Small UAVs
Library facilities
Sports fields and hall for UAV flights

Unmanned Aircraft Systems: UAVs Design Development and Deployment, Wiley, 2010, Chichester Aviation Series.

Lectures (24 hours) will cover the main content. Learning will be supported by tasks leading to tutorial discussions (12 hours). Practicals demonstrating capabilities and limitations of small and micro UAVs (4hrs) will allow students to operate UAVs and test the capabilities. This will be in groups of no more than 10 with max 5 operating UAVs at a time.

An assignment weighted at 100% consisting of a group project (3/4 persons) production of a bid to produce a UAV to a specification provided to the group (individual contributions to the project will be separately identified). Demonstrates achievement of University of Staffs learning outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The project will include the legal and ethical issues. Write up (max 3000 words) marked as 80% overall (LO 1, 2 ,3 and 4) and a group presentation (15 mins + questions) at 20% (LO 4).

The development and terminology used to describe UAVs: Drone, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicle, Remotely Piloted Aerial Vehicle etc.

Ethics of UAVs: Autonomy – who is in control? fail safe systems, reliability, technological superiority (fairness), remoteness – combat from an armchair, privacy – civil legalities etc

Communications Links: The control software compensating for weather etc, sensors, datalinks advanced mission systems, GPS and jamming, integration with ground systems.

UAVs in Defence: Combat UAVs, Peacekeeping UAVs, Observation UAVs, Cost of very high tech UAVs.

Civil UAVs: current and possible uses, civil aviation restrictions, dangers posed to the public by uncontrolled UAVs and UAV fires and explosions, issues around unmanned transport aircraft (possibly airliners in the future).

Powerplants: Battery technology and its dangers; endurance issue; small gas turbines;Wankel type engines, solar power, dirigibles, fuel options.

Micro UAVs: Small multi-rotor ( in a briefcase), micro – flying insect, nano – flying seed, Power, payloads and capabilities of each.

UAV Problems and Issues: Safety, reliability, regulations, how do they apply? Weather, proximity, controlling authorities.

None.