Unmanned aircraft have aligned forward and aft propulsion systems possessing different performance and/or noise characteristics. According to some embodiments, unmanned aircraft have a forward engine and a forward tractor propeller and an aft engine and an aft pusher propeller. Selected ones of forward and aft propulsion systems will thus be provided to have greater and lesser operational flight performance characteristics and greater and lesser noise signature characteristics, respectively, as compared to the other. For example, the forward propulsion system may be provided with the greater operational flight performance and/or noise signature characteristics as compared to the aft propulsion system, while conversely the aft propulsion system may be provided with a lesser flight performance and/or noise signature characteristics as compared to the forward propulsion system.

An embodiment is an aircraft, including at least a fuselage, a tail rotatably coupled to the fuselage, the tail coupled at an aft of the fuselage, and a tail actuator coupled to the fuselage and the tail, the tail actuator to transition the tail between an extended position and a retracted position.

One embodiment is a navigation system for an aircraft including a positioning system to generate information related to a position of the aircraft, a group of cameras mounted to a body of the aircraft, each camera of the group of cameras to simultaneously capture images of a portion of an environment that surrounds the aircraft, and a processing component coupled to the positioning system and the group of cameras, the processing component to determine a current position of the aircraft based on the information related to the position of the aircraft and the images.

An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

The present invention relates to a fixed wing drone for delivering objects, a takeoff and landing device for a fixed wing drone, a system made up of a drone and a takeoff and landing device, and an approach method for said system. The fixed wing drone comprises wing control surfaces, at least two drive units, at least one tail assembly, at least one structure element which protrudes to the rear and is accessible from the rear, an object holding device, a receiving unit, and a control unit. The takeoff and landing device permits a fixed wing drone to land silently on a vertical structure.

A hybrid multi-rotor aircraft, includes a plurality of vertical propulsion rotors and at least one forward propulsion rotor. The aircraft also includes a rotor compartment within for each of the vertical propulsion rotors such that a vertical propulsion rotor may be stowed within its respective rotor compartment. A deployable rotor-compartment cover for each rotor compartment is provided and may be moved to an open state to allow the vertical propulsion rotors to be deployed and moved to a closed state to cover their respective vertical propulsion rotors when the vertical propulsion rotors or in a closed state.

A fixed-wing VTOL hybrid UAV is disclosed comprising: a central frame 104; a pair of quick lockable fixed-wings 102 comprising right wing 102-2 and left wing 102-1 that lock with each other over the central frame; and four electrically operated rotors 108 in downward facing configuration attached to fixed-wings with help of rotor-blade arms 110. Arms 110 are pivotally fixed to wings 102 so that arms 110 are movable between a working position in which arms 110 are oriented parallel to central frame 104, and a storage position in which arms 110 are aligned with wings 102. Central frame 104 is a thin rod and works as fuselage. Drivers and control modules are fitted in wings 102. UAV includes rudders attached to arms at 45 degrees for maneuvering UAV for yaw and a secondary roll response. UAV includes two landing gears 106 attached to each end of central frame.

A rotorcraft is described and includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor mounted to the rotorcraft, the IMU sensor oriented relative to the rotorcraft such that a roll attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about a Z-axis and has a range of 90 degrees, a pitch attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about an X-axis and has a range of 180 degrees, and a yaw attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about a Y-axis and has a range of 180 degrees.

Various embodiments include a drone capable of operating as an airplane, a quad-copter, or a hybrid aircraft using a versatile flight performance envelope enabled by six elements of control. The drone may include a monolithic wing with a propulsion/lift module connected to each wing tip. Each propulsion/lift module may include a pivotal support structure configured to pivot around a longitudinal axis of the monolithic wing, with two pylons extending radially outwardly from the pivotal support structure and at least partially away from one another, and a propulsion units positioned on a distal end of each pylon. The pivotal support structures may be coupled to the monolithic wing via a servo motor enabling a processor to individually control rotation of each propulsion/lift module to provide roll and pitch control. Thrust and rotation of the propulsion units may be individually controlled by the processor to provide yaw, roll and pitch control.

An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.