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PROJECT T.A.R.A.
TERRESTIAL AIRCRAFT FOR
RECONNAISSANCE APPLICATIONS
PREPROPOSAL

Course: EEN 498/ OEN 498 Senior Design Project I Instructor: Dr. Albin,
Dr. Bassapa
Submission Date: 10/27/2015

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Contents
Executive Summary......................................................................................................... 2
Specific Aims.................................................................................................................. 2
Design constraints:......................................................................................................... 3
UAV dimension.......................................................................................................... 3
Safety...................................................................................................................... 3
Standards:.................................................................................................................... 3
UAV........................................................................................................................ 3
Communication.......................................................................................................... 3
Relevant courses:........................................................................................................... 3
Electrical Engineering:................................................................................................. 3
Optical Engineering:.................................................................................................... 3
Science:.................................................................................................................... 4
Mathematics:............................................................................................................. 4
Background.................................................................................................................... 4
What is a UAV?............................................................................................................. 4
Applications for UAVs.................................................................................................... 4
Aerial Reconnaissance.................................................................................................. 4
Logistics and Transportation.......................................................................................... 5
History of UAVs........................................................................................................... 6
Preliminary Work / Design Possibilities................................................................................6
Milestones.................................................................................................................... 10
Cost Estimate................................................................................................................. 10
Expected Problems and how they will be Resolved................................................................11
References...................................................................................................................... 0

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Ashley Deal
Electrical Engineering Dept
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, USA
a.m.deal@spartans.nsu.edu
Nsilo Greene
Electrical Engineering Dept
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, USA
n.z.greene@spartans.nsu.edu

Executive Summary
The purpose of Project Tara is to design
an UAV with the capacities to identify
electro-optic (EO) and Infrared (IR)
targets. Team TARA will be able to
program a control system that allows the
UAV to operate in autonomous and
remote/manual modes and with the
capabilities to travel to precise locations
on Earth. The UAV will incorporate
systems such as a Global Positioning
System (GPS), autopilot system, a
camera imaging system, inertial
measurement unit (IMU) and a
communication link between the UAV,
remote control and a surface unit. The
Team will also incorporate a fail-safe
mode system and keep the weight of the
UAV under 55lbs.
UAV is an acronym for Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle, which is an aircraft with
no pilot on board. UAVs are in high
demand in not only military use but
commercial everyday use. Three
different designs were discussed, but the

John Patrick Harris

Optical Engineering Dept

Norfolk State University
Norfolk, USA
j.p.harris74925@spartans.nsu.
edu
Jazlyn Jones
Optical Engineering Dept.
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, USA
j.t.jones18511@spartans.nsu.edu

first two were too military in style and

very difficult to operate and the third did
not have enough cavity space for all the
components need to make this project a
success. The firefly 6 is the perfect
design for this project. It is classified as
VTOL, vertical takeoff and landing unit.
It has a cavity big enough to house all
the components needed to complete this
mission.
The difference for this project will be the
designing of a fiber optic camera to
reduce weight, but have the same
capabilities as the normal camera in the
market. The power system will be
modified to conserve power, which in
return will increase fly time. The
average fly time is 20- 25 minutes and
the goal is to increase it to 30 minutes
are better. This project is expected to
cost $4,699.96 and should be completed
by April the 1st. Though there are a few
expected problems with proper design,
planning, and testing they should not
affect the overall project. After
completing the creation of Project Tara
UAV there are hopes to implement it
everyday use.
Specific Aims
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Goals:
1. To design an Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) with the
capacities to identify electrooptic (EO) and Infrared (IR) \
targets and precise locations on
Earth.
2. To program a control system that
allows the UAV to operate in
autonomous and remote/ manual
modes.
3. To incorporate systems such as a
Global Positioning System
(GPS), autopilot system, a
camera imaging system, inertial
measurement unit (IMU) and a
communication link between the
UAV, remote control and a
surface laptop.
4. To incorporate a fail-safe mode
system.
5. To design a lightweight UAV for
energy efficiency
DESIGN CONSTRAINTS:
UAV dimension
Maximum weight 55lb
Maximum wingspan 80 inches
Composite foam material
Safety
The UAV must stay in line of
sight
The UAV must not exceed 100
miles per hour
The UAV must not exceed a
ceiling of 500 ft.
The UAV cannot operate in
Class A airspace.
The power source cannot
exceed 14.8 VDC

