A tandem-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) includes forward and aft wings mounted to the fuselage by frangible spar elements, the forward wings in a shoulder-wing configuration and the aft wings in a low-wing configuration. The forward and aft wings may incorporate fill-span multifunctional control surfaces on their trailing edges. The wing design prevents interference with airflow over the fuselage into a tail-mounted ducted propeller assembly, which pivots to provide vectored thrust. A nose compartment at the nose end of the fuselage may include a forward-mounted camera with a hemispherical field of view, the nose camera protected by transparent exterior panels. A ventral cargo compartment mounted amidships may include a ventral camera gimbal-mounted to provide an overhead perspective; the ventral camera may be gimbal-mounted for articulation along multiple rotational axes to provide additional views of the UAS exterior.

An unmanned aircraft includes a propulsion system having a diesel or kerosene internal combustion engine and a charger device for engine charging. The propulsion system can be a hybrid propulsion system or a parallel hybrid propulsion system.

A computer-implemented method of controlling an aircraft during autonomous landing. The method includes using a computer for performing the following: applying image processing on an image captured by a camera on board the aircraft while approaching a runway for identifying in the image a touchdown point (TDP) of the runway; calculating a deviation, in image parameters, of the TDP relative to the center of the image; converting the deviation in image parameters to angular and distance deviation values based on predefined ratios; calculating an offset of the aircraft's position relative to a landing corridor ending at the identified TDP based on the calculated angular and distance deviation; and transmitting the calculated offset to an aircraft control system configured to provide instructions for controlling the aircraft; wherein the offset is used for controlling the aircraft for guiding the aircraft towards the landing corridor to enable landing.

A rotor assembly for an aircraft operable to generate a variable thrust output at a constant rotational speed. The rotor assembly includes a mast rotatable at the constant speed about a mast axis. A rotor hub is coupled to and rotatable with the mast. The rotor hub includes a plurality of spindle grips extending generally radially outwardly. Each of the spindle grips is coupled to one of a plurality of rotor blades and is operable to rotate therewith about a pitch change axis. A collective pitch control mechanism is coupled to and rotatable with the rotor hub. The collective pitch control mechanism is operably associated with each spindle grip such that actuation of the collective pitch control mechanism rotates each spindle grip about the respective pitch change axis to collectively control the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby generating the variable thrust output.

Disclosed herein are aircraft and landing gear systems configured to fix an aircraft to the ground. For example, the aircraft and aircraft systems configured for ground manipulation. In one aspect, an aircraft with an arm and end-effector may be fixed a ground surface to facilitate ground-based robotic manipulation tasks.

The present disclosure includes devices, systems, and methods for autonomously landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with collaborative information sharing and without a central coordinating entity. In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes an unmanned aerial vehicle including a communication interface, a memory; and an electronic processor. The communication interface is configured to establish a wireless communication link with one or more unmanned aerial vehicles. The electronic processor configured to autonomously coordinate landings at a landing strip with the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent collisions exchanging messages with the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles via the wireless communication link according to a collision avoidance protocol, and wherein the autonomous coordination occurs without a central coordination entity.

Disclosed is a drone station which allows the center of resonance of a drone to be always accurately aligned regardless of the initial landing position of the drone. The disclosed drone station includes a landing guidance instrument and a wireless charging instrument which is formed on the landing guidance instrument and wirelessly transmits the power to a drone positioned thereon, the landing guidance instrument having an inclined surface which moves the landed drone onto the top of the wireless charging instrument.

One example includes a dual-aircraft system. The system includes a glider aircraft configured to perform at least one mission objective in a gliding-flight mode during a mission objective stage. The system also includes an unmanned singlecopter configured to couple to the glider aircraft via a mechanical linkage to provide propulsion for the glider aircraft during a takeoff and delivery stage. The unmanned singlecopter can be further configured to decouple from the glider aircraft during a detach stage in response to achieving at least one of a predetermined altitude and a predetermined geographic location to provide the gliding-flight mode associated with the glider aircraft, such that the glider aircraft subsequently enters the mission objective stage.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles also known as UAVs or Drones, either autonomous or remotely piloted, are classified as drones by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as weighing under 212 pounds. The system described herein details Autonomous Flight Vehicles (AFV) which weigh over 212 pounds but less than 1,320 pounds which may require either a new classification or a classification such as Sport Light Aircraft, but without the requirement of a pilot due to the safe autonomous flight system such as the Safe Temporal Vector Integration Engine or STeVIE. Safe Autonomous Light Aircraft (SALA) are useful as drone carriers, large scale air package or cargo transport, and even human transport depending on the total lift capability of the platform.

Described herein are apparatuses that provided various features related to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An example apparatus may include, among other features, (i) a launch system for a UAV, (ii) a landing feature that is arranged on the apparatus so as to receive the UAV when the UAV returns from a flight, and (iii) a mechanical battery-replacement system that is configured to (a) remove a first battery from the UAV, and (b) after removal of the first battery, install a second battery in the UAV.