Unmanned Systems Technology 005 | Selex ES Falco UAV | Sense and avoid systems | RCV Engines DF70 | DSEI show report | Fuel cells | CUAV Expo, InterDrone and CUAV Show reports | SLAM

22 Dec 2015/Jan 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Specifications Wingspan: 7.2 m Length: 5.25 m Height: 1.8 m Maximum take-off weight: 530 kg Maximum payload weight: approx 70 kg Endurance: 8-14 hours Service ceiling: 6000 m Maximum level airspeed: >60 m/s The Falco is manufactured in-house, although some aspects of fabrication are subcontracted following make-or- buy assessment. For example, at the company’s Ronchi dei Legionari plant there isn’t an autoclave large enough for curing the main wing or fuselage sections, so that work is outsourced and the various components brought together in-house. In terms of general layout, the Falco’s fuselage isn’t full length but carries at its rear the propulsion system, with the propeller then operating between twin booms that extend back from the wing to carry the tail assembly. Within the fuselage, behind the nose (reconfigurable as a payload bay) is the avionics bay, then behind that again the main payload compartment. In turn, behind that is the fuel tank, above which is the wing. The tank contains fuel in a bladder, and if necessary additional fuel bladders can be carried within the centre section of the wing. Between the fuel tank and the firewall at the front of the engine bay (which forms the rear of the fuselage) is a bay housing the landing gear shock absorbers, braking system components and the main parachute. The fuselage is made primarily from carbon fibre skins over a foam core. It does contain four aluminium bulkheads though, and there are also fittings in aluminium to act as attachment points for various items. The airframe is left open above and below the payload and main avionics bay, so that quick-release fairings can provide easy access to these key items. The wing is made in three sections, the centre section spanning the boom attachments. Just beyond those attachments are the connections to the two outer sections, which can be quickly unlatched. At each end the central wing section is closed by a rib, and just inside that is the machined aluminium fitting into which the respective boom slots. A pair of connectors secures each boom. The door for the main parachute release closes the middle of the wing centre section. The wing is formed around aluminium (transverse) ribs and carbon fibre (longitudinal) spars. Each outer section has three such ribs, plus a pair of latches that slot into the centre section’s spars. In turn, the centre section has a lug on each side to slot into the respective outer section, where it is secured by a pair of locks. Pitch and roll are controlled by three control surfaces on each side of the wing and a pair of elevators at the tail, where there is also a pair of rudders to control yaw. Each control surface is operated by an individual servomotor. All wing sections have doors for easy access to the control flap servomotors. Each control flap is carbon fibre and pivots on an aluminium bracket. It is driven by its respective servomotor via a short aluminium arm. The hollow tubular booms are made from carbon fibre, using a filament winding process. The tubular boom is circular in cross-section towards the rear but is rectangular with rounded corners at the front to better support the bending load where it attaches to the wing. At the rear, each boom attaches to a rib inside the respective tail fin. The construction of the tail assembly mirrors that of the wing. Supplied by UAV Engines in the UK, the engine is of the Wankel type, a two-rotor design having 294 cc per rotor with water cooling for its case plus through-rotor air cooling. It has carburettor induction. Avgas is the Anatomy of the Selex ES Falco The Falco in service for the UN