As Senior Systems Engineer for Cobham/ASTRAEA II, Harvey leads a team that’s developing an autonomous engagement solution for UAV in-flight refuelling – a key component of future UAV operations where flights lasting days or even weeks will be required (e.g. for coastal and border surveillance).
A veteran of ASTRAEA I, where he developed algorithms for UAV formation flight with manned aircraft, Harvey’s current role is to refine the short distances of separation needed in formations down to the engagement required for refuelling. In addition, UAVs must be able to quickly identify, approach and make appropriate contact with the drogue, that parachute-shaped coupling trailing at the end of the refuelling hose.
“It requires very precise manoeuvring,” Harvey explained. “The refuelling probe on the UAV must connect with the drogue within a fairly small window of angle and velocity. If the angle’s wrong, they simply won’t connect and if the velocity is too great, the drogue and/or probe can be damaged.”
To meet the challenge, the team is developing new algorithms to emulate a human pilot’s refuelling manoeuvring techniques and they’re also reviewing a range of sensor system capabilities to cover the wide range of sensory data required – recognise the tanker, locate the drogue, approach, engage and disengage.
“And we have to cope with some invisible factors as well,” Harvey pointed out, “like wake turbulence.”
To aid in their quest, the team are developing a Relative Motion Rig that interfaces with their synthetic test environment. The Rig has two real robotic arms, one holding the probe and the other the drogue. When simulation tests are run, the two arms take instruction from the synthetic environment and move – first converging, then coupling the probe and drogue.
The Rig provides a real-life look at how the algorithms are performing and also reveals the effects of subtle physical changes, like repositioning a sensor or employing another, back-up sensor.
“Back-ups are high priority,” Harvey explained, “because a major aspect of ASTRAEA II research is flight certifiable systems so, aside from developing an autonomous aerial refuelling system that works, all aspects must have the required redundancies built-in.”
Harvey said he was delighted to be working in ASTRAEA II and finds this second phase particularly exciting after helping lay much of the required groundwork in the first phase.
About Cobham:
Cobham’s products and services have been at the heart of sophisticated military and civil systems for more than 70 years, keeping people safe, improving communications, and enhancing the capability of land, sea, air and space platforms. The Company has four divisions employing more than 11,000 people on five continents, with customers and partners in over 100 countries and annual revenue of more than £1.9bn / US$3 billion.
About Cobham Mission Equipment:
Cobham Mission Equipment is the world market leader for air-to-air refuelling, providing fifth generation ‘nose to tail’ solutions from the cockpit of the tanker aircraft to the tail of the receiver platform. More than 1,000 systems have been delivered for buddy-buddy refuelling, tactical and strategic tanking for fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, with UAV development well advanced.
Cobham Mission Equipment also provides a ‘wingtip to wingtip’ weapons carriage and release capability, including missile launchers, cryogenic cooling for missile seekers, pneumatic missile fin actuation and wing store carriers, bomb ejection, defensive aids, chaff and flare systems. It is also a prominent provider of remote controlled robots and associated equipment for homeland security, military and nuclear facility applications.