A system and method for conducting electronic warfare on a target site includes the use of a small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) having a fuselage and a Prandtl wing, wherein at least two electric ducted fans are positioned on the fuselage. A power system of the SUAS has a plurality of hydrogen fuel cells positioned within the Prandtl wing. An electronic warfare payload is carried by the fuselage, wherein the electronic warfare payload and the at least two electric ducted fans are powered by at least a portion of the plurality of hydrogen fuel cells. During an operation, the SUAS may launch near an IAD site and initiate an electronic warfare effect on an integrated air defense site with electronic warfare payload carried by the SUAS to interfere with at least one surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

An electric power supply apparatus includes a first power supply unit, a second power supply unit, diodes, detection units, and an electric power control unit. The first power supply unit and the second power supply unit supply electric power to a thruster which is a load. The diodes are provided in the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit, respectively, to restrict reverse flow of currents to the power supply units. The detection units are provided between the first power supply unit and the thruster and between the second power supply unit and the thruster, respectively, to detect at least one of a voltage and a current. The electric power control unit controls electric power transmission between the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit based on detection values of the detection units.

Autonomous craft capable of extended duration operations as lighter-than-air craft, having the ability to alight on the surface of a body of water and generate hydrogen gas for lift via electrolysis using power derived from a photovoltaic system, as well as methods of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a deployable envelope from a surface of a body of water.

Techniques for drone device control are provided. In one example, the technique includes monitoring, by a drone device operatively coupled to a processor and allocated to a vehicle in operation, one or more conditions associated with the vehicle. The technique also includes, in response to identifying, by the drone device, a defined condition of the one or more conditions: moving, by the drone device, to a position relative to the vehicle and determined based on the defined condition; and performing, by the drone device, an indication operation determined based on the defined condition.

A method for estimating a flight time of a hydrogen fuel cell UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) includes multiple steps performed by a controller: obtaining an internal pressure of a hydrogen tank by a pressure sensor installed on the hydrogen tank, calculating a remaining hydrogen volume according to the internal pressure and a capacity of the hydrogen tank, obtaining a reaction current value of the fuel cell, calculating a first hydrogen consumption rate according to the reaction current value, the number of a set of membrane electrodes connected in series and a Faraday constant, obtaining a second hydrogen consumption rate of a purge operation of an anode of the full cell; obtaining a hydrogen leakage rate of a stack of the fuel cell, and calculating the flight time according to the remaining hydrogen volume, the first hydrogen consumption rate, the second hydrogen consumption rate and the hydrogen leakage rate.

A method for estimating a flight time of a hydrogen fuel cell UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) includes multiple steps performed by a controller: obtaining an internal pressure of a hydrogen tank by a pressure sensor installed on the hydrogen tank, calculating a remaining hydrogen volume according to the internal pressure and a capacity of the hydrogen tank, obtaining a reaction current value of the fuel cell, calculating a first hydrogen consumption rate according to the reaction current value, the number of a set of membrane electrodes connected in series and a Faraday constant, obtaining a second hydrogen consumption rate of a purge operation of an anode of the full cell; obtaining a hydrogen leakage rate of a stack of the fuel cell, and calculating the flight time according to the remaining hydrogen volume, the first hydrogen consumption rate, the second hydrogen consumption rate and the hydrogen leakage rate.

An aerial vehicle system including a vertical takeoff and landing apparatus, a wing assembly removably coupled to the vertical takeoff and landing apparatus, and a rotor guard interchangeable with the wing assembly and removably coupleable to the vertical takeoff and landing apparatus. The vertical takeoff and landing apparatus can include a frame, a control module carried by the frame, and a plurality of thrust assemblies carried by the frame.

Methods and systems for a full-scale vertical takeoff and landing manned or unmanned aircraft, having an all-electric, low-emission or zero-emission lift and propulsion system, an integrated highway in the sky avionics system for navigation and guidance, a tablet-based motion command, or mission planning system to provide the operator with drive-by-wire style direction control, and automatic on-board-capability to provide traffic awareness, weather display and collision avoidance. Automatic computer monitoring by a programmed triple-redundant digital autopilot computer controls each motor-controller and motor to produce pitch, bank, yaw and elevation, while simultaneously restricting the flight regime that the pilot can command, to protect the pilot from inadvertent potentially harmful acts that might lead to loss of control or loss of vehicle stability. By using the results of the state measurements to inform motor control commands, the methods and systems contribute to the operational simplicity, reliability and safety of the vehicle.

A helicopter includes a propulsion system, gimbal assembly, and a controller. The propulsion system includes a first rotor assembly and a second rotor assembly. The first rotor assembly comprises a first motor coupled to a first rotor and the second rotor assembly comprises a second motor coupled to a second rotor. The second rotor is coaxial to the first rotor and is configured to be counter-rotating to the first rotor. The gimbal assembly couples a fuselage of the helicopter to the propulsion system. The controller is communicably coupled to the gimbal assembly and is configured to provide instructions to the gimbal assembly in order to weight-shift the fuselage of the helicopter, thereby controlling movements of the helicopter.

The present disclosure relates to a flight control apparatus, a system including the same, and a method thereof. An example embodiment of the present disclosure provides a flight control apparatus, including: at least one processor, and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the flight control apparatus to determine, based on environmental information and based on variations of a parameter for each operation mode of an aerial vehicle, a flight path among at least one candidate path associated with a destination for the aerial vehicle.