Unmanned Systems Technology 001 | UAV Factory Penguin C | Real-time operating systems | Hirth S1218 two-stroke twin | Base stations | ASV C-Enduro | Composites | Datacomms

13 airflow and the minimum of drag. These wing surfaces will use nano-technologies to deliver ultra-smooth surface finishes at molecular levels to reduce surface friction to new, all-time lows and provide ultra-clean, ultra-low drag airflow. “And these game-changing wings do not have ailerons. The concept of controlling an aircraft by forcing panels of metal out into the airstream to exert a force causes unnecessary drag, and it requires componentry and engineering, which cost weight. “Instead, each wings rotates independently on a single, hollow, carbon fibre tube spar. Rotating a wing alters the angle of attack relative to the airflow. Increasing the angle of attack on one side of the aircraft while reducing the angle of the other side changes the lift characteristics, and the aircraft rolls into a turn. And importantly it maintains a clean, smooth, efficient airflow throughout, without any aileron drag-induced yaw. “For lateral roll trim, instead of a straight engine jet nozzle, the aircraft has a V-shaped engine nozzle that splits the engine jet stream. This nozzle rotates around the engine thrust axis to vary the thrust characteristics and enable roll trim. For pitch trim, the complete engine assembly moves fore and aft to change the aircraft’s centre of gravity, while maintaining super-clean airflow. “All four wings rotated to maximum lift potential will provide an exceptionally short take-off. For take-off, a helicopter rotates the angle of its blades to increase lift, so it is not a new idea, but it opens up completely new operational possibilities. The key thing is thinking outside the box, and re-applying proven technology in a different area. “For oceanic search and rescue and humanitarian aid missions, a range of sensor arrays will be mounted all over the vehicle, using the entire vehicle. Multi-image format camera packs does not mean it’s right’; and Einstein’s notion that ‘To solve a problem, you need a totally different kind of thinking to the thinking which created it’. He highlights the potential of UAVs in the roles of search and rescue, and the delivery of first-response humanitarian aid – applications in which having no crew can be a distinct operational and mission advantage. “What was almost unbelievable in the search for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370 was that the search aircraft were spending eight hours flying out to the search area and eight hours coming back, and because of that had only two hours in which to search on site,” he says. “So 16 hours per trip were being wasted, whereas an unmanned system doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t get hungry, it can stay out there on site for as long as is necessary. The design requirements VIVID/futureVision specify for a search and rescue vehicle call for the aircraft to transit to the area of search at relatively high speeds, then reconfigure to loiter in the search area at very slow speed – even hovering into wind.” For this type of mission Dr Wilson is proposing the radically new design illustrated on these pages. It is larger than a modern airliner, and the whole vehicle generates lift. “Because we don’t have the variable load weight of a pilot or crew located at the front to consider, we can eliminate the ‘cruciform’ single main wing design – which has to be balanced by a rudder and elevator – and instead maximise lift generation by having a pair of main wings, one at the extreme front and one at the extreme rear. “Large-format injection mouldings and strong, thin-walled ultra-lightweight laminates can produce totally hollow wing sections. And these hollow wings will be sealed and filled with hydrogen and helium to generate and contribute lift. Why? Because a wing full of air costs energy to get into the air. “So we have super-efficient blade- edged wings, and vehicles, designed to slice through the air with smooth, clean When a design calls for a new vehicle that has no pilot to carry, suddenly the only design rule is, ‘There are no rules’ Dr Donough Wilson | In conversation Unmanned Systems Technology | November 2014 Dr Donough Wilson is also a highly experienced flying instructor and CAA-authorised flight test examiner