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The VULTURE System - Versatile Unmanned Lingering Terrain Utilization and REcon

Posted by Nicholas Winkel on April 10, 2011 at 10:30pm
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A semi-autonomous civilian UAV system designed for hunters and fisherman. The current
project is called The VULTURE System (Versatile Unmanned Lingering
Terrain Utilization and REcon ). It will be used to help hunters and fisherman find
game and schools of fish as well as to find the best areas to hunt in and paths to take.

The user will be able to unpack the system take off vertically and look at the view from the air and then circling areas of interest until the hunter, fisherman or team of eithar can reach the location. The system is not designed to be ultra portable from the ground, but more with someone dedicated to ground support at camp or on a boat to guide the team.

Key
Features:

VTOL Capabilities

Long range communications

Long flight duration (<30 minutes)

Autonomous loitering abilities

Waypoint navigation and return to user in the event of not receiving transmissions

Infrared camera for finding game, schools of fish and night time recon

Initial testing of certain functions will be done on a SkyHawk powered glider

Final testing and platform will be a modified Predator pictured above

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Comments

  • Moderator
    Sgt Ric April 11, 2011 at 6:36pm
    April fools is over isn't it.

    We all have great dreams, but in public we keep it to what is achievable.
  • Lew Payne April 11, 2011 at 4:26pm
    If you stick a small spike on the nose cone, can't you also use this to hunt fish?
  • Nicholas Winkel April 11, 2011 at 3:17pm
    Some other information about the project: There will be a nitro alternator as well as a battery. To provide power to all of the systems and electrical motors. I am contemplating using model rocket motors to allow RAT (rocket assisted take-off). While it will still have VTOL capabilities model rockets that jettison after launch will conserve power for take-off for longer flight times.
  • Nicholas Winkel April 11, 2011 at 2:16pm

    And why not? If the airframe is used to hunt people in a larger form, couldn't this be used to find game as well? Like I said to each his own, the reasons you may think it's ridiculous might be the very reasons it appeals to certain crowds.

  • Andrew Radford April 11, 2011 at 1:48pm
    I admire the technical application of course, maybe if it was not a predator drone... it just looks a bit like applying same tech used to hunt out insurgents but used to get fish!
  • Nicholas Winkel April 11, 2011 at 1:15pm
    To each his own and I love the fact you think that. It just gives me all the more reason to do it! I have been known to go overboard with projects, just ask my old lady.....
  • Andrew Radford April 11, 2011 at 1:09pm
    Am I the only one who thinks this is a little ridiculous?
  • Nicholas Winkel April 11, 2011 at 11:48am

    Well I am going to attempt it with this platform, might not be easy, but, I believe I can pull it off. I am not sure exaclty how fish detection will end up working, maybe infrared won't help in that area. I do know that at low altitudes schools of fish close to the surface can be seen in bodies of water, maybe it will only be a daytime aid. Maybe some sort of sonar system could work but, this is just one of the details that will have to be worked out.

  • MarcS April 11, 2011 at 11:31am

    Hi Nicholas,

     

    how do you want to detect fish? Thermal and near infrared don´t look into water... Blue gets in some meters, but be aware of waves (small ones)... Nothing to see through :-(

    And VTOL with this small platform is quite ambitious without the other tasks... Would be nice, but did not see too many successful VTOL planes, even less with autopilot inside.

    Probably a multicopter is a better platform for your task? You don´t need to fly fast, more like stay over positions. And 30min endurance is possible. And for fish detection you could hang down a fish sonar from the copter on a line. A much better sensor then EO for underwater.

    Happy building!

    Marc

     

  • Nicholas Winkel April 11, 2011 at 8:12am
    The airframe is going to be modified to allow for VTOL capabilities, that is just a picture of the original airframe before modification. Once the project is completed I suspect it will look much different.... the landing gear may stay though, if a user has adequate room for take-off they may want to use a normal take-off for less power consumption.
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