HANGAR TALK UAS & eVTOL NEWS RELATING TO UNMANNED, AAM & eVTOL SYSTEMS
FAA Grant Funds Embry-Riddle Research to Improve Drone Safety
Airbus selects KLK Motorsport and Modell- & Formenbau Blasius Gerg GmbH to Develop Rear Structure of CityAirbus NextGen
Photo copyright: Airbus Helicopters & Productions Autrement Dit
Airbus recently partnered with KLK Motorsport and Modell- & Formenbau Blasius Gerg GmbH to design, develop and manufacture the rear structure of CityAirbus NextGen. The companies will work together to develop an ultralightweight rear fuselage, which plays a key role in the airframe’s flight efficiency and which meets the high standards of reliability and performance for Airbus’ electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype.
The two partners will design high-end composite solutions and components that will equip CityAirbus NextGen’s rear structure, through a collaborative framework that enables them to mutually benefit from each company’s competencies in design engineering and manufacturing processes.
Joerg Mueller, Head of Urban Air Mobility at Airbus, said, “The partnership with KLK Motorsport and Gerg GmbH will provide CityAirbus NextGen with a fully integrated, ultralightweight rear fuselage. Directly interacting with the center fuselage and the wing, the rear structure will leverage both suppliers’ expertise in homogeneous design for FormulaE and Formula One vehicles, while complying with the most stringent safety and reliability standards.”
KLK Motorsport and Gerg GmbH have been working on end- to-end composite design and manufacturing solutions for a number of years. This partnership to develop the rear structure of CityAirbus NextGen is a continuation of the work undertaken by both suppliers on the Airbus’ high speed demonstrator, Racer, for which KLK Motorsport and Gerg GmbH provided an innovative carbon fiber canopy, optimized for low aerodynamic draft and high visibility.
In September 2021, Airbus unveiled its eVTOL prototype, CityAirbus NextGen, to explore advanced air mobility technologies and bring urban air mobility services to life. Over the past few months, the company has selected partners for structural components of its prototype, such as Thales and Diehl, who will develop the aircraft’s flight-control computers, and Spirit AeroSystems for its wings. Airbus is also working closely with industrial and institutional partners to lead the development of urban air mobility ecosystems, as recently announced with ITA Airways in Italy, or through the launch of the Air Mobility Initiative in Germany.
46 July/Aug 2022
Researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently received a $371,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study the detection systems of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), or drones, to improve the safety of their operation.
“The research will inform the development of standards and requirements for the accuracy of detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems, which will improve safety, especially in scenarios where there are multiple UAS operating in the same airspace,” said Dr. Richard Prazenica, principal investigator of the project and associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering. “For example, a radar system might detect and track birds, which could be mistakenly identified as another vehicle that poses a collision threat. If too much false information is presented, it can overwhelm a human operator, making it difficult to discern real threats from false ones.”
Nathan Schaff, who graduated from Embry-Riddle in May with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and will begin a Ph.D. program in the same department in the fall, has been researching the many different types of UAS to help provide the FAA with enough information to “properly regulate them,” said Schaff, adding that the project is key to the progress of UAS.
“I think that advanced air mobility and unmanned aerial systems will be a defining aspect of the 21st century, but before that can happen, a great deal of time and effort must be put into making sure that when the first aircraft start to fly, people won’t get hurt,” he said. “For this project, we are fundamentally focused on maximizing safety, and there’s no greater job than that.”
Dr. Aryslan Malik, a postdoctoral research scholar working on the project who earned his Ph.D. at Embry-Riddle in December, said the inaccurate or misleading information that can be conveyed by UAS sensors creates “a barrier to the widespread implementation of Beyond Visual Line of Sight missions in the National Airspace System.”
Schaff said he is very satisfied with the career boost he feels the project has provided. “I think this has certainly prepared me well for a career in UAS development,” he said. “The issue with the UAS world is that, unlike conventional aircraft, there is an incredible amount of design diversity, and to contribute in any way, you really do have to do your homework and read about what’s out there. And through this project, I’ve been able to do just that.”
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