AGH Solar Plane develops fast and agile Rico plane

The UAV’s design is being refined as part of a strategic project that has received funding under Rector’s Grants. The engineers will be improving the design they worked on last year.

This fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle is designed for high-speed specialised missions. During the design and aerodynamic analysis process, the students’ main objective was to ensure that their design was very fast and agile, in line with the requirements of the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS), held this September in the United States.

Main technical specifications of this year’s design:

• cruising speed: 28 m/s
• wingspan: 3 m
• weight: approx. 4 kg
• a composite structure with a V-shaped stabiliser

Furthermore, the aircraft can turn 90 degrees, which means it is capable of operating in very confined spaces. The airframe is also designed to withstand g-forces of up to 6G, making it effective across a wide scope of missions, both rescue and military. The plane is powered by batteries (both ready-made Li-Po packets and custom Li-ion cell packs assembled by welding), which supply power to the brushless motor and onboard systems.

The SUAS competition has been held since 2002, with the aim of designing, building, and testing unmanned aerial systems. The mission lasts 45 minutes and consists of various challenges. During this time, you must prepare the complex structure for flight, take off, and fly the designated route. The next task involves detecting people who may be trapped under debris, cars, or trees, for example. Students must calculate, test, and verify various parameters. Another task is to map the terrain. Using footage filmed during the flight, the participants must use their software to produce an image of a quality superior to that of satellite imagery.

The requirements regarding weight, dimensions and design specifications are known before the competition, which is why the students begin the preparations for the event several months in advance. It should be noted that the entire electronic system, the software and the structural design are original solutions developed by the students.

AGH Solar Plane is based at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels, and its supervisor is Dr Krzysztof Sornek. Alongside Rico, the main projects currently being developed by the club include a drone (also competing in the SUAS competition), a solar-powered airframe, and a VTOL aircraft manufactured using 3D printing technology.