By Evan Ackerman4 Nov 2015 18:50 GMTWatch This Massive Drone Launch and Recover Another Drone in Flight Photo: Insitu

We’ve written entire posts on how tricky it can be to recover a fixed-wing drone. Only the ridiculously large and expensive and over-engineered drones are able to land themselves (Predators, Global Hawks, things like that). Most other fixed-wing drones land themselves by crashing into the ground as gently as possible if they’re small and cheap, or maybe using a parachute if they’re slightly less small and cheap. Bigger fixed wing drones have to get more creative, especially if a precision landing is required (like recovery to a ship). Unmanned aircraft system developer Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary based in Bingen, Wash., has developed one of the most creative and awesome drone launch and recovery systems I’ve ever seen, using an enormous octocopter carrier aircraft.

This thing is called FLARES, for Flying Launch and Recovery System, and it’s been flying since late 2014, with the first successful launch and recovery taking place this past August. Insitu is the maker of the ScanEagle UAV and the company says FLARES can handle a “low-weight ScanEagle,” which is probably 18 to 20 kilograms in total weight: quite a payload.

The launch is mostly self-explanatory: the ScanEagle gets hauled up a few hundred feet, throttles up, and drops, quickly achieving enough lift for horizontal flight. The catch is a bit trickier: the octocopter is attached to an anchor on the ground with a long cable that it carries up into the air, acting as a sort of sky-anchor. The ScanEagle drone navigates to the cable and flies into it, catching it in a little hook at the tip of one of its wings.

Insitu tells us that pulleys on the ground anchor release tension on the cable, “letting it unwind, like a fishing reel.” This allows the cable to absorb some of the drone’s energy (although you can hear the octocopter’s engines revving up a little bit). Finally, the cable is reeled in, and both drones are recovered. It’s pretty incredible to watch on video, but according to Andrew Hayes, Director of Advanced Development for Insitu, it’s way better in person:

“There’s a tremendous amount of power in the system—the vehicle almost leaps off the ground at takeoff. It’s surprising to watch. Also, the vehicle is completely rock solid in the air throughout capture—meaning it doesn’t move at all when ScanEagle hits the line. It’s like someone bolted it into the sky.”

This version of FLARES was built primarily with commercial off-the-shelf parts. At this point, it’s mostly autonomous, although Insitu is working on making the system even more flexible, with the capability of (among other things) operating on ships. They’re also working on increasing the launch weight, which probably means a ScanEagle with a heavier payload, although watching FLARES deal with one of Insitu’s 60-kg Blackjack drones would be pretty cool, too.

[ Insitu ] via [ theUAVguy ]

看看这个巨大的无人机是如何回收另外一架无人机的

由Evan ackerman4月2015日18:50 gmtwatch这个巨大的无人机发射和回收在flight照片另一架无人机：原位
我们所写的文章；整个多么棘手的事情可以恢复固定翼无人机。只有大的离谱，昂贵和过度设计的无人机可以土地本身（食肉动物，全球鹰，像这样的事情）。其他大多数固定翼无人机的土地自己撞向地面，如果他们都尽量轻柔；再小的便宜，或者使用一个降落伞，如果他们&rsquo；再稍便宜的小。更大的固定翼无人机必须有更多的创意，特别是如果需要一个精确的着陆（就像是一艘飞船的恢复）。无人飞机系统开发商现场，波音公司总部在宾根，洗，有 ；开发最具创新性和令人敬畏的无人机发射和回收系统我见过，；使用一个巨大的octocopter运输机。

< P > < / P >

这件事被称为耀斑，飞行的发射和回收系统，它&rsquo；的飞自2014年底以来，与第一次成功发射和回收发生今年八月。现场是制造“扫描鹰” ； ；无人机和公司说，耀斑 ；可以办理&ldquo；低体重“扫描鹰”，&rdquo；这大概是18到20公斤 ；总重量：相当有效。

发射主要是自我解释：“扫描鹰”被拖到了几百英尺，加大油门，迅速获得足够的升力下降，水平飞行。问题是有点棘手：的octocopter连接到一个带到空中长索地锚作为一种天空锚。“扫描鹰”无人机导航到电缆和飞到它，抓住它在一个小的钩在一个翅膀尖。

现场告诉我们， ；滑轮在地面锚放松电缆， ；&ldquo；让它放松，像一个渔线。&rdquo；这使得电缆 ；吸收 ；一些无人机&rsquo；的能量（虽然你可以听到octocopter &rsquo；的引擎加速一点点）。最后，索绕，和无人机回收。它&rsquo；的看视频相当惊人，但据安得烈海因斯，原位晚期发展总监，它&rsquo；的方式更好的人：< / P >

&ldquo；有&rsquo；的巨大的能量在系统&mdash；车辆几乎跳下地面起飞。它是令人惊奇的；看。同时，车辆完全是岩石固体在空气捕捉&mdash；意义也'；不动时扫描鹰撞线。它&rsquo；好像有人在天空上。&rdquo；< / P > < P >这个版本的耀斑是建立主要商业现成的零件。在这一点上，这是自主的，虽然；原位是致力于使系统更加灵活，有能力（其中包括）上运行的船只。他们&rsquo；还致力于增加发射重量，这可能意味着一个更重的有效载荷的“扫描鹰”，虽然看的耀斑一原位'交易；60公斤二十一点飞机会很酷，太。

[现场]通过[ theuavguy ] < / P >