Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) is unveiling its new solutions for landing and take off for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), already used in its Panther tactical UAV, at the 52nd Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences today.
IAI experts will present an optimized prop-rotor design for vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) electrically powered UAVs. A prop-rotor design method for an electric propulsion system was adapted for the Panther, which is powered by three electrical engines. The Panther can take off and land like a helicopter, and fly like a fixed-wing aircraft.
The prop-rotor design problem involves a compromise between two different flight conditions: hover and cruise. This drives the designer to use multidisciplinary design optimization methods. The design framework is based on ESTECO modeFrontier design environment - a multi-goal design problem with several design constraints.
The Panther weighs 65 kilograms. It has three ultra-quiet electrical motors driven by tilt rotors for VTOL capability on any unprepared area (i.e. no runway), as well as pinpoint hovering like a helicopter, and the efficient level flight endurance of fixed-wing aircraft. The Panther can operate for three hours at an altitude of over 2,000 feet and has an operational range of 25-50 kilometers, depending on the mission. It carries IAI's Mini-POP (Plug-in Optronics Payload) - a day/night stabilized camera that includes, a laser range finder, laser pointer or laser designator, in addition to mission specific payloads.
At the conference, IAI experts will also discuss missile guidance, structural integrity of aircraft, recent innovations in IAI's new business jet program, specialized airframe technology for UAVs and civil applications for UAVs and maritime UAVs.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 29, 2012
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