Comparison:Teledyne-Ryan Aeronautical Firebee and EMT LUNA UAV's


A Comparison between The Teledyne-Ryan Aeronautical Firebee and EMT Luna
Timothy Ortega Jr.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

                       



                                                           ASCI 530 Unmanned Systems
                                                     Assignment 1.5 Module 1 Submission
                                                                     August 11, 2016



            A successful UAS design (determined by missions completed and UAS retrieval) is the Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Firebee and its various variants. The Firebee was extremely reliable according to a NOVA documentary “83 percent of the Firebees flown during the Vietnam War returned to fly another day” (NOVA, 2002). The Firebee was developed primarily as a target aircraft for use in training scenarios as noted by Pignataro “The Teledyne Ryan Firebee was first introduced to the Department of Defense in 1951, when the US Navy required a jet powered aerial target drone for both ground-to-air and air-to-air target training” (Pignataro, 2015). The years following its initial release provided Teledyne with award contracts from the United States Air Force. The award opportunity provided Teledyne the necessary funding to improve the Firebee platform by upgrading various onboard systems which prepared it for use in the field as noted by Palmer
            “The Firebees were modified with GPS guidance systems, long range wings, autonomous flight controllers, and a nose-mounted chaff dispenser.  The five UAS were launched into Iraqi airspace from both the ground and from a Navy DC-130 where they created chaff corridors prior to the arrival of Navy and Air Force strike aircraft” (Palmer, 2008).
            A modern contemporary UAV design which employs technology similar to the Firebee is the German LUNA UAV. The LUNA was first placed into service in 2000 and has flown over 1000 successful flight missions conducting reconnaissance and surveillance for the German Army. Army Technology further clarifies the LUNA acronym designation and missions objectives as “(Luftgestützte Unbemannte Nahaufklärungs Ausstattung) airborne unmanned close reconnaissance system is manufactured by EMT based in Penzberg, Germany (Army Technology, 2016).
            A modern contemporary UAV design which employs technology similar to the Firebee is the LUNA UAV has been in operation performing peace keeping missions and providing German military support within the European hemisphere. The LUNA has flown in various climate conditions and situations further proving itself as a viable UAV for the German Army. The LUNA is primarily used for reconnaissance and surveillance. The LUNA UAV is transported via ground vehicle or aircraft, and supported by four crew members for flight, launch and recovery operations. The LUNA uses microwave technology as described by army technology "The microwave tracking communication link transmits images and systems data in real-time from the airborne vehicle to the ground station" (Army Technology). Recovery of the LUNA is conducted via parachute deployment or recovery net while also utilizing impact dampers to prevent damage to the aircraft.
The LUNA's avionics includes the following:
            “The air vehicle's avionics suite includes an autopilot and fully digital aircraft         management system. The sensors include an attitude gyroscope, rate of turn sensors, magnetic compass, air data sensors and accelerometers. The vehicle uses differential global positioning system navigation and datalink auto tracking. The system also uses a dead reckoning back up navigation system via computation of the range and azimuth data” (Army Technology, 2016).
Furthermore the LUNA's engine can be disabled in order to prevent noise attention and also engaged after leaving the area under surveillance. The GCS is of a mobile configuration, utilizing LCD screens and 3D maps. Surveillance is conducted via color cameras utilizing infra-red technology and a MiSAR operating system to assist surveillance operations in various adverse weather conditions.
            The LUNA also supports a host of other sensors which can be used dependent on mission objective as described:
            “The 10-litre-capacity payload bay can be fitted with a number of other sensors that are    selected for development: gas, particle and radiation monitors, land mine sensors, radio relay systems, electronic warfare systems such as GPS jammers, acoustic sensors, target designators and reconnaissance and observation systems” (Army Technology, 2016).
            The Firebee and LUNA AUV's perform the similar mission objectives in much the same manner, however, the LUNA provides the user improved avionics, sensors, communication, engine, payloads and GCS as to be with advancements in technology. The initial release of the Firebee provided a good platform for improvements in various areas in which Ryan-Teledyne conducted throughout its variant releases. Some similarities shared by both UAV's were their ability to be pre-programmed to fly a given route, both platforms share GPS capabilities, improved avionics, flight programming updates during flight and tracking jamming capabilities.
            Some of the differences between both UAV's were the power plants. The Firebee used a turbojet while the LUNA used a two-cylinder two-stroke design. The Firebee could be deployed via a C-130 transport or thru RATO (rocket assisted take-off), while the LUNA is catapulted via a bungee and rail system. Datalink range for the Firebee is up to 300 miles while the LUNA's datalink range is 80km or 50 miles. New technology which may further influence the design would be a variable focus imager for sharper video imagery. Handover capabilities from one GCS to another could also be beneficial for situations in which an alteration in the flight plan may be needed due to a high security level objective that must remain undisclosed. The capability of vertical take-off may also benefit the UAV to land and take flight in order to extend power savings to a greater degree.

References

                       LUNA Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance UAV, Germany (2016). Army Technology.com

                        Retrieved from http://www.army-technology.com/projects/luna/


     Axelrod, D. (Writer), & Klein, L. (Director). (2002). Spies That Fly [NOVA]. 
   
    Klein, L (Producer). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/ 
   
    wgbh/nova/spiesfly/uavs_09. 




    Palmer, I. (2008). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Robotic AirWarfare 1917 

 2007[Google books version]. Retrieved 
  
    from https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=r92M0Z9xAe4C&rdid=book-r92M0Z9xAe4C&rdot=1&source=gbs_vpt_read&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_viewport


                      Pignataro, M. (2015). History of UAS The Teledyne Ryan Firebee and Variants, Wordpress,Retrieved 

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