Overpressure Effects on Quadcopter Stability from Tank Muzzle Blasts

Abstract

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-1732.vid The purpose of this project was to test the stability of a small unmanned aerial system near an M1A1 Abrams tank during live fire. Pairing drones with combat vehicles is an active area of research, but there is a lack of information pertaining to the performance and stability of small air vehicle in the immediate vicinity of large caliber weapon systems during engagements. This initiative was an undergraduate capstone design project with a team of four students and three advisors. The project’s primary focus was the design and fabrication of a quadcopter, its peripheral hardware and software, a ground control system, and a wireless communications link. The secondary focus of the project was the test itself, to include multiple subsystem tests and full system flight tests and rehearsals prior to the final test. The team conducted live fire testing in Fort Benning, Georgia, and saw a negligible deviation in the position and pose of the aircraft with and without a shot. This test demonstrated the stability of the drone during passage of the overpressure wave.