UAVs FUTURE POTENTIAL USE CASES
UAVs Launch & recovery
Launch and recovery of UAV’s from moving Ground Vehicles, Ships and Aircraft has been explored with some success.
Gyro-stabilised helideck systems have been developed as well as local positioning and guidance systems to improve the ability of UAV’s to perform automated take-off and landings during unstable and moving shipboard conditions.
There are also various deck-lock type landing capture systems in use with manned helicopter aviation that could potentially be applied to UAV VTOL deck landing.
For shipboard take-off and landing, it is the flight envelope specific to the helicopter flight control system that is presently the key limitation, even when employing these types of landing systems.
The inherent rotor height of the helicopter system along with the effect of local wind and sea state limit the conditions that any helicopter can be safely landed on a ship’s deck without the risk of dynamic rollover.
When landing on a canted and moving platform the high inertial mass and flexibility of a helicopter’s rotor blades have the potential to enter a destructive ground resonance cycle.
These, along with other flight envelope limitations of the helicopter rotor control system are thoroughly understood and are routinely factored into flight planning and sea-state-based, go/no-go decision-making.
This means that with currently available UAV platforms, a considerable proportion of open-ocean sea conditions preclude the safe take-off and landing of VTOL UAV. In practice, it appears that current real-world shipboard VTOL UAV operations are mostly conducted in sheltered waters rather than long-fetch open-ocean sea conditions.
The Theyron platform
Our Platform has very good potential for extending the boundaries of shipboard UAV operation. A low rotor mass and rotor-tip speed combined with high rotor rigidity, effectively discount the risk of ground resonance and other gyroscopic issues.
The potential for a much lower rotor height along with the ability for a very rapid rotor shut down, greatly increases the level of movement or instability able to be absorbed without risk of dynamic rollover.
Takeoff
Relatively simple captive take-off systems have been developed for multirotor UAV, allowing the vehicle to power up fully before a release and vertical “jump-off” style take-off. Theyron’s very low rotor inertia minimises gyroscopic issues and would therefore lend itself to this style of launch in difficult conditions.
Theyron’s airframe allows for the potential addition of a forward propulsion system that would enable either a self-catapulting launch or catapult-assisted launch via captive rails. This method could also facilitate “overweight” translational launching for long-range operations regardless of sea conditions.
Landing
The inherently higher threshold against dynamic rollover and ground resonance applies equally to safe take-off and landing in difficult conditions.
In very high sea states, there is also the potential for physical-capture landings. Theyron’s low rotor inertia allows for a very swift rotor shutdown. Under the guidance of an automated landing system, the vehicle would approach the capture system at a suitable trajectory with engine power being automatically cut directly at the point of capture.
Firefighting
Heavy lift multirotor UAV’s are presently under development for high-rise firefighting and other emergency responses. Leveraging the application of machine-vision-assisted guidance systems combined with thermal imaging.
Potentially deployable directly from road transportation platforms. Load-carrying abilities of up to 200kg create the additional potential for human evacuation in emergencies.
Larger Theyron platforms could adapt well to these applications and offer potential advantages over existing air platforms. A ready-to-fly road transportable system of 500kg MTOW would furnish effective firefighting payloads along with the potential for emergency human evacuation.
Internal combustion powerplant configuration would allow for a much higher number of payload flight cycles during the critical emergency period.
Configuration to a ready-to-fly as-roadable planform size would also allow for the automated use of the road transport emergency vehicle as the fly-off / fly-on command and resupply platform from start to finish. Automated payload and fuel refilling could be integrated as part of the road transport platform.
No onsite preparation would be required on arrival at the emergency scene. In emergency conditions, the UAV could start initial operations before the road vehicle arrives at the scene.
Aircraft Launch and Recovery
Airborne launch and retrieval of retractable-wing type UAV aircraft by a larger “mothership” aircraft has recently been successfully demonstrated. The UAV’s along with the automated launch and recovery module are configured to be cassette-fitted into existing C-130 utility cargo aircraft, with four UAV’s able to be accommodated and cycled from a single aircraft.
