Design and Development of a Tube Launched Loitering Munition

This project proposes design and development of ?Tube Launched Loitering Munition?. Loitering munition is a special kind of drone (also known as suicidal or kamikaze drone) whose function is to recognize the target and loiter around it for a while, then upon command, lock the target and dive&nb

Project Title

Design and Development of a Tube Launched Loitering Munition

Project Area of Specialization

Robotics

Project Summary

This project proposes design and development of “Tube Launched Loitering Munition”. Loitering munition is a special kind of drone (also known as suicidal or kamikaze drone) whose function is to recognize the target and loiter around it for a while, then upon command, lock the target and dive towards it. It will also have the ability to abort the mission in case the target is already eliminated, followed by a safe belly landing. If it is taken down on the battlefield, it can self-destruct itself so the technology used cannot be transferred to the enemy. The tube launching mechanism allows its deployment in the air from any place i.e., land, ships, helicopter, or even from a larger UAV. The loitering munition will be equipped with High Definition (HD) camera with target recognition and a GPS-guided autopilot to fly desired flight path.

Project Objectives

The project aims the fulfillment of the following objectives. It should have faster reaction times against concealed or hidden targets that emerge for short periods. Loitering munition should be able to achieve a high cruise speed and greater range for that fixed-wing configuration was preferred. One of the main design objectives was to make our loitering munition to be as lethal as possible i.e. so it carries enough amount of warhead for greater explosive impact. The project revolved around the idea of a Tube Launch mechanism and a design that ensures its portability. Therefore putting a strict constraint on the size of the loitering munition. Propulsion system was chosen to be electrical because of the lesser acoustic signature. Loitering munition should be able to lock, loiter around it, and dive towards the target once it is confirmed. High precision and stable flight were given prime importance.

Project Implementation Method

Our loitering munition design is primarily based on Roskam’s approach and the softwares used were Advanced Aircraft Analysis (AAA), MATLAB, Ansys, and JavaFoil. The design approach was based on 3 major steps explained below:

1) Conceptual Design/ Feasibility Analysis

The conceptual design is used to estimate the viability and the future course of action of the project. It gives engineers a vivid idea of the project success rate. This is the initial design step that caters to all the factors i.e., economical, target market, available technology, and time. A crude estimation or a baseline design idea is generated after the preliminary design. These assessments are done keeping the risk analysis under consideration. This approach helps the engineers to determine the project risks as it approaches the completion of the project.

2) Preliminary Design

Decides the fate of the project. This phase thoroughly describes the aircraft’s features and configuration. This step involves the aerodynamic, propulsion, performance, and stability analysis of our loitering munition. The outcome of this step is quite important because it decides whether the engineer proceeds further toward detailed analysis or cancels it. Preliminary design plays a vital role in inculcating technical confidence in the project.

3) Detailed Design

The detailed design transforms an intangible idea into tangible real aircraft. An engineer always comes up to this step when the preceding 2 steps are giving so fine results that finally the decision for aircraft manufacturing is taken. Detailed design scrutinizes every single detail of flight, it caters to all the possible outcomes and flight conditions, all major and crucial engineering analyses are done in this phase. In the end, all such findings and calculations are first used to make aircraft drawings which are followed by the manufacturing process.

Benefits of the Project

There are number of benefits of having a loitering munition technology in one’s country’s infantry. Our main target market is military and all the agencies working for security purposes. In today’s world, many countries are working for the enhancement of loitering munition, it is dire hard need for Pakistan to excel in it too. The manufacturing cost for a single loitering munition unit is far less than those of missiles. Furthermore, it gives them both, missiles & mortars, a tough and better competition in performance, accuracy and reliability. It can be rescued back safely by aborting the mission via safe belly landing as it is controlled by human operator along with autonomous flight. The biggest advantage for using a loitering munition is that all the lethal targets or heavy threats which are beyond line of sight can be traced and eliminated by sending out a suicidal drone. As it has a very low acoustic signature, it is difficult to trace a drone coming. Being at fair distance our military can clear out any threats and move forward safely without any precious life loss or serious causalities.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The total length of the drone is 5.5 ft. The wingspan is 8.67 ft. It will carry a warhead of 5Kg with maximum take-off weight of around 10 Kg. It will be launched from spring based launching tube. It will cruise at an altitude of 5000ft with a velocity of 81ft/s. 

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Security

Other Industries

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

Required Resources

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