Flight Phases With Tests of a Projectile-Drone Hybrid System

A fully functional prototype of a gun-launched micro air vehicle system (GLMAV) is developed for long-distance observation capabilities. A subsonic projectile is launched from an ad hoc tube and transforms into a micro air vehicle (MAV) once arrived over the site to be observed. The ballistic, transient, and operational flight phases of the GLMAV are studied theoretically and experimentally in this paper. Ballistic flight tests prove the stability of the platform in projectile mode and the availability of the inertial measurement unit and GPS measurements for the autopilot. Based on wind-tunnel measurements, a model of the transient phase is built, allowing the design and simulation of control laws for this phase. Indoor and outdoor tests of the system are successfully achieved highlighting the hovering and maneuvering flight capabilities of the GLMAV.