Research Summaries

Back Mechanical Design and Optimization of a Swarm Capable Launcher

Fiscal Year 2016
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Systems Engineering
Investigator(s) Davis, Raymond
Sponsor Space & Naval Warfare Systems Center-Pacific (Navy)
Summary This research will explore the mechanical design and optimization of swarm capable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) launchers in support of UAV swarm research. Fully autonomous swarms are predicted to play a significant role in the future of war fighting, but the capability is currently limited by deficiencies in supporting technologies. Rapidly launching a swarm of UAVs requires a departure from existing solutions as the logistical and tactical requirements are uniquely different. The end goal of this research is to successfully design, build, and test a UAV launching platform to fulfill identified capability gaps in existing technology. Specifically, researched launching systems exceed the cycle time requirements to effectively launch multiple UAVs within an acceptable window of time. The design approach will follow accepted systems engineering practices and explore the optimization of rapid prototyping using phased development. In support of this design effort, a full survey will be conducted of existing UAV launcher technology.
Keywords
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal