Integration and Flight of a University-Designed UAV Payload in an Industry-Designed Airframe

摘要

An undergraduate engineering student design team at the University of North Dakota developed an electro-optical and uncooled thermal infrared digital imaging payload for integration in a Lockheed Martin Corporation demonstrator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) known as the Sky Spirit. Payload design started in September 2005, and inaugural flight tests took place at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, an Army National Guard training facility, in October 2006. Designing a payload for integration into any UAV is a process with unforeseen delays, requirements, and obstacles, even with a well-defined payload integration manual. This paper will focus on behind-the-scenes logistics along with university and student constraints. The discussion will surround how payload development was guided by off-the-shelf components and software, changes that were required for electromagnetic compatibility with the aircraft navigation system, and challenges that arose due to working in a university setting. Many of the design and payload flight constraints were based on external factors, such as difficulties with access to airspace, weather-related delays, and ITAR restrictions on hardware. A discussion of these topics along with potential solutions will hopefully simplify the end-to-end process of developing and integrating a UAV payload for flight in an existing airframe owned by a corporate partner.