Detailed design of a long endurance small unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are finding applications in various fields both in our country and around the world, driven by steadily increasing demand. The applications of UAVs span diverse sectors, including agriculture, surveillance, environmental monitoring, disaster response, and delivery services. In agriculture, UAVs equipped with multispectral cameras contribute to precision farming by providing real-time data for crop health assessment. In surveillance and security, UAVs play a pivotal role in monitoring large areas and critical infrastructure. Moreover, UAVs have proven invaluable in disaster response scenarios, offering rapid and efficient aerial assessments of affected areas. Hence, this study presents an overview of our ongoing study focused on the design and development of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) tailored for low altitude, long endurance Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The project aims to address current gaps in UAV technology in Turkey for efficient and sustainable ISR operations. One of the key features of the UAV design is its independence from traditional runways for takeoff and landing. It integrates a catapult-assisted takeoff system, which allows for rapid deployment from confined spaces. For recovery, the UAV is designed to be captured using a hook system. This capability significantly enhances the UAV's operational flexibility, allowing it to be deployed and retrieved in diverse environments, including remote or rugged terrains and also on ship decks. Although the main effort of the study focuses on the design of the UAV platform, requirements for launch and recovery are determined, and the load created in these phases is calculated to determine the structural requirements of the airframe. Since the recovery system mentioned in the study is a little-known system, it is aimed to increase interest in this and similar systems by emphasizing the advantages of this system. In addition, the development cost, fixed cost and variable costs of the project are revealed and it is shown how much the UAV system mentioned in the study will cost to the investor or institution that wants to realize this project.