An airfoil body for an aircraft extending from an inner end to an outer end, and between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil body comprises an internal structure and an airfoil skin covering the internal structure. The skin has a pressure side and a suction side, and the suction side includes a light transmitting portion. The internal structure includes an array of transduce elements attached to a planar sheet with the airfoil body. The present disclosure further relates to wings and aerial vehicles.

Presented are corner attachment assemblies for cargo suspension systems, methods for making/using such assemblies, and aircraft equipped with underbody suspension systems using corner attachment assemblies for securing payload containers. Mounting assemblies are presented for securing objects to tether cables of suspension systems. A representative cargo mounting assembly includes a pair of shoulder clamps, each of which includes a flap that projects from a cup. Each shoulder clamp flap mechanically attaches, e.g., via a flap through-hole with a structurally reinforcing grommet, to a respective segment of a tether cable of a cargo suspension system. In addition, each shoulder clamp cup includes multiple noncoplanar, mutually adjoining contact surfaces. For instance, the cup may have a tetrahedral geometry with three mutually orthogonal, triangular-shaped contact surfaces. Each contact surface attaches, e.g., via a high-strength adhesive, to a respective surface of a corner of a cargo container.

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft includes an airframe having first and second wings zin a staggerwing configuration with first and second swept pylons extending therebetween. A distributed thrust array is attached to the airframe. The thrust array includes a first plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and a second plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing. A flight control system is coupled to the airframe and is configured to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. The first plurality of propulsion assemblies is longitudinally offset relative to the second plurality of propulsion assemblies such that rotors of the first plurality of propulsion assemblies rotate in a different plane than rotors of the second plurality of propulsion assemblies.

An unmanned aerial vehicle capable of vertical takeoff and landing carries a remote sensing platform to a high altitude cruising altitude and flies over a target area, collecting remote sensing imagery before returning to earth. Instead of being piloted remotely, the vehicle employs an autonomous flight control system.

The present invention relates to an armed unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), an armed UAV control system, and methods of use thereof. In one form, the armed UAV includes: an elongate body, a pair opposed side rotor arm assemblies extending from the sides of the body, a tail rotor arm assembly extending from a rear end of the body, a weapons system including at least one firearm associated with the body, and a flight and targeting controller operatively associated with the side rotor arm assemblies and the tail rotor arm assembly. The controller configured to: determine at least a pitch angle and yaw angle required to strike a target with the weapons system, based on target information received; and selectively control operation of each rotor arm assembly for aiming the weapons system, based on at least the pitch angle and the yaw angle determined.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rotorcraft-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft into and from free flight. The launch and retrieval system includes a modular multicopter, a storage and launch system, an anchor system, a flexible capture member, and an aircraft-landing structure. The multicopter is attachable to the fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launching the fixed-wing aircraft into free, wing-borne flight. The storage and launch system is usable to store the multicopter (when disassembled) and to act as a launch mount for the fixed-wing aircraft by retaining the fixed-wing aircraft in a desired launch orientation. The anchor system is usable with the multicopter, the flexible capture member, and the aircraft-landing structure to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from free, wing-borne flight.

A package delivery system uses unmanned aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL configuration and wing-borne lift in a forward flight configuration. Each of the aircraft includes an airframe having at least one wing with a distributed thrust array coupled to the airframe. The distributed thrust array includes a plurality of propulsion assemblies configured to provide vertical thrust in the VTOL configuration and a plurality of propulsion assemblies configured to provide forward thrust in the forward flight configuration. A package delivery module is coupled to the airframe. A control system is operably associated with the distributed thrust array and the package delivery module. The control system is configured to individually control each of the propulsion assemblies and control package release operations of the package delivery module. The system includes a ground station configured to remotely communicate with the control systems of the aircraft during package delivery missions.

A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV having a UAV main body, two rear landing gears and two front landing gears; the two rear landing gears are fixedly connected to both sides of the rear bottom of the UAV main body, respectively; the two front landing gears are rotatably connected to both sides of the front bottom of the UAV main body, respectively. One end of the front landing gear away from the UAV main body is provided with a locating block. Rotating the front landing gear enables the locating block mounted on the front landing gear to get close to or away from the UAV main body.

An aerial vehicle may include a first wing structure. The aerial vehicle may further include a first propeller and a second propeller disposed along the first wing structure. The aerial vehicle may further include a second wing structure disposed to intersect the first wing structure to form a cross configuration. The aerial vehicle may further include a third propeller and a fourth propeller disposed along the second wing structure. In a hovering orientation of the aerial vehicle, respective propeller rotational axes of the first and second propellers may be angled off-vertical in respective planes which may be perpendicular to a transverse axis of the first wing structure, and respective propeller rotational axes of the third and fourth propellers may be angled off-vertical in respective planes which may be perpendicular to a transverse axis of the second wing structure.

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft has an airframe including first and second wings with a fuselage extending therebetween. A propulsion assembly is coupled to the fuselage and includes a counter-rotating coaxial rotor system that is tiltable relative to the fuselage to generate a thrust vector. A flight control system is configured to direct the thrust vector. In the VTOL orientation, the first wing is forward of the fuselage, the second wing is aft of the fuselage and the coaxial rotor system is configured to provide thrust in line with a yaw axis of the aircraft. In the biplane orientation, the first wing is below the fuselage, the second wing is above the fuselage and the coaxial rotor system is configured to provide thrust in line with a roll axis of the aircraft.