Unmanned Refueling
Military aviation relies on aerial refueling to conduct numerous
combat, reconnaissance, and transport missions. Increasingly, unmanned aircraft
are conducting these types of missions, yet they are not designed for in-flight
refueling. Armstrong researchers have developed a system that allows two UAVs
to fly in formation so that refueling can occur. The system consists of an
image processing and control system on the receiving UAV that syncs with the
GPS on the tanker UAV to enable formation flight. Subsequently, the image
processing system collects azimuth, elevation, and range information so that
the control system can provide commands to link the two aircraft and UAV-to-UAV
refueling can commence. This research is part of NASA's Autonomous Aerial
Refueling Demonstration (AARD) effort.
Work to date: The technology
performed successfully in flight tests with manned aircrafts
operating as surrogate UAVs (an F/A-18 and a KC-707 tanker). The initial Phase
1 test used manned aircraft operating with an automated flight control system
and demonstrated two out of six successful refueling attempts. Phase 2 improved
on this 'plug success ratio' and tested different configurations, such as
evaluating different sun angles to the optical tracker and engaging in a turn.
Looking ahead: Next steps involve
flight tests with unmanned aircraft. The team is looking for an
industry partner to further development efforts.
Partner: Sierra Nevada Corporation
Benefits
Stable: Offers excellent
relative station-keeping capabilities
Accurate: Cues the receiving UAV
aircraft to the position of the tanker UAV
Safe: Reliably retreats in a
controlled and predictable manner to prevent contact in instances of
declared 'misses'
Applications
UAV refueling
Automated manned
aircraft refueling Formation flight
Efficient Aerospace Vehicle Technologies
Increasing efficiency in aerospace systems is a key goal across
the spectrum of NASA operations.
Armstrong researchers are constantly striving to build
efficiency into all phases of flight projects, through development,
fabrication, and operations processes.
From a new wing design that could exponentially increase total
aircraft efficiency to a novel test stand for single-engine electric aircraft,
our researchers are finding unique solutions that increase efficiency.
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