IAI’s newly extended UAS family now offers vast and agile operational capabilities

IAI’s family of VTOL-UAS provides a new middle tier between the Heron MALE and small, mini-tactical drones. Developed and produced by IAI’s subsidiary BlueBird Aerosystems, the ThunderB and WanderB drones merge the capabilities of small tactical UAS and multi-rotor drones, unbound to airfields or complex launch, retrieval, and long turnaround cycles. They are optimized for easy use at the low echelon in all terrains, including maritime environments, and provide excellent intelligence products, delivering services previously rendered only by large platforms.

Introducing the VTOL Family

The ThunderB-VTOL and WanderB-VTOL are both hybrid fixed-wing UAVs, offering high operational flexibility and combining the advantages of a fixed-wing UAV with the benefits of a multi-copter. As fixed-wing platforms, they provide Extended endurance, high-speed operation in harsh environments, large area coverage, silent operation, and the ability to glide to a safe landing. As multi-rotor platforms, they can take off and perform a soft and accurate landing in small and limited areas, such as on ships in mid-sea, small forest clearings, or flat rooftops in urban areas. They can also hover over an area of interest when needed. This is done without the logistical footprint required to support the takeoff and landing of small tactical fixed-wing platforms.

These innovative and versatile systems are designed to conduct covert, real-time, “over-the-hill” or extended range operations, in day-and-night, collecting Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), providing rapid tactical mapping on demand (TMOD) through GPS marked, High-Definition (HD) photogrammetric video processing.

IAI has designed many VTOL platforms throughout the years and opted to use the operationally proven VTOL system designed at BlueBird Aerosystems for its small tactical drones. It is based on a proven, proprietary design that comprises two booms, each mounting two motors driving the rotors. Following a vertical ascent, the blades stop rotating and align with the boom to reduce drag. This transition phase from steep climb to hovering and forward flight is complex. It requires special flight control rules, modification, and certification to ensure flawless performance in all operating conditions, particularly in urban and maritime environments where drones may encounter strong wind gusts. The system has been proven in hundreds of operational flights with users worldwide.

VTOL-UAS Advantages

Operational Flexibility: Operations in urban areas, forests and jungles, and maritime environments often lack adequate spaces to launch and retrieve drones. In these environments, the VTOL-UAS transforms into a sizeable multi-rotor drone that blends vertical access and hovering capability with the speed, mission endurance, and low signature typical of the fixed-wing, forward flight regime. Add these to low-cost benefits (no runway needed, fewer crewmembers to operate, and less equipment), and you get a winning solution for tactical military/civil operations.

VTOL-UAS become very useful in operations from enclosed space, such as the small decks onboard ships or offshore platforms. Since their flight is more efficient, VTOL-UAS can carry heavier payloads than multi-rotor drones. Such payloads can include small radars, multiple EO/IR gimballed payloads, and SIGINT. Performing missions with long endurance, VTOL-UAS launched and operated from ships at sea can cover vast areas, deep at sea and far from land. Using an automated flight control process that does not require a ‘pilot’ to fly the platform, WanderB and ThunderB adhere to IAI’s four-click operational process in all IAI’s platforms – large and small. These clicks regulate all the necessary operations, fully automatic start-up and pre-flight tests, takeoff, mission flight, and landing phases.

Mission Economy: Since each flight phase uses a propulsion system optimized for it, the combined propulsion system is energy efficient. The four rotors providing the lift for vertical flight and hover can operate with rotors and RPM optimized for lift. In contrast, the forward flight is supported by low-drag and low-RPM propellers and motors for higher speed and longer endurance. Designers can choose between electric, hybrid-electric, or piston engine motors to meet the mission requirements with the best performance.

Signature Reduction: Using electrical propulsion, propellers, and rotors optimized to perform effectively, reduces the acoustic signature; in addition, compared to a “standard” multi-copter, operating a fixed-wing platform that just vertically takes off and land provides a significant tactical advantage when operating at low altitude, deep in hostile territory. Compared to a large platform, the size reduction further reduces the platform’s visible and radar signature.

Speed: Platforms relying on fixed-wing designs can achieve higher cruise and dash speeds, gaining transit and cruising speeds dozens of knots faster than multirotor drones designed for equivalent weight and size specifications.

Payloads: Designed to operate on long missions with large payloads, VTOL-UAS are designed around the payload to meet mission requirements with an optimal platform weight and size. With three payload attachment points, they can operate a compact radar, EO/IR, and SIGINT/COMINT. The payload bays and attachments are designed to open standards, enabling users to add mission payloads from other OEMs, which makes the platform and entire solution as competitive and affordable as possible.

Redundancy: Multi-rotor drones have little redundancy as they need all rotors to generate lift; thus, any failure of a rotor, motor, or flight system leads to a mission abort, immediate descent, and emergency landing or crash. The VTOL-UAS has two lift systems that provide redundancy for the critical landing phase, and the electric quadrotor generates the lift for the vertical landing. Still, the drone can also perform landing using a parachute, airbag, or skid on a flat surface in case of emergency or partial or complete rotor system failure due to mechanical or combat damage.

Leading the VTOL Generation

With clear and proven benefits to the user, VTOL-UAS can transform tactical drone operations. The market is converting to new technology that offers many benefits to the users as they realize the performance and logistic advantages of this new capability. All branches of the US military are already moving in this direction, as other military forces and commercial users worldwide. BlueBird Aerosystems and IAI are among the few pioneers who have delivered and fielded systems on a large scale to several users. Unlike other manufacturers that rely on third-party systems quadrotor systems, the IAI-BlueBird Aerosystems drones use ITAR-free, bespoke VTOL system developed in-house that is optimized for each platform. This new capability offers a significant advantage to the user by reducing the logistic footprint required for operational deployment with tactical forces.