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<\/p>\nInvestigadores del US Army Research Laboratory (ARL), desarrollaron un Mini-UAV para ser lanzado desde un lanzagranadas de 40mm convencional. El peque\u00f1o sistema de observaci\u00f3n y vigilancia, de gran utilidad para las peque\u00f1as fracciones a pie, puede operar hasta una distancia de 2km, una altura de 700m y autonom\u00eda de 90 minutos.<\/p>\n
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Scientists from the Army Research Laboratory have designed a camera drone capable of being fired from a 40 mm grenade launcher, researchers say, on the heels of a patent filed last month.<\/p>\n
There are two variants of the Grenade Launched Unmanned Aerial System, or GLUAS, one is a is a small, paragliding system with folding blade propellers and Mylar paragliding wings to help it stay in the air, and the other is a helicopter-style that hovers on a gimbaling set of coaxial rotors, said John Gerdes, a mechanical engineer with ARL.<\/p>\n
The GLUAS is a small projectile, 40 millimeters in diameter, can cover a long distance with a gun-launching system. The breakthrough, he said, is with how miniaturized autonomous flight hardware has become.<\/p>\n
The drone has a 2-kilometer range with a projected battery life that could top 90 minutes, and is capable of operating up to 2,000 feet in the air, according to researchers.<\/p>\n
After launching, the drone spreads its wings and soars at a fixed airspeed controlled by ground troops with a joystick or handheld device. On the drone, a camera is equipped to provide a video feed to a ground station below.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn battle, there are multiple scenarios of when Soldiers would use this technology,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cHow it\u2019s used depends on which theater they\u2019re operating in.\u201d<\/p>\n
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For example, on the mountain ranges of Afghanistan, if Soldiers found themselves under sniper fire, they could deploy the drone to check over the area and determine the enemy\u2019s location.<\/p>\n
The lightweight GLUAS drone is designed to increase Soldier lethality by giving them a bird\u2019s eye view of the battlefield, he explained, and will easily integrate into most kits carried by Soldiers in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis device provides an autonomy and intelligence platform to help Soldiers perform useful missions while having a lookout from hundreds of feet in the air,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cThis integrates modern types of intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[GLUAS] is aligned with Army modernization priorities,\u201d said Hao Kang, another mechanical engineer with ARL. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to provide capabilities to individual Soldiers. The most exciting part of this is the viability of this platform, coupled with its gun-launched deployment capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like GPS receivers and flight controllers are very feasible to install [onto the GLUAS], which makes it easy to maintain a position or follow a ground unit,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cBasically, if there is something you want to look at, but you have no idea where it is yet, that\u2019s where the drone comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although they\u2019re making technological breakthroughs at ARL, the scientists aren\u2019t working on the same timelines as other developers, Kang said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to develop innovative concepts for the warfighter\u2019s needs, which generally means we bring the size and weight down of a device, and push up the range and lethality,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cAt ARL, we\u2019re typically focused on the basic innovation and discovery aspects of research.\u201d<\/p>\n
ARL is part of the Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army’s corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power.<\/p>\n