The battlefield of the future will require novel solutions, according to a futurist from BAE Systems, so the company has revealed a new technology concept for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that alternate between fixed-wing flight and rotary-wing flight.
The concept, named Adaptable UAVs, would use adaptive flight control and advanced navigation and guidance software, which would allow the aircraft to benefit from the greater speed and range afforded to fixed-wing aircraft, before alternating to rotary-wing mode to hover and achieve vertical take-off and landing.
BAE Systems developed the concept in conjunction with students from Cranfield University near Milton Keynes in England. They believe it could allow UAVs to better adapt to evolving future battlefield situations and through working together in a swarm, tackle sophisticated air defences, as well as operating in complex and cluttered urban environments
When in rotary wing mode the UAVs can be launched and recovered from battlefields and docked on a special pole, which constrains the lateral or sideways movement of the UAV when being launched or recovered so strong winds cannot dislodge them and avoids any damage to personnel nearby. This is particularly important when recovering a UAV to the aft of a ship or a land vehicle.
The pole has a gyro-stabilised element, which ensures that it remains upright independently of the host vehicle’s orientation, which may be rolling if on a ship, or in the case of a land vehicle driving up or down a slope at the time of the launch or recovery.
“The Adaptable UAVs concept and related technologies are one of a number of concepts being explored through close collaboration between industry and students in academia,” said BAE Systems’ Futurist and Technologist Professor Nick Colosimo.
Professor Antonios Tsourdos, Head of Cranfield's Centre for Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems, said the project had provided a great opportunity for the students and research staff to explore a range of novel concepts and technologies.
[An artist's impression of the Adaptable UAV. Image: BAE Systems]