Dara Aviation and subcontractor ILC Dover propose to draw upon their combined expertise in manufacturing small UAV platforms and inflatable wings to develop an integrated air platform for low-observable, remote standoff deployment of sensors. In its stowed configuration, the integrated air platform (dubbed the "Monarch") and sensor package would have the same envelope as a standard A-size sonobuoy, and could be deployed from any existing A-size sonobuoy launcher, such as the launchers installed on many P-3 Orion aircraft and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. After deployment, the Monarch would sprout inflatable wings and a folding horizontal tail. It would navigate autonomously to its target location, primarily gliding but also relying on a small motor. The Monarch could be used for standoff deployment of standard F, G, or A/2-size sonobuoies, or standoff deployment of other self-contained canisters of the same size carrying other types of sensors. The Monarch would not need to be deployed from sonobuoy launchers either - it could be mounted to the underside of an aircraft or UAV wing and air dropped. By employing an inflatable wing and small motor, the Monarch would autonomously carry a sonobuoy or other sensor suite up to 50 miles away with low observability. Benefit By conforming to a standard A-size sonobuoy envelope and interface, the proposed research would enable low-observable, remote standoff sensor deployment from hundreds of existing military aircraft and helicopters without the time or cost of developing, testing, and retrofitting special launcher systems onto the air fleet. On the sensor side, the Monarch would be capable of mating to standard F, G, or A/2-size sonobuoies without any modification to these sensor packages. The Monarch is literally a drop-in solution, leveraging existing investment in launcher and sensor hardware. The estimated cost of the Monarch on a mass-production run would low enough to consider expendable. The Monarch would also have high payload capacity. The sensor payload can weigh up to 18 lbs., or up to 50% of the integrated system mass, with a large available volume. This gives payload providers a great deal of flexibility to design highly capable sensor packages. Dara Aviation expects the Monarch will have applications not only for military purposes, but also for law enforcement, drug interdiction, detection of chemical or radioactive threats, missile countermeaures, and anti-terrorism missions. Aside from the anticipated applications of the Monarch product, the proposed research would push the state-of-the-art in inflatable wing technology, enabling higher wing loading than presently available through use of higher inflation pressures, advanced materials, and innovative stitching methods. Inflatable wings have a wide range of potential uses. For example, the DoD has previously funded studies of their use on gun-launched munitions, and NASA is studying their use on planetary science missions to Mars. Inflatable wings also have potential use in a future micro-UAV capable of being carried in a backpack for field deployment. The inflatable wing would significantly reduce the packing volume of the system. Keywords Seahawk, Inflatable wing, sensor deployment, Sonobuoy, P-3, Unattended Sensors, UAV
