Cyprus-Forum.com

[AWE]

Reuters Life!) - Researchers in Cyprus have developed an unmanned aircraft able to withstand severe weather conditions by changing shape, filling a safety void in rescue operations frequently hampered by extreme weather.

The project, currently under development on the east Mediterranean island, aims to build a small, affordable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which can be deployed with minimal risk to remote locations, guided from the ground.

"In severe weather this UAV can stay airborne whereas many other UAVs cannot," said Dr Michael Amprikidis, co-ordinator of the project developed by Cyprus's GG Dedalos Technologies and the Israel Computational Fluid Dynamics Center, their Israeli partner.

Partly funded by the European Union, his team of four have developed a small, portable UAV which can change shape depending on weather gusts.

The amphibious aircraft, which can be deployed for search and rescue, forest fire monitoring and border control, is expected to be commercially available in 2011. It can adjust its shape according to wind gusts, with an advanced version of the prototype also allowing for its wings to morph, or twist, based on flight phase and weather patterns.

Amprikidis, an aerospace engineer, says the UAV, known as an ASARP (Airborne Search and Rescue Platform), deploys aeroservoelastic trim tabs on its wings which vibrate at certain frequencies to counteract the impact of wind gusts.

"All of this happens automatically," Amprikidis told Reuters in an interview.

"There is a PID controller on board the aircraft which takes readings from the sensors which pick up the vertical motion in real time and return the signal straight back to the trim tabs for the ailerons to correct the motions of the aircraft," he said, referring to flaps on the trailing edge of a wing.

At the moment, the twin-cylinder engine ASARP can feed back images to a control center on the ground within a range of 4.5 miles. Should it move beyond that point, it automatically resumes its collated data feed once back within range, Amprikidis said.

RESCUE AND SURVEILLANCE

Amprikidis says there has already been interest in the project from the Cypriot government.

The aircraft, which can be transported in boxes and assembled in 30 minutes, has a wingspan of 5 meters (yards), a fuselage length of around 4 meters, and a full payload of 70-75 kg (154-165 lb) with fuel. Amprikidis said it was affordable -- most of its avionics were created in-house using commercially available equipment.

The ASARP prototype has already been successfully tested in Cyprus in wind gust conditions of 65 km (40 miles).

"It was very stable indeed. It was able to remain airborne and still have a steady course," Amprikidis said.

The team is now applying other research ideas to the prototype, including morphing wings, which would make the response of the aircraft in heavy weather conditions even more efficient.

"We hope it would be commercially available during 2011," Amprikidis said.

The ASARP would not alleviate all potential threats to flying in bad weather, but does remove the risk to some crews working in such conditions, he said.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6871HC20100908


V. Cool.

[Get Real!]

Unfortunately, this is a joint Cypriot-Israeli venture probably out to take advantage of generous RoC science & research government grants, for which we were recently penalized for not starting/investing enough.

[Paphitis]

The thing that is important to understand is that this project seems to be a joint Cypriot and Israeli project!

"In severe weather this UAV can stay airborne whereas many other UAVs cannot," said Dr Michael Amprikidis, co-ordinator of the project developed by Cyprus's GG Dedalos Technologies and the Israel Computational Fluid Dynamics Center, their Israeli partner.

Hopefully, they are able to expand this project and develop a military variant which is able to launch A2G missiles just like the Predator UAV, which is used in Afghanistan! The Israelis are very good in UAV technology!

Besides, it is not as if there are not many people in Cyprus that shouldn't be liquidated!

And to be able to do it day or night and in all weather conditions and at zero visibility is a good thing!

[Get Real!]

The funny thing is that for the last year or so people keep going on about UFOs in and around Cyprus!

[AWE]

but if the project works, the funds will have been justified and would help the RoC economy, after all they are just the right sort of thing - light but high-tech industry, good testing conditions, nice place to come a view a demo, and plenty of customers both locally and further away.

[EPSILON]

The thing that is important to understand is that this project seems to be a joint Cypriot and Israeli project!

"In severe weather this UAV can stay airborne whereas many other UAVs cannot," said Dr Michael Amprikidis, co-ordinator of the project developed by Cyprus's GG Dedalos Technologies and the Israel Computational Fluid Dynamics Center, their Israeli partner.

Hopefully, they are able to expand this project and develop a military variant which is able to launch A2G missiles just like the Predator UAV, which is used in Afghanistan! The Israelis are very good in UAV technology!

Besides, it is not as if there are not many people in Cyprus that shouldn't be liquidated!

And to be able to do it day or night and in all weather conditions and at zero visibility is a good thing!

It would be much easier ROC to order a second set of S300 and,after Turkey's reaction, to establish this set in Israel. ..For the 3rd set we can find a third country -maybe Armenia!!!???

[Paphitis]

The thing that is important to understand is that this project seems to be a joint Cypriot and Israeli project!

"In severe weather this UAV can stay airborne whereas many other UAVs cannot," said Dr Michael Amprikidis, co-ordinator of the project developed by Cyprus's GG Dedalos Technologies and the Israel Computational Fluid Dynamics Center, their Israeli partner.

Hopefully, they are able to expand this project and develop a military variant which is able to launch A2G missiles just like the Predator UAV, which is used in Afghanistan! The Israelis are very good in UAV technology!

Besides, it is not as if there are not many people in Cyprus that shouldn't be liquidated!

And to be able to do it day or night and in all weather conditions and at zero visibility is a good thing!

It would be much easier ROC to order a second set of S300 and,after Turkey's reaction, to establish this set in Israel. ..For the 3rd set we can find a third country -maybe Armenia!!!???

Trust me on this! UAV technology is valuable...

Far more valuable than the S-300s which can only shoot down an aircraft here or there. The best thing about the S-300 is the long range radar, but with UAV's you can have the entire 'trnc' area under surveillance without risking aircrew and very expensive aircraft. UAVs can also kill!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_At ... 1_Predator

[Paphitis]

The funny thing is that for the last year or so people keep going on about UFOs in and around Cyprus!

Well it now appears that the Cypriots were merely testing their new UAV with the Israelis!