STANDARDS:
UAV
Power of the UAV must not
exceed 14.8 Vdc
Frequency must be between
2.4 and 5.8 Ghz
FAA standards for all pilots
Safety
Communication
Establish links between the
operator and the UAV
Establish a language link
between the systems operating
within the UAV
Filter unwanted frequencies.
RELEVANT COURSES:
Electrical Engineering:
Courses:

Intro to Engineering
Engineering use of Computers,
Electrical Network Theory I and
II,
Signals and Systems
Electromagnetic Field Theory
Microprocessors,
Integrated Circuits
Communications
Engineering Economics
Control Systems

Optical Engineering:
Courses:

Optical System Analysis

Physical and Instrumentation
Optics
Communications

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Science:
Courses:

Physics I and II

Mathematics:
Courses:

Calculus I, II and III

Differential Equations
Linear Algebra
Probabilities and Statistics I and
II

Background
WHAT IS A UAV?
UAV is an acronym for Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle, which is an aircraft with
no pilot on board. UAVs can be remote
controlled aircraft (e.g. flown by a pilot
at a ground control station) or can fly
autonomously based on pre-programmed
flight plans or more complex dynamic
automation systems.
One of the predecessors of todays fully
autonomous UAVs were the aerial
torpedoes, designed and built during
World War One. These were primitive
UAVs, relying on mechanical
gyroscopes to maintain straight and level
flight, and flying until they ran out of
fuel. They would then fall from the sky
and deliver and explosive payload.
More advanced UAVs used radio
technology for guidance, allowing them
to fly missions and return. They were
constantly controlled by a human pilot,
and were not capable of flying

themselves. This made them much like

todays RC model airplanes which many
people fly as a hobby. It is interesting to
note that the government considers all
aircraft UAVs, if they are unmanned and
used by a government or business.
After the invention of the integrated
circuit, engineers were able to build
sophisticated UAVs, using electronic
autopilots. It was at this stage of
development that UAVs became widely
used in military applications. UAVs
could be deployed, fly themselves to a
target location, and either attack the
location with weapons, or survey it with
cameras and other sensor equipment.
Modern UAVs are controlled with both
autopilots, and human controllers in
ground stations. This allows them to fly
long, uneventfully flights under their
own control, and fly under the command
of a human pilot during complicated
phases of the mission.
APPLICATIONS FOR UAVS
Since their creation, UAVs have found
many uses in police, military, and in
some cases, civil applications. Currently,
UAVs are most often used for the
following tasks:
Aerial Reconnaissance
UAVs are often used to get aerial
video of a remote location, especially
where there would be unacceptable
risk to the pilot of a manned aircraft.
UAVs can be equipped with high
resolution still, video, and even
infrared cameras. The information
obtained by the UAV can be
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streamed back to the control center

in real time.
Scientific Research
In many cases, scientific research
necessitates obtaining data from
hazardous, or remote locations. A
good example is hurricane research,
which often involves sending a large
manned aircraft into the center of the
storm to obtain meteorological data.
A UAV can be used to obtain this
data, with no risk to a human pilot.
Logistics and Transportation
UAVs can be used to carry and
deliver a variety of payloads.
Helicopter type UAVs are well suited
to this purpose, because payloads can
be suspended from the bottom of the
airframe, with little aerodynamic
penalty.
For our UAV we plan to use it to be able
to identify EO and IR targets, be able to
fly autonomously and remotely, have a
GPS system incorporated and finally be
capable of returning to home base with
fail safe mode.
Types of UAVs
There are many different types of UAVs,
designed for different purposes. The US
air force is one of the most prominent
users of UAV technology, and classifies
UAVs by dividing them into tiers. To get
a general idea of the different types of
UAVs used, here is an abbreviated
version of the US air force specification:

Micro UAVs small, extremely

portable units.
Low altitude, long endurance
UAVs
High altitude, long endurance
UAVs employing a conventional
design.
High altitude, long endurance
UAVs using a low observable
design.

