Rapid Sample Transport in Austere Environments

Piasecki Aircraft proposes to meet the challenge of delivering a biological or chemical sample maintained at less than -20 deg Celcius over a range of up to 1000 miles with a precision landing with a portable unmanned aerial system capable of a vertical takeoff, cruise flight range typical of a fixed wing platform, and able to perform a precision landing. The system consists of a lifting quadrotor that air-launches a fixed wing, packable UAV with threshold 450 mile range and a soft precision landing system using a parachute capable of 50 yard accuracy. An electric cooling system using a peltier junction maintains the sample temperature at -50°C throughout the flight. En-route the system can accept updated flight plan data, and provided health and status information via remote telemetry. The Phase I development work will produce a preliminary design including CAD models and an operator interface to directly support a follow-on proof of concept prototype demonstration in Phase II.