miniAWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System)

Discipline: MAE

Advisor: Kurt Stresau

The miniAWACS project aims to take an alternative approach to providing aircraft traffic information and collision avoidance by taking advantage of the properties of both lighter than air (LTA) vehicles and fixed wing aircraft to provide radar coverage. This project seeks to provide a preliminary design for a highly capable and efficient UAV that can be used to collect real-time airspace activity data which may be provided to any client with a need for this data to include the DOD, FEMA, and others. The craft is designed to ascend to approximately 60,000 ft where it will transition into an LTA and ascend to a station of approximately 85,000 ft and loiter there, collecting data for one week. The design takes advantage of the ability of a fixed wing aircraft to traverse the jetstream while avoiding damage to the inflation device, while also utilizing the ability of an LTA vehicle to hold its position with relatively low fuel consumption. The miniAWACS is also being developed around hydrogen fuel cell technology and as such, the craft itself will produce no harmful emissions.

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