K-State Wolverine
Salina,
Kan., (September 24, 2010) - Look out, Wildcats, there's a new beast on the
prowl! One of the latest and greatest developments to come out of the
K-State, Salina Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office is the Wolverine
III.
K-State,
working in partnership with Viking Aerospace, engineered the Wolverine III
as the first three-bladed UAS helicopter. Three blades give the Wolverine
one hour of endurance, whereas previous UAS helicopters have offered 30
minutes.
"With
three blades, the Wolverine has a little more endurance and a lot more
control than its two-bladed predecessors," said Josh Brungardt, UAS
Program Director. "It gives us the diversity of being able to launch
it fully automously, but it is also just as easy to fly
semi-automously."
This
electric, fully automatic helicopter can be operated with, or without a
ground control station. Programmable waypoint tracking and automatic
takeoff and landing are simple with a ground station; however, without a
ground station, GPS position and velocity control is available.
"When
you say unmanned, you get the idea that you don't need a pilot but it does,"
Brungardt. "If at any time it loses link, it is programmed to
come back to a predetermined location, so you never have to worry about it
losing its way."
The
flight system is enclosed entirely within the side-frames of the helicopter
to not only protect the flight control system but to increase the
reliability and maintenance ease. This minimizes the number of cables
outside the core autopilot box.
The
program office works closely with the Great Plains Joint Training Center,
military units nation-wide and private companies to develop, research and
establish flight operations policies and procedures for UAS and UAV
development.
