A translating harness includes an umbilical within a translating assembly to define a translation distance. A method for operating the translating harness incudes launching a vehicle from a tube of a host system, the translating harness between a host system and the vehicle; completing a translation length of the translation harness; and disconnecting a vehicle connector of the translating harness from the vehicle while the vehicle is within the tube.

A translating harness includes an umbilical within a translating assembly to define a translation distance. A method for operating the translating harness incudes launching a vehicle from a tube of a host system, the translating harness between a host system and the vehicle; completing a translation length of the translation harness; and disconnecting a vehicle connector of the translating harness from the vehicle while the vehicle is within the tube.

A base station is disclosed that is configured for use with a UAV. The base station includes: an enclosure with an outer housing that defines a roof section and an inner housing that is connected to the outer housing; one or more heating elements that are supported by the enclosure and which are configured to heat the roof section; one or more fiducials that are supported by the enclosure; an illumination system that is supported by the enclosure and which is configured to illuminate the one or more fiducials; and a visualization system that is supported by the enclosure.

A method of executing a mission for at least one mobile munition assembly in a mission environment is provided, the at least one mobile munition assembly having a container that encloses one or more launchers configured to receive and launch a munition. One or more electronic devices in communicatively coupling with one another in the mission environment form a secure network. A status of a situational awareness (SA) corresponding to each of the one or more electronic devices in the mission environment is transmitted. An input of parameters of the mission for the at least one mobile munition assembly is enabled, the parameters having one or more predefined rules associated therewith and configured to be applied to the parameters based on at least the status of the situational awareness (SA). An authorization or a denial of the mission for the at least one mobile munition assembly is requested.

A mobility vehicle transfer platform includes an elevation passage provided in a structure provided with a take-off and landing site for an air mobility vehicle and having an internal space extending in the vertical direction to be connected to the take-off and landing site and to allow a ground mobility vehicle to be elevated or lowered through the internal space to be connected to or separated from the air mobility vehicle, and an elevation unit provided in the internal space of the elevation passage, having an elevation portion selectively connected to the ground mobility vehicle and configured for elevating or lowering the ground mobility vehicle in the elevation passage when the ground mobility vehicle is connected to the elevation portion.

A foldable aerial vehicle may take the form of a flying wing. The flying wing includes port and starboard wings having port and starboard root and tip portions. The port and starboard root and tip portions are hinged one to another so that the span axes of all of the root and tip portions are parallel in the stowed condition and so that the tip portions are separated by the root portions in the deployed condition to define the flying wing. The wings are not symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, with the span axes of the root and tip portions being stepped from one wing tip to the other. Folding winglets are disposed on opposing wing tips, with the higher winglet extending in an upward direction and the lower winglet extending in the downward direction.

An electronic device is provided, including a device shell and a flight photographing device. The device shell is provided with an opening and an inner cavity. The opening communicates with the inner cavity. The flight photographing device is movably arranged on the device shell. The flight photographing device is capable of extending out of the device shell through the opening or retracting into the device shell. In a case that the flight photographing device is located outside the device shell, the flight photographing device is separable from the device shell.

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 first and second pylons coupled therebetween. A distributed thrust array is coupled to the airframe including a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing. A UAV carrier assembly is coupled between the first and second pylons. The UAV carrier assembly has a plurality of UAV stations each configured to selectively transport and release a UAV. A flight control system is configured to control each of the propulsion assemblies and launch each of the UAVs during flight.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for deployable wing portions of an aircraft. An example method of deploying an aircraft includes separating the aircraft from a launch vehicle, the aircraft having a wing pivotably coupled to a fuselage, rotating, about an axis of rotation, the wing relative to the fuselage from a first rotational orientation to a second rotational orientation different from the first rotational orientation, wherein, in the first rotational orientation, the wing extends along a direction that substantially aligns with a longitudinal axis of the fuselage, and extending the wing in a lateral direction away from the fuselage in the second rotational orientation.

The present disclosure provides a versatile drone and nest launching system. A hybrid UAV drone having fixed wings in addition to vertical take-off and landing capabilities is used to enable the launching nest to remain compact and of simple design with few moving parts, while also housing a drone capable of travelling long distances. The entire system is configured function autonomously, utilising a solar-powered charging pad installed on the nest to repeatedly recharge and relaunch depleted drones. Novel mounting systems for situating the nest in a variety of terrains are also disclosed.