170 km/h

• Minimum Endurance 6h (at max. payload)

• Global Wingspan limited at 2.5m

• Vertical takeoff / landing

• ”Cruise” and ”hovering” types Missions

Hexacopter

• Payload 3.5 Kg

• Maximum takeoff weight 15 kg

• Minimum Endurance 1h (at max. payload)

• ”Cruise” and ”hovering” types Missions: Sensing System: 2.5 kg and 165 mm dimension

GCS (GROUND CONTROL STATION)
BASED ON TWO OFF-ROAD 4X4 VEHICLES

GCS will allow personnel and equipment transport in a safely and comfortable way, including on off-road. A vehicle will be used as a vehicle for fleet of UAVs and launch / recovery sub-systems of the UAV platforms while the other vehicle will be employed for the command, control and communications center. The transport vehicle will have a rear compartment designed for air transport vectors and launch / recovery systems packed in special boxes for transport, a power generator and other equipment specific for the missions. The Commander will receive the information obtained from the sensors placed on aircraft in real time and in a way readily analyzed.