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DP-14 HAWK

When we talk about future tools of wars,most of it is centered around the weapons and their capability to destroy, but a war is much more than fighting .Carrying out resupply and evacuating injured from the battlefield is an equally important task in any war.Napoleon had said, “An army is a creature which marches
on its stomach,” demonstrating the vital importance of military logistics.

Unmanned and autonomous platforms are already playing an important role in providing offensive and surveillance capabilities to the armies around the world.Now US army is working along with Dragonfly Pictures Inc.'s to develop drones for casualty evacuation and resupply as a possible alternative to traditional helicopters.If successful, this can revolutionize the logistics in the field of war.

The DPI DP-14 Hawk is a multi-mission autonomous UAV designed for precision aerial resupply .It is a twin-rotor aircraft which resemble a miniature version of Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook.The twin rotor drone has the dimension of 13.5 feet in length and 2 feet in width,which enable it to fit in a standard utility trailer or van.The rotors can be removed and/or installed in about 5 minutes for transport.The Hawk has an internal payload bay of 23 cubic,which is over 6 feet in length and 20 inches width.It can carry payloads of up to 430 pounds for up to 2.4 hours with a cruise speed of 82 miles an hour.It is capable of flying in crosswinds up to 46 mph.Beside the internal cargo area ,Payloads can also be attached to its various external hard points which can be customized as per the user requirements.It can carry 430 lbs payload for 2.4 hours or 100 lbs payload for 4.3 hours,the range can be improved by trading payload for the fuel.

The DP-14 Hawk do not use not visual cues instead it uses IMU and GPS for takeoff and landing, and an ultrasonic sensor as a rangefinder to determine height from the ground during landing.It uses scanning LIDAR and its on-board vehicle management computer (VMC) to analyze terrain for roughness, slope, grade, trees and other objects; length/width of open area; and proximity to the target landing site. A relative positioning system allows the DP-14 Hawk to self-launch and self-recover.Due to its small size , VTOL(vertical take off and landing ) capabilities ,autonomous programming and all terrain landing gear it does not require any runway or recovery equipment.All the sensors, advance algorithm and programming used enable it to take off and land in any kind of terrain like unprepared sites, small clearings , trailers, uneven ground and slopes up to 15º, as well as on rolling, pitching ships.This make it fit to operate in varying geographical conditions and challenging terrain.The on board computers and 3D laser imaging technology present enable the DP-14 Hawk to self-navigate in complex, restricted environments. This includes advanced intelligence for path planning, course corrections, perception, obstacle avoidance, and landing-site selection. These cutting-edge capabilities will allow the Hawk to fly intelligent autonomous, NLOS, nap-of-earth missions and with ability to adapt as per the changes in flight conditions and terrain.

Being a a dual-rotor UAV, the DP-14 Hawk has a stable hover and can operate in gusting winds to 40 knots.It has a 1 ms autopilot cycling and rapid pitch correction during autonomous cargo offloading. These capabilities enable the UAV to carry out precision cargo drops with accuracy better than 3 meters, in real-world flight conditions.This drone has quick launch capabilities and can be launched in 5 minutes if the engine is hot and the path is already programmed,in case of cold start it will take 10 minutes with flight path already programmed or else 15 minutes from cold start, including programming a new flight path.

The rotors can be removed in about 5 minutes to prepare the drone for transportation in a trailer or van.It will take around 30 minutes- including blade installing, refueling, moving to launch area, power up and to launch the drone after being broken down for transportation.

This drone can be operated by one man,who can simultaneously operate multiple Hawks in a mission.It require minimalistic maintenance with an daily inspection of around an hour and turnaround inspection and servicing after a mission in 30 minutes on an average.

However the drones wouldn't necessarily be a perfect solution. The rotary blades would still be spinning at chest or neck height for many person,even if the DP-14's engines came to a stop after landing, troops would be exposed to what are essentially spinning knives at very close distance due to the lower height of its rotary assembly. This isn't something anyone would want to worry about during a firefight or while struggling to save someone's life.Further due to its small size it has space only for one person ,so there can be no medic or other additional personnel. Even though a remote monitoring system would allow to watch a wounded soldier's vitals in transit, but no one would be able to respond to a significant change in their health.The drone is also slower than a traditional manned helicopter,when you are evacuating an injured the first one hour known as golden hour is quite crucial in saving the life,the slow speed of the drone would not allow the transportation of the injured soldier in this critical time ,encase the medical attention is available at a greater distance.

At present the drone is in development phase,despite its limitations the small size,ability to operate from any surface in varying conditions,payload capacity ,minimalistic maintenance and simplicity to operate are points which will revolutionize the logistic supply and medical evacuation from the battlefield .It will act as an important force multiplier if inducted into the armed forces.

General specifications of the drone -

Speed: 105 kts

Recommended endurance cruise speed: 70 kts

Typical endurance with payload:

100 lbs for 4.3 hours

430 lbs for 2.4 hours

Crosswinds: 40 kts

Stable hover: Yes

Stall speed: None. Effective flight from 0 to 105 kts

Communication: Iridium Satcomm*. Other communication packages available

MSL: 15,000 ft

HOGE @ GW: 10,000 HOGE @ GW

Operational temperature range: -12F to 120F (-12C to 50C)

Onboard computer: for autonomous avionics and payload processing

Onboard generator: 4.5 kW, with 3 kW available for payloads

Flexible power input: allows you to recharge batteries from different sources.

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