Some UAVs use a blimp design, and are

well suited to carrying large amounts of
cargo. Some of the first UAVs were
called drones and were not
autonomous, because they required
constant control input from a remote
human pilot. Computer technology now
allows UAVs to make their own
decisions, or fly autonomously.
Autonomous flight involves the UAV
making decisions as it flies.
Generally, autonomous flight consists of
the following operations:

Interpreting sensor input, and

merging the input of multiple
sensors
Communicating with ground
stations, satellites, and other
UAVs and aircraft
Determining the ideal course to
fly for a given mission, based on
sensor input.
Determining the best maneuvers
to perform for a given task

In some cases, cooperating with other

UAVs to accomplish a common task.

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HISTORY OF UAVS
The Union and Confederate armies both
used balloons for spying on the enemy
during the U.S. Civil War, with pilotobservers onboard. At least one person
Charles Perley of New York City
imagined that they could also be used to
deliver weapons with his patent dated
February 24, 1863 calls for a divided
basket which would open like a
clamshell when a timed fuse expired,
thereby releasing a bomb. A balloon
can be made to pass over any object,
andany-sized bomb or missile of
destruction can be carried up over the
place to be destroyed, he wrote.
Years before the first manned airplane
flight on December 17, 1903, primitive
UAV technology was used for combat
and surveillance in at least two wars. In
the early 1900s during World War I, the
first UAVs took flight in the U.S.
Though the success of UAVs in test
flights was erratic, the military
recognized their potential in combat.
Armistice arrived before the prototype
UAVs could be deployed in earnest. For
more than a decade after the end of
World War I, development of pilotless
aircraft in the U.S. and abroad declined
sharply.
By the mid-to-late 1930s, new UAVs
emerged as an important combat training
tool. Around 1940s during World War II,
Nazi Germany's innovative V-1
demonstrated the formidable threat a
UAV could pose in combat. America's
attempts to eliminate the V-1 laid the
groundwork for post-war UAV programs
in the U.S. From their early use as target
drones and remotely piloted combat

vehicles, UAVs took on a new role

during the Vietnam War: stealth
surveillance. The success of the Fire bee
continued through the end of the
Vietnam War. In the 1970s, while other
countries began to develop their own
advanced UAV systems, the U.S. set its
sights on other kinds of UAVs.
During the late 1970s and throughout the
1980s, the Israeli Air Force, an
aggressive UAV developer, pioneered
several important new UAVs, versions of
which were integrated into the UAV
fleets of many other countries, including
the U.S.UAVs command a permanent
and critical position in high-tech military
arsenals today, from the U.S. and Europe
to Asia and the Middle East. They also
play peaceful roles as monitors of our
Earth's environment. The surveillance
UAVs of tomorrow may evolve into
MAVs, or micro aerial vehicles,
Lilliputian spies so tiny they can take off
and land in the palm of their operators'
hands. The U.S., Great Britain, Korea,
and Israel are developing MAVs for
surveillance use in the future.

Preliminary Work / Design

Possibilities
Our research started with a conference
meeting with Mr. Cleveland White, the
head advisor for Christopher Newport
News University, (CNU). During this
meeting we discuss the need for two
pilot licenses, a mechanical engineer,
and a computer science major for the
main team. Designs for a UAV
discussed, the use of out-source software
and the components needed for our

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mission. A location for practice runs

was the final part of the discussion.
The deserve for doing this project is to
design an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) with the capacities to identify
electro-optic (EO) and Infrared (IR)
targets and precise locations on Earth.
This can be achieved by using a visual
system with the ability to identify and
process targets. Next objective is to
program a control system that allows the
UAV to operate in autonomous and
remote/ manual modes and for safety
purposes to operate in a fail-safe mode.
Once these objectives are achieved the
system needs to be ability to incorporate
systems such as a Global Positioning
System (GPS), autopilot system, a
camera imaging system, inertial
measurement unit (IMU) and a
communication link between the UAV,
remote control and a surface laptop. The
final task is to accomplish these
objectives and keep the UAV under 55
lbs.
The first two designs discussed were
military drones. The MQ-9 Reaper
(formerly the Predictor B) is the first
designed we discussed. This model
obviously ticks the boxes; its difficult to
argue with the design of the Reaper!
There is plenty of room for FPV/Camera
equipment, the scale under-slung camera
pod is supplied in such a way that it can
be fixed or made rotating with a little
effort and comes with glazing. For FPV
use obviously the model weight will
increase and you may want to consider a
4s set up, prop range is 11"-12".
However you fly it, this is an impressive
model in every respect and is bound to
be a talking point wherever it is flown.

