System Identification of Meridian Unmanned Aerial System

The unsteady and nonlinear aerodynamic characteristics of the Meridian unmanned aerial system in the presence of wind shear are investigated using the recorded test data during flights in Polar Regions. The Meridian UAS is designed to provide an aerial platform for ice-penetrating radar developed for research in Polar Regions. The Meridian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) is a 499 kg (1,100 pounds), long range, high endurance autonomous aircraft designed, built, and flight tested by the University of Kansas Aerospace Engineering Department for the NSF Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS). The Meridian has nine successful flights in its record, six of them autonomous, including flights in Antarctica and Greenland. Fig. 1 shows a photograph of the Meridian flight test from the NEEM snow runway in Greenland.