MANEUVERABILITY INVOLVING A FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT AND AN AERIAL VEHICLE HAVING VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING CAPABILITIES

Techniques involve releasing and/or capturing a fixed-wing aircraft using an aerial vehicle with VTOL capabilities while the fixed-wing aircraft is in flight. For example, the VTOL aerial vehicle may take off vertically while carrying the fixed-wing aircraft and then fly horizontally before releasin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author VELAZQUEZ, Matthew T
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
French
German
Published 17.08.2022
Subjects
AEROPLANES
AIRCRAFT
ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
AVIATION
COSMONAUTICS
EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT
FLYING SUITS
HELICOPTERS
PARACHUTES
PERFORMING OPERATIONS
TRANSPORTING
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Techniques involve releasing and/or capturing a fixed-wing aircraft using an aerial vehicle with VTOL capabilities while the fixed-wing aircraft is in flight. For example, the VTOL aerial vehicle may take off vertically while carrying the fixed-wing aircraft and then fly horizontally before releasing the fixed-wing aircraft. Upon release, the fixed-wing aircraft flies independently to perform a mission (e.g., surveillance, payload delivery, combinations thereof, etc.). After the fixed-wing aircraft has completed its mission, the VTOL aerial vehicle may capture the fixed-wing aircraft while both are in flight, and then land together vertically. Such operation enables the fixed-wing aircraft to vertically take off and/or land while avoiding certain drawbacks associated with a conventional VTOL kit such as being burdened by weight and drag from the VTOL kit's rotors/propellers, mounting hardware, etc. during a mission which otherwise would limit the fixed-wing aircraft's maximum airspeed, ceiling, payload capacity, endurance, and so on.
Bibliography:Application Number: EP20200793509