Practical airborne launch and recovery of a VTOL UAV would hitherto have been an impossibility due to the airframe footprint and flight envelope limitations of currently available VTOL UAV technology.
Extrapolating to the largest Theyron machine able to fit through the cargo door of a C-130, we find that four ready-to-fly Theyron units could be accommodated within the cargo bay with the potential for all four machines to be cassette-shuffled for independent airborne launch and recovery during flight.
The minimum refuelling/recovery speed of the C-130 is around 110 Knots. To configure a Theyron machine with a speed sufficiently above this, to enable a successful airborne recovery would require the move to a higher rotor disc-loading.
This would be readily achievable with currently available piston and rotary engine power plants but would also raise the potential for employing a turboshaft powerplant option. The lower start point for a piston-engine machine would be a unit of 600kg MTOW with a useful load percentage of around 50%.
These figures, raise the potential for man-carrying usages, such as long-range emergency rescue and evacuation via a “Mothership” aircraft. This would create the ability, not only to extend the range of airborne recovery operations well beyond what is currently feasible, but also in the long run to simplify logistics and allow for wider availability, distribution and penetration.
At the higher end of the scale, currently, operational maritime rescue helicopters such as the MH 60J Seahawk have a maximum search and rescue radius of operations of 300 Nautical Miles when combined with a 140 Knot cruise speed. Considerable logistical efforts have also gone into extending this range radius via airborne refuelling from a C-130 aircraft.
The C-130 aircraft has a cruise speed of 350 Knots and can be configured for a range of over 3000 Nautical Miles. Where configured to the concept of a Theyron UAV and Mothership rescue combination, this could provide a radius of operation of 1000 Nautical Miles along with a greater response speed, combined with a potentially wider penetration and smaller logistical footprint.
Large Roadable UAV
Our flight control system allows for potential configuration to a longer, narrower airframe than would be possible for a speed-controlled multi-rotor system. Extrapolation of performance data from our current 25kg MTOW development shows very good potential for a ready-to-fly road-transportable iteration.
Utilising available electric or piston-engine powerplants, a practical vehicle of a maximum 2.5-metre width can be configured with an MTOW of 500-600 kg and over 50% useful load percentage.
Passenger Air Vehicles
Over 100 startup companies worldwide are developing Passenger Air Mobility vehicles. Many of these developments are now fielding working prototypes, with some already certified for carrying human passengers. Several examples have entered production, and arrangements are currently being put in place to provide the infrastructure for commercial passenger-carrying operations.
Airframe configurations range from VTOL winged hybrids through to wingless rotor-only VTOL.
Hover flight control is predominantly speed-control multi-rotor electric due to its lightweight and simplicity.
Collective-pitch multi-rotor control is also being applied, predominantly with tilt-wing and tilt-rotor hybrid airframe configurations. VTOL emergency medical concepts have also been tabled, based on previously demonstrated working prototypes.
Theyron system
The flexibility of the Theyron system along with its potential for an extended flight envelope, put it in a good position for future development and market disruption as a human-carrying vehicle.
Control System
Most current Urban Air Mobility developments employ the underlying speed-control multi-rotor system. The Theyron system can achieve greater flight control authority and speed efficiency along with a smaller vehicle area footprint.
Cost And Weight
The simplicity of Theyron’s airframe and operating system put it in a good position for drastically reduced development and production costs. The lightweight system results in efficiencies based on the higher potential useful load percentage.
Powerplant Agnostic
Theyron’s flight control system is power-plant agnostic. The same underlying airframe development can be produced with electric, hybrid or internal combustion variants. This would allow the potential for a greater market capture of longer-range routes using hybrid and internal combustion models combined directly with fully electric units for shorter-haul operations.
Explore how our innovative rotor control system can transform your UAV operations.
Inquire:
* Required Fields.
Before contacting us via the portal, please ensure that you have thoroughly read the material presented on our website.