Development of an Autonomous Tactical Reconnaissance Platform

A man-portable, autonomously controlled aerial surveillance platform has been developed. The ultimate goal is to provide a method for obtaining remote sensing data using an inexpensive, expendable device. The Autonomous Tactical Reconnaissance Platform (ATRP) consists of a standard parafoil that carries an instrumentation payload for autonomous flight and remote sensing capabilities for both military and civilian applications. The baseline design is for a device weighing less than 1.5 lbs. that is launched to an altitude of 1000 ft, where it deploys and flies a user selected program of autonomous flight maneuvers for several minutes. Telemetry from the ATRP provides the user with real time output from onboard sensor instrumentation. An autonomous, fuzzy logic flight controller was developed to pilot the ATRP. A fuzzy logic architecture was optimized over a range of simulated flight conditions. The flight control algorithm provided a simple yet robust means of controlling the vehicle, thus enabling use of low cost, light weight components. Prior to launch the user selects one of a finite set of pre-programmed flight scenarios. After launch and deployment, the autonomous controller executes the pre-selected program of flight maneuvers as it glides in the descent phase. A 4-ft tall rocket was designed and built to carry the 6-ft wingspan parafoil and electronics package. Flight tests proved the launch system could successfully deploy the parafoil and activate the autonomous flight controller. The rocket was launched to altitudes above 500 ft allowing for up to one minute of flight time for the parafoil.