VTOL drones may be versatile, but the extra hardware weight and aerodynamic drag mean they have a shorter range than fixed-wing-only drones. That’s where his FLARES system comes in, allowing fixed-wing drones to take off and land vertically.
FLARES, an acronym for Flying Launch and Recovery System, is manufactured by Oregon-based aerospace company Hood Tech. Although it can be used in a variety of situations, it is primarily designed for use on the deck of a ship.
The heart of the system is the FLARES machine itself.
This is a multicopter drone with 4 propeller arms, with 2 propellers placed one above the other at the end of each arm. The underside of the fuselage has a mechanism that clips onto the body of a third-party fixed-wing drone.
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When taking off, the FLARES drone takes off straight into the sky with a fixed-wing drone on board. Once the desired altitude is reached, the copter dashes forward and releases the other drone. The drone will fly straight forward. The FLARES copter then returns to the deck and the fixed-wing drone completes its mission.
When the fixed-wing drone returns, the FLARES drone returns to the air and pulls a long rope between the drone and deck. A fixed-wing drone deliberately dives into that rope and catches it with one of his wing hooks. After that, when the helicopter lands on the deck, the undamaged drone will be lowered with it.
Boeing subsidiary Insitu currently offers a VTOL package that includes an unmodified Integrator fixed-wing drone and Hood’s FLARES system. Integrators are reported to be able to fly for up to 16 hours at a time while carrying a maximum payload of 40 pounds (18 kg).
The following video shows the integrator’s VTOL unmanned aerial system in action.
Integrator VTOL joins Insitu’s best-in-class products and technology
Source: Insitu, Hood Tech
