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Quad-A 2009 ? US developing SUAV chemical / biological sensor payloads
Under the auspices of the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Small UAV Laboratory (SUAV Lab), government researchers are developing new chemical and biological sensor packages for potential application on small UAVs.
Established in November 2003 with direction, support and funding from the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office, the SUAV Lab stores, maintains, and operates the UAS Project Office's Raven A & B, Pointer, and newly acquired WASP for both laboratory and flight testing.
During the recent Army Aviation Association of America ("Quad-A") annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, SUAV Lab representatives highlighted some of their recent flight testing activities surrounding a chemical sensor for the Raven UAS.
According to Don Miller, SAIC Lab Technician at the SUAV Lab, the collaborative chemical sensor testing was conducted in conjunction with the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University.
"We did a mockup for a chem. sensor to make sure that it was seamless on the airframe," he said. "We integrated a first generation integration of a chem. sensor and then went out to Dugway [Utah] where we were mapping out chemical clouds using a couple of different things to simulate them."
He noted that it was two months from the start of the project until the SUAV lab "was flying this and actually getting data."
"After they got that done they streamlined the design," he added, pointing to a new nose design on a nearby Raven.
"This is the one that we just flew last week," he said. "It's much smaller and uses a NASA-type duct to sample the air. The earlier design used a [commercial off the shelf] ‘soldier wearable' sensor."
Referring to the most recent flights, he continued, "Everything looked good. And, at the same time, the next step has been a new ‘nose cone' for a biochemical sensor to sample particles."
The SUAV Lab also developed a series of attachable "wing extensions" that allowed the SUAV to carry some of the early heavier payloads.
"Everything gets smaller as it is developed," Miller acknowledged. "But we like to get it up in the air as quickly as possible."
by Scott R. Gourley, in Nashville, Tennessee
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