Abstract:
Small unmanned aircraft systems provide a novel means to improve situational awareness via surveillance and reconnaissance for military operations at the squad level. In order to provide mission-capable assets to soldiers quickly and reduce logistical burden, an automated, model-based approach is presented for the design and manufacture of small unmanned aircraft systems. This design methodology uses performance and geometry requirements provided by the end-user as constraints on a full-factorial set of potential vehicle alternatives constructed from an inventory of modular and scalable vehicle components. The chosen feasible vehicle alternative is then automatically modeled in a computer aided engineering/design tool and manufactured using additive or other rapid manufacturing techniques. An asset is delivered back to the user within hours of the initial request. This paper describes the methodology in detail including the role of interfaces, logical rules embedded in the process, and error propagation in the modeling environment. Finally, it presents the results of flight tests of an output vehicle in order to validate the integrated modeling and manufacturing method. Vehicle endurance measured during the flight tests were in reasonable agreement with performance predictions provided by analytical and empirical models during the design process. By improving these models, a process which guarantees a mission-capable vehicle can be realized.