Issue 39 Unmanned Systems Technology August/September 2021 Maritime Robotics Mariner l Simulation tools focus l MRS MR-10 and MR-20 l UAVs insight l HFE International GenPod l Exotec Skypod l Autopilots focus l Aquaai Mazu

10 Platform one Aircraft maker Pipistrel is developing an eVTOL unmanned cargo aircraft (writes Nick Flaherty). The Nuuva V300 will use the AH- 2000 attitude heading reference system and air data module from Honeywell to provide navigation and motion-sensing data alongside Honeywell’s compact fly- by-wire system. For the vertical operation the 11 m-long UAV will be able to carry loads of up to 460 kg for up to 300 km using eight Pipistrel E-811 electric engines, which are already certified for use in Europe. These combine a liquid-cooled axial flux synchronous permanent magnet motor and a liquid-cooled power controller to provide 57.6 kW of peak power and 49.2 kW of maximum continuous power. For horizontal propulsion, the Nuuva V300 uses a high-efficiency combustion engine that uses full authority digital engine control. The craft is being developed by Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, the company’s r&d division, for launch in 2023. The division is able to take a new aircraft design concept from a basic idea and turn it into a certified design, ready for production. The division is also developing an electric eVTOL air taxi, as well as a hydrogen fuel- cell powered 19-seat aircraft. “Unmanned aircraft, especially those delivering packages, must be equipped with high-performing inertial systems to ensure that fly-by-wire systems have the best possible information on location, speed and position,” said Matt Picchetti, vice-president and general manager, Navigation and Sensors, at Honeywell Aerospace. Pipistrel is working with Swiss electric charger maker Green Motion on photovoltaic systems to charge the Nuuva V300. They are both part of the SAE International AE-7D Aircraft Energy Storage and Charging Committee that is developing a standard so that the UAV can be recharged at different airports. eVTOL UAV cargo carrier Airborne vehicles August/September 2021 | Unmanned Systems Technology A UK consortium led by Callen-Lenz is researching a new approach to flight control systems for next-generation aircraft designs (writes Nick Flaherty). Project NOMAD (Novel Control Approaches to Complex Aircraft Dynamics) is an 18-month project to develop a technology framework, common interface and advanced low-workload cockpit for aircraft with complex configurations. The framework provides a methodology – the ‘model-based journey’ – that can be applied to autonomous aircraft being developed for unpiloted urban air mobility and personal air vehicles. The first application of the methodology is for the Pegasus Vertical Business Jet (VBJ) being developed in South Africa, which has a fan-in-wing configuration and eVTOL capability. The project is using two quarter-size Pegasus VBJs. Flight trials will start in March next year to test the design before development of the full-scale aircraft. The model-based approach has five stages, starting with a digital model of the vehicle. This is then extended with the complex configuration and six-degrees- of-freedom model. Next, the closed-loop control and flight regime transition are added, followed by the control allocation that incorporates the autonomous failure response. The final stage is integration, testing and certification. Model-based control study Airborne vehicles The Nuuva will be able to carry loads of up to 460 kg over up to 300 km