NRL's Finder UAV: A Counterproliferation Asset
Abstract
NRL's significant technological advances and breakthroughs made in the areas of low Reynolds number (LRN) aerodynamics, in-flight deployability, advanced composite structures, and microdigital electronics applied to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) has enabled rapid prototyping and testing of unique autonomous vehicles. The Flight Inserted Detector Expendable for Reconnaissance (FINDER) UAV is an example of the integration of these capabilities in action. The vehicle potentially adds a highly capable, small, affordably expendable asset to the military or homeland defense inventory. This article highlights it's capabilities, development timeline, and overall significance. During the FINDER effort, the goal was to produce a warfighting component within the Chemical Combat Assessment System (CCAS) segment of an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). A number of field tests (most notably at: Edwards Air Force Base, Indian Springs Air Force Base, and the Nevada Test Site) were used to prove the system's potential value as a reconnaissance tool. FINDER was developed as a multi-use low-cost UAV. The vehicle can readily be modified to accept a number of different payloads. These can range from real-time Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) via optical imaging and acoustic sensing, to active determination of the presence of hazardous chemical/biological agents. In this case, FINDER was integrated with a U.S. Army-developed payload to determine the presence and concentrations of chemical agents within a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) facility. Figure 1 illustrates the CCAS system architecture.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA526285
Entities
People
- A. Cross
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory