The Aerosonde Global Reconnaissance System

www.aerosonde.com

Greg Holland

Presentation Summary

• Aircraft• Operating System• Instrumentation• Global Operations• Wallops Facility

The Mark 3 Aerosonde

50 cm

Range > 3000kmGPS navigationEndurance > 30 hSurface to 7 km

Wingspan 2.9 m

24cc Fuel Injected Engine

Autonomous

Sat or RadioComms

13-15 kg

www.aerosonde.com

The AeroGuard

• Role: Tactical Reconnaissance and Surveillance;

• Uniqueness: Range, flexibility, cost

Aerosonde Niche

Endurance varies with aircraft configuration.

Only small, long-endurance UAV in operation at present.

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10

20

30

40

50

60

- 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Wing Span (m)

En

du

ran

ce

(h

)

Predator/Altus

Global Hawk

Helios

BlackWidow

Source Shephard’s UAV Handbook

Aerosonde

Aerosonde Operational Mode

Forward Control Station

Iridium

LOS UHF Radio operation to 200 km

Launch from unprepared sites

Global Operation using Iridium Satcom LOS UHF Radio

operation to 200 km

CommandCenter

Able to transfer between each mode as required

Operations Example

Launch and Recovery

PI

CommandCenter

UHF Radio

Internet

Satcomsand Internet

Command Centre

Aerosonde Virtual Field EnvironmentUser Friendly,

Internet Access

Launch and Recovery Site

Preparation

Local Command Equipment

Launch

www.aerosonde.com

Recovery

Wide variety of surfaces:

Tarmac, Grass, gravel, sand. Salt, ice and snow

Aerosonde Global Operations1995-2003

Aerosonde Instrumentation

Standard Met (PTU and Winds), Vis/IR still and video, Surface Temperature, Atmospheric Chemistry, EW; Laser altimetry, Radio Relay, SAR

Aerosonde observations are of comparable accuracy to those obtained from Radiosondes (Australian Bureau of

Meteorology Field Analysis 2000)

~0.1 hPa, ~0.2C, ~2-5%RH and ~1 m/s

Met Instrument Accuracy

Met Observations

Before Frontal Passage

Gradual CoolingAfter Front

Icing Conditions: Potential Icing Moderate Icing

SST Measurements off Barrow, Alaska

Flight Path

SST Analysis fromAerosonde observations(J. Inoue, Personal Comm)

Arctic Ice and Surface Temperature Mapping

Surveillance of Cassini Island

Cassini Island

Concept of the WUAVF

• Concept:– Fully staffed facility based out of Wallops,

but with a fully mobile capacity to operate anywhere;

– Operated by Aerosonde North America under a collaborative agreement with NASA;

– An initial block of flight hours available.

Concept of the WUAVF

• Usage:– Part of a Global Network;

– Support for Users/Commercial Operations;

– 24h deployment to support emergencies;

– Educational and Training Tool.

Educational Themes

• Graduate:– Opportunity to work with the full operation, as

an engineer, meteorologist, or oceanographer;

• Undergraduate:Undergraduate:– Capacity for undergraduate class projects,

which can be utilised for system development;

• Middle-Senior School– Self-learning Interactive Modules designed to

engender interest and basic knowledge in both UAVs and meteorology.

Concept of the WUAVF

• Issues:– Environmental issues…none;

– Air Traffic Regulations;

– Range Safety Requirements.

Summary

• Small, Flexible Aircraft;• Sophisticated Operations

System;• Variety of Deployment

Opportunities;• Excellent Educational

Tool.

The WUAVF Aerosonde Operation Provides:

The Global Network

Melbourne(Aerosonde)

Hawaii(UH)

Wallops(NASA)

Guam(USAF)

Kadena(USAF)

Alaska(NSF/USAF)

• Australian UAV aviation regulations established 2003.

• Aerosonde has obtained full AOC approval, with Certificate Number VT585156-U-01 being issued on 30 May 2003

Aerosonde Pty Ltd is the only international Aerosonde Pty Ltd is the only international UAV operator with regulatory certificationUAV operator with regulatory certification

Air Operators Certificate

Operations completed under air traffic regulations in:Operations completed under air traffic regulations in:USA, Canada, Marianas, Solomons, Taiwan, Japan, USA, Canada, Marianas, Solomons, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Scotland, Portugal.Hong Kong, South Korea, Scotland, Portugal.