Figure 1, MQ-9 Reaper (formerly the Predictor B)

The second design we discuss was the

stealth bomber (B-2 Spirit). The B-2
Spirit was developed to take over the
USAF's vital penetration missions, able
to travel deep into enemy territory to
deploy their ordnance, which could
include nuclear weapons. The B-2 is a
flying wing aircraft, meaning it has no
fuselage or tail. The blending of lowobservable technologies with high
aerodynamic efficiency and large
payload gives the B-2 significant
advantages over previous bombers. Low
observability provides a greater freedom
of action at high altitudes, thus
increasing both range and field of view
for onboard sensors. The U.S. Air Force
reports its range as approximately 6,000
nautical miles (6,900 mi; 11,000 km).
At cruising altitude the B-2 refuels every
six hours, taking on up to 50 short tons
(45 t) of fuel at a time.

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takes a lot more added weight than the

density I am adding to EPOR by making
it slightly more dense than the recently
used EPP.

Figure 2, B-2 Spirit (formerly the Stealth Bomber)

The Rite Wing Zephyr II is the first nonmilitary design considered. The Z II has
a new streamlined center section to
house even more gear, and as an option
the new cnc laser cut Go Pro Camera
box can be easily integrated into the
blunt section with ease. The wings are
molded to fit standard size servos and up
two 4s 4000 mahr, but have seen some
5s packs fit and some brands of 5000
mahr too, 2 ,4s 3300 in parallel seem to
be the norm. The draw back to this
design is the need of payload space to
complete all of our tasks.
The new EPOR foam type has a little
less durability than the previous EPP, but
the build can be done without the super
involved build process that was
required with the weave over EPP.
EPP is durable flimsy foam and needs
the sparring to be done right and the
weave and lamination to make it stiff.
The EPOR Z II MFG slightly little
higher density than the EPP was to help
with its deficiency in durability. This is
done with no ill effect due to the fact
that EPP is usually done a lot heavier
just to get it stiff true and durable ,this

Figure 3, the Rite wing Zephyr

Design Approach
Gathering information and advice for
every model considered the firefly six
was chosen as the best opinion.
The FireFLY6 is a VTOL aircraft.
A VTOL aircraft (vertical take-off and
landing), is a type of aircraft (like
a plane) that can take off vertically, then
fly horizontally. The advantages
of VTOL planes are that they can take
off in small spaces just like a quadcopter,
but also fly longer and faster like a
plane. The FireFLY6 is technically an
Y6 configuration. The two motors in the
back of the plane are only for hovering
and remain off during forward flight.
The other four motors in the front of the
plane also allow it to hover, with the
exception that in forward flight mode,
the motors rotate 90 degrees to produce
forward thrust. Because the FireFLY6 is
a plane, it has a relatively high flight
time from 20 to over 30 minutes
depending on your setup. In hover mode
it gets 7 minutes of flight time.

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Figure 4, the Firefly 6

This design will allow the team to have

the cavity room needed to house all of
the components that will be requesting.
To accomplish the objectives the team is
going to combine our electrical and
optical engineering skills to incorporate
visual and communication sensors along
with a proposition system for the plane.

We will be applying our optical

engineering skills by creating our own
fiber optic camera. Creating a fiber optic
camera will not only lower the cost of
the drone but keep it lightweight as well.
A fiber optic camera allows us to have
360 degree coverage and while being
very lightweight. This convenient
because we will be able to stay under our
max weight constraint while still get the
coverage needed to operate the UAV. We
will be designing this by using our
background knowledge on optical
engineering and outside sources.

Figure 7, diy fiber optic ring flash

Figure 5, System Block Diagram

UAV
System
Nsilo
Pilot
Tristan/Ke
lsea

Power
System
Nsilo/Ashl
ey

Hardware
Group
Leader
Tristan

Safety

Navigation
Equipment
Tristan/Ke
lsea

Imaging
System
John/Jazly
n

Ashley

Softwar
e
Group
John
Leader
Capture
Algorithm
John/Jazly
n

Solar Panel
System
Robert/Ja
mes

Figure 6, Senior Project Team Organize Flowchart

Navigation
Coordinatio
n
Robert/Ke
lsea

Figure 8, large scale version of a fiber optic camera system

A Power System will also be improved

for our UAV. Electrical Engineering
background will be needed in the
improvements. Designing our own
power system will allow us to develop a
lighter, longer lasting battery. A longer
lasting battery allows the UAV to
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operate longer in flight and hover mode.

