The present invention provides a method for decelerating and redirecting an airborne platform, comprising the steps of retaining a flexible airfoil in non-deployed form in controllably releasable secured relation with each corresponding rotor arm of a multi-rotor drone; and upon detecting rate of descent of said drone in a first direction to be greater than a predetermined value, triggering release of one or more of said retained airfoils from said corresponding rotor arm and causing each of said released airfoils to be circumferentially displaced from a first rotor arm to a second rotor arm of said drone to occlude an adjacent inter-arm region, wherein each of said circumferentially displaced airfoils generates a sufficient value of localized lift that causes said descending drone to change its direction of descent from said first direction to a second direction.

In an example, a recovery system is shown, the recovery system comprising: a housing; a parasail comprising a canopy coupled within the housing fastened by a releasable fastener, wherein the parasail is compressed into a compact mass and is configured to rapidly expand; primary ballistics attached to the parasail, wherein the primary ballistics are configured to launch the parachute from the housing; and a guidance system within the housing wherein the guidance system is configured to steer the parasail and guide the recovery system to a landing site.

A glide module mounted to an unmanned aircraft system and an unmanned aircraft system having the glide module are proposed. The glide module includes a container including a storage space therein; an air resistance member stored in the container; an ejection member performing ejection of the air resistance member; a glide member performing glide of the air resistance member; and a glide control member controlling the ejection member and the glide member, wherein the glide control member performs an autonomous flight under a previously input condition by controlling the glide of the air resistance member. An unmanned aircraft system including the glide module is also disclosed herein.

Launch and/or recovery for unmanned aircraft and/or other payloads, including via parachute-assist, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. An example system includes a rocket, a carriage, a guide element, and a launch guide. The carriage is coupled to the rocket and is configured to releasably support an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The guide element is coupled to the rocket. The launch guide is configured to be engaged by the guide element during a launch of the rocket while the carriage is supporting the UAV. The guide element is configured to move along the launch guide during the launch.

UAV (400, 500, 600) systems and methods for simulation of reduced-gravity environments are disclosed. A UAV (400, 500, 600) system has an ascent vehicle (104), comprising ascent thrust means, and an aerodynamic, free fall descent UAV (102, 706), comprising descent thrust means. The ascent vehicle (104) comprises means to convey the descent UAV (102, 706) to a drop altitude (108), and the descent UAV (102, 706) is separable from the ascent vehicle (104). The descent thrust means is operable, following separation of the descent UAV (102, 706) from the ascent vehicle (104), to provide a thrust component in a descent direction (256), for countering air resistance on the UAV (400, 500, 600). The descent UAV (102, 706) may comprise a sensor system and controller (204), and the descent thrust means may comprise a ducted fan system. The sensor system may be operable, during descent of the UAV (400, 500, 600), to determine values for parameters associated with the acceleration due to gravity of the UAV (400, 500, 600), the controller (204) being operable to use the determined parameter values to control the ducted fan system to provide the thrust component.

UAV (400, 500, 600) systems and methods for simulation of reduced-gravity environments are disclosed. A UAV (400, 500, 600) system has an ascent vehicle (104), comprising ascent thrust means, and an aerodynamic, free fall descent UAV (102, 706), comprising descent thrust means. The ascent vehicle (104) comprises means to convey the descent UAV (102, 706) to a drop altitude (108), and the descent UAV (102, 706) is separable from the ascent vehicle (104). The descent thrust means is operable, following separation of the descent UAV (102, 706) from the ascent vehicle (104), to provide a thrust component in a descent direction (256), for countering air resistance on the UAV (400, 500, 600). The descent UAV (102, 706) may comprise a sensor system and controller (204), and the descent thrust means may comprise a ducted fan system. The sensor system may be operable, during descent of the UAV (400, 500, 600), to determine values for parameters associated with the acceleration due to gravity of the UAV (400, 500, 600), the controller (204) being operable to use the determined parameter values to control the ducted fan system to provide the thrust component.

An asymmetric aircraft (1) and an aircraft (1) that can operate from small ships (8) and be stored in high density with three aircraft or more in one helicopter hangar (107) without needing a landing gear or wing fold. These aircraft slide into and out of the hangar on dollies (90) like circuit boards in a computer and are launched and recovered using a large towed parafoil (6).

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for an unmanned aerial system inspection system. One of the methods is performed by a UAV and includes obtaining, from a user device, flight operation information describing an inspection of a vertical structure to be performed, the flight operation information including locations of one or more safe locations for vertical inspection. A location of the UAV is determined to correspond to a first safe location for vertical inspection. A first inspection of the structure is performed is performed at the first safe location, the first inspection including activating cameras. A second safe location is traveled to, and a second inspection of the structure is performed. Information associated with the inspection is provided to the user device.

A flying apparatus includes a main structure and a rotative wing surface, the rotation of the wing surface allowing stabilizing the apparatus (100). A fuselage hangs from the wing surface around a hanging point, allowing the wing surface and the fuselage be moveable independently with respect to each other and the wing surface is configured as a disc to manoeuvre the apparatus and including one or more elements acting as security and secondary command and control surfaces, orienting the apparatus in desired directions. The main structure and wing surface can overwrap at least partially the the fuselage in order to improve the aerodynamic performance.

The airframe or fuselage and the wing surface are rotatable around any of three rotational axes independently.

Disclosed is a configuration to control automatic return of an aerial vehicle. The configuration stores a return location in a storage device of the aerial vehicle. The return location may correspond to a location where the aerial vehicle is to return. One or more sensors of the aerial vehicle are monitored during flight for detection of a predefined condition. When a predetermined condition is met a return path program may be loaded for execution to provide a return flight path for the aerial vehicle to automatically navigate to the return location.