Air-to-Surface Surveillance and/or Weapons System and Method for Air-Based Inspection and/or Engagement of Objects on Land or Sea

• US 20130200207A1
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: PONGRATZ, Hans Wolfgang, HIEBL, Manfred
• Granted Patent: US 9,193,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/02 Flying units formed by separate aircraft towing B64D3/00; aircraft transported by aircraft B64D5/00; air-refuelling B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/26 Ducted or shrouded rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/31 generated by photovoltaics
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/32 generated by fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft

Abstract

An air-to-surface surveillance and/or weapons system includes a base aircraft and an unmanned slave aircraft that can be uncoupled from a base aircraft and coupled back to it again. The base aircraft and slave aircraft are equipped with coupling equipment designed to work together. The base aircraft is equipped with surveillance and monitoring equipment. The slave aircraft is equipped with monitoring equipment and/or weapons. The slave aircraft can be connected to a control station via a data link for data exchange and can be controlled from this control station.

Claims

1. An air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system, comprising:

a base aircraft equipped with surveillance and monitoring equipment; and

an unmanned slave aircraft equipped with monitoring equipment or a weapon,

wherein the base aircraft and the unmanned slave aircraft each include a respective coupling mechanism that is configured so that the base aircraft and unmanned slave aircraft can be coupled and uncoupled from each other,

wherein the slave aircraft is configured to be connected to a control station via a data link for data exchange and configured to be controlled from the control station.

2. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft is also unmanned and can be connected via another data link to the control station and can be controlled from the control station.

3. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein

the base aircraft or the slave aircraft is equipped with a fuselage and with at least one wing, which is configured to generate an aerodynamic buoyancy, and

the at least one wing has a plurality of wing spars extending in a crosswise direction and at a right angle to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage, and has tubes surrounded by a skin forming a wing cover that defines a cross-sectional contour of the wing, wherein the cross-sectional contour is configured as a laminar profile that creates a high buoyancy at a low flow resistance.

4. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 3, wherein at some of the tubes in the at least one wing are filled with hydrogen and other of the tubes are filled with oxygen.

5. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 2, wherein the fuselage has a shell at least partially filled with hydrogen gas.

6. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 3, wherein the base aircraft and the slave aircraft each a propeller and an electrically driven drive motor, which is arranged in an engine pod provided beneath the fuselage or on the wing.

7. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 3, wherein the skin of the wing cover is transparent on a top side of the wing and the top side of the wing is equipped with solar cells of a solar generator arranged between the transparent skin and the tubes.

8. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft includes a photovoltaic power supply unit configured to generate drive energy, the photovoltaic power supply unit comprising

at least one photovoltaic solar generator configured to convert incident radiant solar energy into electric energy;

at least one hydrogen generator configured to generate hydrogen from water;

at least one hydrogen storage tank connected to the hydrogen generator by a first water line;

at least one hydrogen storage tank with a first chamber, the at least one hydrogen storage tank is connected to the hydrogen generator by a first hydrogen line;

at least fuel cell connected via a second hydrogen line to the hydrogen storage tank and connected via a second water line to the water storage tank; and

a control unit electrically connected to the solar generator, the hydrogen generator and the fuel cell.

9. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured so that

in presence of the radiant solar energy, the control unit sends the electric energy generated by the solar generator to an electric consumer connection of the power supply unit, and

in absence of radiant solar energy or when the electric energy generated by the solar generator is not sufficient for a given energy demand, the control unit activates the fuel cell to supply electric energy to the consumer connection.

10. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured so that

in the presence of radiant solar energy, the control unit sends a portion of the electric energy generated by the solar generator to the hydrogen generator;

and

the control unit sends the hydrogen generator water from the water storage tank, so that the hydrogen generator is activated to generate hydrogen from the water supplied to it so the hydrogen is stored in the hydrogen storage tank.

11. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanisms of the base aircraft and the slave aircraft include a refueling connection with which fuel can be supplied from the base aircraft to the slave aircraft.

12. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the slave aircraft is provided with buoyancy elements filled with a gas lighter than air so that the slave aircraft is capable of hovering.

13. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 12, wherein the gas that is lighter than air is hydrogen, which is stored in at least hydrogen storage tank of the slave aircraft and is also provided as a fuel for an aircraft drive.

14. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the slave aircraft is configured for vertical takeoff and landing.

15. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft has at least one observational radar unit aimed downward at earth'"'"'s surface.

16. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft has at least one radar altimeter directly downward at earth'"'"'s surface.

17. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft has at least one telescopic camera directed downward at earth'"'"'s surface and a target object illumination unit assigned to the at least one telescopic camera.

18. The air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system according to claim 1, wherein the base aircraft includes

at least one telescope CCD camera directed downward at earth'"'"'s surface, the telescope CCD camera configured to enhance light using electron multiplication;

and

a target object illumination unit assigned to the telescope CCD camera, the target object illumination unit including laser diodes in a cascade circuit and an optical fiber configured to output a beam.

19. A method of air-based inspection or engagement of objects on land or at sea using an air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system, comprising the steps:

detecting an object using an observation unit provided on board a base aircraft;

observing the detected object using a telescope provided on board the base aircraft in a spectrum of visible light, in an infrared spectrum, or with a radar observation unit;

decoupling an unmanned slave aircraft from the base aircraft;

launching the slave aircraft from the base aircraft;

controlling the slave aircraft in the vicinity of the object;

conducting an inspection or engagement mission against the object using observation equipment or weapons provided on board the slave aircraft;

recoupling the slave aircraft to the base aircraft after conducting the inspection or engagement mission.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the slave aircraft is connected to and controlled by a control station via a data link.