Autonomous Flight

1
Autonomous Flight

• AIAA Group 6
• Mat Thompson

2
Autonomy-The degree to which something is
subject to control from the outside

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Manned Aerial Vehicles

3
UAV Autonomy

• Least- Target and Drone
• Civil and Commercial
• Reconnaissance
• Research and Development
• Most- UCAV
• Sensor Fusion
• Communications
• Motion Planning
• Trajectory Generation
• Task Allocation

4
UAV Tier Systems

• USAF Tier System
• Tier 1 Low altitude, long endurance- Gnat 750
• Tier 2 Medium altitude, long endurance- MQ-1
  Predator, MQ-9 Reaper
• Tier 2 High Altitude Long Endurance
  Conventional- RQ-4 global Hawk
• Tier 3- High altitude long endurance low
  observable- RQ-3 Dark-star

5
USMC Tier System

• Tier 1- Dragon Eye
• scouts urban areas, launched by bungee chords
• Tier 2- Scan Eagle
• needs four humvees to carry system

6
UCAV

• J-UCAS Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems
• X-45 UCAV
• Attack missions successful. Communication.
• X-47 Pegasus
• Collision avoidance software. Group flight.
• Real Time communication and decision making
  between UCAVs
• Program Canceled

7
Foreign Autonomous Vehicles

• nEUROn
• drop a bomb by 2012
• Alenia Sky-X
• still in test flight stages
• Autonomous Vehicles Worldwide

8
Future Autonomous Flight

• Air Force Hunter-Killer Program will select one
  of the five for production after 2007
• 1. Scaled Composites Model 395
• 2. Scaled Composites Model 396
• 3. General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (already flying)
• 4. Aurora/Israeli Eagle/Heron 2
• 5. Lockheed ?
• 6. Raytheon package

9
Unmanned Systems Roadmap

• DoD autonomous goals until 2030
• 1. Joint unmanned combat aircraft system capable
  of performing suppression of enemy air
  defenses/strike/electronic attack/surveillance in
  high threat environments
• 2.-9. logistics to support goal 1.

10
Full Autonomy

• P-175 Polecat is being developed by Lockheed to
  have full autonomy from take-off to landing.
• Triple Redundant Flight Control Software

11
Far Future

• Keeping the man-in-the-loop

12
Autopilot

• Modern autopilots use inertial guidance systems
  as well as GPS or radio to correct flight path
  errors
• Lower Fuel consumption
• Modern Auto Flight Systems can take-off, ascend,
  level, descend, approach, land. Everything but
  taxi
• Category IIIb landing guides the planes automatic
  pilot through landing and rollout
• Category IIIc does the previous and taxis the
  plane to the terminal. Requires 3 autopilot
  systems

13
Concorde Autopilot

• Auto Throttle
• Autopilot Horizontal
• Autopilot Vertical
• Datum Adjust
• Warning Landing Display

14
Auto Throttle

• 3 Modes
• Mach Hold- keeps make number steady, even with
  temperature change
• IAS Hold- holds indicated air speed
• IAS ACQ- will change to selected air speed then
  switch to IAS hold

15
Autopilot Horizontal

• INS- aircraft follows waypoints by inertial
  navigation system
• TRK HDG- pull for heading, follow compass
• push for track, direct path accounting wind
  speeds
• HDG Hold
• VOR LOC- tracks a selected beacon
• Back Beam- non-autopilot tracking back beam
  localizer

16
Autopilot Vertical

• PITCH HOLD
• MACH HOLD- hold mach number by pitch changes, not
  throttle
• MAX CLIMB- climbs at near max operating speed
• MAX CRUISE-engages at height of max climb
• IAS HOLD- holds airspeed by pitch changes
• ALT HOLD
• VERT SPEED

17
More Vertical Autopilot

• ALT ACQ
• TURB- holds pitch, altitude and heading, reduces
  trim
• LAND- CATIIIb system, second redundant autopilot
  engaged
• GO AROUND- pitch 15 deg. Hold wings. Initiated
  when two of the throttle levers are forward in
  land or glide mode
• GLIDE- used before pilot makes a manual landing

18
Datum Adjust

• Add or subtract speed by Mach 0.6
• Autopilot turn at 5 deg/s to adjust heading
• Pitch Adjust

19
Warnings

• Red lights flash if failure in autopilot
  autothrottle
• DH flashes if under set height
• LAND2/3 flash if CATII or CATIII are supported
• Aircraft deviation lights
• Test

20
Auto Correct

• Stall warnings- stick shaker
• Deep Stall warning- stick pusher
• Collision Avoidance- TCAS III
• Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System
  gives vocalize suggestions horizontally and
  vertically among multiple aircraft to avoid
  collision
• FAA regulates that even false alarms be treated
  as real threats
• Next Generation TCAS may auto correct flight path
  to avoid collision

21
Modern Autopilot

• C-17 Globemaster III uses the Electronic flight
  Control System.
• New CsLEOS has memory partition to allow multiple
  applications to run simultaneously without
  interference.
• Operate autopilot, air/ground collision warning,
  deep stall avoidance, angle of attack limiter,
  all engine out autopilot, safe go-around
  autopilot, navigation, engine control, flight
  control.
• Can do take-off modes for all levels of flight
  for pitch, roll, and yaw. Autopilot is sensitive
  to the stick, and engages or disengages
  automatically when it is in use.

22
Manned and Unmanned

• UAVs assist manned fighters
• bombers, air combat, air defense
• Pilots control weapons release

23
Qs
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References

• Concorde Technical Specs, http//www.concordesst.c
  om/autopilot.html
• UAV Roadmap 2005-2030, www.fas.org/irp/program/col
  lect/uav_roadmap2005.pdf
• Dp-5X, X-50 Dragonfly, http//www.defensetech.org/
  archives/001748.html
• UAVs as Tactical wingmen, http//web.mit.edu/aeroa
  stro/www/labs/halab/papers/UAV_wingmen_AUVSIdraft.
  pdf
• Autopilot Design, http//www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?
  pageid406gTablemtgpapergID95289
• Flight Systems and Goals http//www.aa.washington.
  edu/research/afsl/
• TCAS-94 http//www.rockwellcollins.com/ecat/br/TCA
  S-94_PrintFriendly.html
• UAV Autopilot, http//www.baykarmakina.com/englis
  h/baykaruas/autopilot.asp
• www.navyleague.org/sea_power/ju106-22.php
• www.defenselink.mil
• Aviation Week Space Technology July 24, 2006 pg
  64-65