Technical Paper
Air-Launched Expendable Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Increasing Power and Extending Endurance to Meet Operational Needs
2010-11-02
2010-01-1799
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has driven the requirement and technology development of expendable, air-launched, Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) for the past six years. As the Air Force lead command for SUAS, AFSOC intends to use this capability to extend the range of on-board sensors, see below the weather, track multiple targets, increase target acquisition accuracy and provide direct support to ground teams. ...Today, state of the art technology for Group 1 (0-20 lbs) and Group 2 SUAS (21 - 55 lbs), provides approximately 25 - 60 minutes of endurance with conventional lithium ion / lithium polymer batteries. ...This paper presents a notional concept of employment for expendable air launched SUAVs coupled with a relevant example of state-of-the-art SUAS technology. The end goal will highlight realistic technology requirements for industry to develop an optimized system engineering design in the next two years that combines current cutting edge technology (i.e. super-capacitors, nano/micro-fuel cells, hybrid solutions and traditional batteries solutions) with industry safety standards for effective mission accomplishment.
