The Project Erinyes team was assembled in late spring of 2003. The mission of the team has been to design, build, and test an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). The conceptual UCAV will travel a total of 2,500 nautical miles (nm); 1,250 nm to location, loiter for approximately six (6) hours, drop a weapons payload of 8,000 pounds, and 1,250 nm return to base. Moving from this conceptual design a 1/8th scale prototype was then built. The 1/8th scale prototype was scaled to simulate the aerodynamic and stability and control characteristics of the conceptual. Project Erinyes was completed in conjunction with a capstone design course at Parks College, Saint Louis University. The design course outlines the process and the necessary steps in designing an aircraft. Starting with basic analysis, the process gets more refined as it progresses toward the final design. Basic steps begin with early research and investigation of MILSPECS, along with the fundamental design work. Eventually the team works towards more refined methods and wind tunnel testing. The avionics package for the control of the aircraft was also designed in conjunction with a similar design course in avionics engineering at the university. The utmost time and safety have been put in through construction and into the flight testing phases of development. The prototyped aircraft will be put through a rigid flight test program taking small steps to ensure the flight worthiness of the aircraft and to prove the original mission concepts of the conceptual aircraft.
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