<p>Small unmanned aerial systems are becoming ubiquitous in numerous applications.&nbsp; Pairing a camera, wireless data transmission, and a small UAS has revolutionized the entertainment industry.&nbsp; Small UAS are also becoming more common on the battlefield in a variety of roles.&nbsp; The purpose of this study is to develop and test a system using small UAS that can operate in GPS-denied environments and can assist in targeting for armored combat vehicles. Such a system has the potential to greatly enhance the effectiveness of ground combat vehicles. By providing an autonomous elevated sensing platform, the drone can relay crucial information to to the vehicle. The main focus of this study was to implement a drone system that can work in conjunction with a main battle tank. The four main objectives of the research were to 1) find an ideal location for a recovery station on the tank, 2) determine the best way to avoid or counteract the effects from the muzzle blast, 3) accurately determine the location and position of the drone relative to its starting point, and 4) orient the drone to match the attitude of the tank turret. By conducting problem definition and stakeholder analysis, a convenient and practical location for the drone home station was chosen to allow the drone to autonomously charge and operate. To tackle the second objective, testing was conducted with 75mm howitzers. A drone flew at various distances and angles from the howitzer muzzle. With each shot, pressure, roll, pitch, and yaw data were recorded as well as qualitative video data. This allowed the team to determine a “safe zone” of pressures that the drone could operate in and not be disturbed by the blast from a tank firing. Finally, the drone utilizes visual-inertial odometry in order to accurately determine its local position relative to its starting point and orient itself to match a simulated tank turret. This algorithm fuses inertial data from IMU’s (inertial measurement units) and video data from a tracking camera to determine an accurate estimate of the drone location and orientation. The testing done clearly validated the performance of this method with respect to more traditional methods such as GPS. Since the team did not have access to a tank for the testing portion, the “tank” computer was provided an azimuth by an IMU. Using WiFi communication with the drone then allowed the drone to match the angle sent from the tank. Testing on this subsystem was also very successful as the drone was able to accurately match the orientation of the tank. The end result of the project was a functioning technology demonstration, the results of which will be presented in the paper.&nbsp; Although much work is needed to make the system a deployable asset to US military personnel, the research described here provided a substantial first step in validating many of the essential characteristics.</p>

Drone Assisted Targeting for Direct Fire Engagements

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2021/volume/85543

ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2021)

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