This will allow the teams to achieve
more of our goals that we would like for
our UAV to accomplish during flight.

Figure 9, diagram of the power system in the firefly 6

Figure 10, the Gantt-Chart

Milestones
The timeline for this project must be
very flexible. Dr. Demetris Geddis has
already agreed to be our advisor.
September 1st through the 15th will be
used for resource and comparison of
parts. The 16th of September through the
5th of October will be used to resource
software and to put together price
quotes. All quotes for the building of the
firefly 6 will be in by October 26, 2015.
There will be a meeting with the team
advisor every Tuesday and Thursday
from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The team will
meet on Wednesdays from 5:00 p.m.
until all items on the table are discuss
and on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. There will be resident experts
coming on every other Friday and as
need.

Cost Estimate
This shows a preliminary break down of
possible costs for Project TARA

The Gantt-chart below will be used to

track our progress through the semester.
Figure 11, Table of the cost estimates

10 | P A G E

Expected Problems and how they will

be Resolved
Our Team will expect a few problems
such as calibration, area to work, flight
path accuracy, power system
complications, and security issues for
batteries, weight constraints, and warfare
issues that can be resolved. Since
calibration complications with the gps
and radar is one of the problems we
expect to face we plan to combat this
issue by strengthen our knowledge on
coding by applying our background
knowledge with Microsofts
DreamSpark program. This can help to
properly learn to code for calibration.
Another expected problem is locating an
area to work which coincides with flight
path accuracy. We tend to face difficulty
in locating a big field that is not close to
the road, similar to field that we will be
operation in and not many pedestrians
occupy. This is so we can test the UAV
and its fail safe mode without damaging
the equipment and not harming anyone
in the process. We have researched a few
fields throughout the Hampton roads
where we may be able to test. We have
one possible location in Hampton, one in
Chesapeake, and three in Norfolk. One
of the possible locations in Norfolk is a
field on Norfolk State University. As
soon as we secure a location similar to
field that we will be operating in will be
able to properly code flight path
accuracy. Power system complications
and security issues for batteries are

something we plan to face as well. We

are looking for batteries with the
capacity to keep a charge for about one
hour. We are currently looking at
rechargeable batteries that safe to store
at room temperature when they are not
used and are not bulky. Our UAV must
be under 55lbs. So we are researching
lightweight materials and more
importantly light weight cameras and
gps. The light weight cameras and gps
tend to be pricey. So we will research the
most affordable ones as well as emailing
the company and many others for
sponsorship. Warfare issues are one of
the most important issues faced. Our
team we have to make sure that we do
not send to much signal out that we start
to interfere with the governments
equipment. Even though we expect
many problems ranging from big to
small we have many ideas we plan to
execute to hopefully find to a solution.

11 | P A G E

References

[1] B. Mckinney, "Air Force

Completes Preliminary Design
Review of New B-2 Bomber
Computer Architecture," 2008.
[2] "Fiberglass MQ-9 Reaper with
2.5m wingspan," 2011.

[5] Military.com, "Airforce Upgrades

B-2 Stealth Bomber as Modern Air
Defenses Advance".
[6] Predator B UAS," General
Atomics.
[7] "Predator RQ-1 / MQ-1 / MQ-9
Reaper".
[8] "Readymade RC".

[3] "History, Travel, Arts, Science,

People, Places | Air & Space
Magazine," History, Travel, Arts,
Science,People, Places| Air &
Space Magazine.
[4] "Hobby Find"

[9] UAV News RSS, ""An Introduction

to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs).".
[10] U. S. A. Force, "Fact Sheet
Display: MQ-9 Reaper," 2010.

12 | P A G E

Advisor: Dr. Demetris Geddis,

Signature: ____________________________________
Team Leader: Nsilo Greene
Signature: _____________________________________
John Patrick Harris
Signature: _____________________________________
Jazlyn Jones
Signature: ______________________________________
Ashley Deal
Signature: ________________________________________