Calculation of the main operational characteristics of a tethered high-altitude ship-based system

Objectives . Currently, UAVs are actively used in many military and civilian fields such as object surveillance, telecommunications, radar, photography, video recording, and mapping, etc. The main disadvantage of autonomous UAVs is their limited operating time. The long-term operation of UAVs on ships can be ensured by tethered high-altitude systems in which the power supply of engines and equipment is provided from the onboard energy source through a thin cable tether. This paper aims to select and justify the appearance of such system, as well as to calculate the required performance characteristics. Methods . The study used methods of systemic and functional analysis of tethered system parameters, as well as methods and models of the theory of relations and measurement. Results . The issues of design and implementation of new generation tethered high-altitude ship-based systems were considered. A rational type of aerodynamic design for unmanned aerial vehicles was determined based on existing tethered platforms. The optimal architecture of the tethered system was defined and justified. The paper presents the appearance and solution for placement onboard the ship, and describes its operation. The main initial parameters for designing high-altitude systems such as take-off weight, optimal lift altitude, maximum power required for operation, structure of the energy transfer system, as well as deployment and lift time to the design altitude were selected and calculated. Conclusions . The methodology for calculating the necessary characteristics described in the paper can be used for developing and evaluating tethered high-altitude systems. These systems are capable of performing a wide range of tasks, without requiring a separate storage and launch location, which is especially important in the ship environment. The system presented herein possesses significant advantages over well-known analogues.