Army to test low-altitude UAV flights
The Maneuver Battle Lab and Georgia Technical Research Institute will try out software for high-speed, close-to-the-ground autonomous navigation.
The Army the Georgia Technical Research Institute will stage unmanned flights this week at Fort Benning, Ga., to test the ability of GTRI software to conduct autonomous low-altitude, high-speed flights.
The Maneuver Center of Excellence's Maneuver Battle Lab will use a small, 175-pound helicopter with a 10-foot rotor diameter for the flights, which will tests algorithms and sensors used for navigation and avoidance, the Army said in a release. Among other things, the helicopter will have to hit waypoints input into its onboard guidance system.
The Army said the flights could have civilian applications, in addition to meeting Defense Department goals.
GTRI has worked with the Maneuver Battle Lab and DOD since 2004 on UAV technology, including sensors, communications devices and other payloads. For low-altitude flights, GTRI also is conducting acoustics research into developing UAVs that can run quietly.