113
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Accepted
Why are military drones shaped so strangely?
The whale-shaped forward fuselage covers a parabolic antenna for a high-bandwidth datalink. The operators want to receive the reconnaissance data in real time, and by giving the antenna the best place ...
- 228k
56
votes
Why are military drones shaped so strangely?
The biggest reason UAVs look like they do is because they don't need to carry a human, or the life support and avionics displays that human would need. The designs, therefore, are built around what ...
- 22.7k
39
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Accepted
Why would only a specific model of drone be allowed to fly over crowds?
CNN has applied for and received multiple waivers for 14 CFR § 107.39 Operation over human beings as allowed by § 107.205 List of regulations subject to waiver.
Issued August 29, 2016 — This ...
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38
votes
What is the largest aircraft ever successfully flown and landed with no pilot on board?
Depending if you go by wingspan or mass, that would either be a Boeing 720 flown by remote control for a full-up crash test (investigating how jet fuel fires start in a crash), the (slightly longer, ...
- 16.8k
36
votes
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How do airports detect drones?
The number of drone sightings near airports is increasing (apart from last year), and frequently this results in temporary interruption of operations at airports, with enormous economic consequences. ...
- 81.8k
28
votes
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Hovering for free
... wondering if you could hover while not using any power by flying downwind.
If you're anchored to the ground like a kite, then yes. Otherwise not of course, the relevant airspeed for a flying ...
- 61.2k
27
votes
Why aren't swarms of cheap consumer-level drones a viable anti-aircraft tactic?
If a drone has a one-in-five-thousand chance of bringing down an aircraft, that makes it a serious danger on a civilian airport, but useless as a weapon for attacking military planes. And if you want ...
- 371
27
votes
Can you put a propeller on the back of a plane, and have it go forward?
Yes, in fact airplanes with pusher propellers were flying before those with tractor propellers:
Photo Credit: Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine
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27
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Why would a fighter drop fuel into a drone?
I read about three possibilities which the SU-27 pilots wanted to enforce:
a) Covering the drone in fuel and then igniting it with the afterburners which should have lead to a fire and subsequent ...
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26
votes
Why are military drones shaped so strangely?
Who says they are weird shaped? Maybe the 172 is weird...
The short answer is that it's the best design for the mission and the specific application. The 172 is designed to carry people and train ...
- 100k
26
votes
Accepted
How do drones overcome latency?
There are multiple ways to fly and control Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, for e.g. the Predator.
Source: science.howstuffworks.com
Some UAVs (like the Global Hawk) can perform the entire ...
- 99.8k
26
votes
Accepted
Do I need to register my drone?
If:
Your unmanned aircraft weighs between 250g and 25kg (including fuel and cargo),
You are not flying under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft, also known as section 336
You intend to operate it ...
- 5,096
26
votes
Accepted
What is the largest aircraft ever successfully flown and landed with no pilot on board?
Following along on the wingspan idea, the Helios had a 247 foot wingspan.
- 1,904
24
votes
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What is the purpose of these odd "control surfaces" on the BAE Taranis?
They look like spoilers but are more precisely called drag rudders. They are not meant to reduce lift like regular spoilers, but increase drag in order to create a yawing moment.
Regular aircraft ...
- 228k
23
votes
Why would only a specific model of drone be allowed to fly over crowds?
Special permissions can be granted for platforms with sufficient redundancy.
For example, if you have 4 props and one fails you'll crash. But if you have eight (in the correct pattern) and one fails, ...
- 231
23
votes
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What does the "remote control" for a QF-4 look like?
Here's a photo:
Retired Lt. Col. Thomas Mudge, a ground controller for the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, remotely pilots a QF-4 during a Combat Archer mission May 12, 2015 at Tyndall Air Force Base, ...
- 19k
23
votes
What's the minimum number of sensors for a hobby GPS waypoint-following UAV?
The absolute minimum for a generalized vehicle that needs to know its position and attitude (orientation) in space is one per degree of freedom. This can be reduced if we have information about the ...
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23
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Why aren't swarms of cheap consumer-level drones a viable anti-aircraft tactic?
Great. But what advantage does this offer compared to just designing a missile with an expanding rod fragmentation warhead to take out an aircraft?
While your comments are true that small drones have ...
- 71.9k
22
votes
Accepted
Can you put a propeller on the back of a plane, and have it go forward?
Your Question: Can you put a propeller on the back of a plane, and have it go forward?
Yes, there are several airplane types that have rear engines. Here is an example:
Cessna 337: Source: https://www....
- 32.4k
20
votes
Accepted
How does drone reliance on GPS make it 'semi-stealthy'?
For being remotely controlled, drones need to emit and receive a radio signal. If the outgoing signal contains a video feed, it will be high bandwidth and be like a beacon announcing the location of ...
- 228k
19
votes
Can quadrotors be used for commercial passenger flights?
The three most important factors in passenger air travel are safety, safety & safety. So that is where most of the questions will focus on, and where most of the engineering effort will be put ...
- 61.2k
16
votes
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Can a UAV defend itself?
The existing answers are, of course, correct that most current UAVs do not have much in the way of options for defending themselves against attacks by fighters. This, however, is due primarily to the ...
- 19.4k
16
votes
How precisely are airspace borders defined?
The boundaries are defined more precisely than the chart can show. What you see on the chart is a visual representation of the text published in JO 7400.9Z (or the most recent version of it):
AWP ...
- 71.5k
16
votes
Why aren't swarms of cheap consumer-level drones a viable anti-aircraft tactic?
Payload. Inexpensive quadrotors have a very limited carrying capacity. I have a HolyStone HS720E. ~$300. A measured 200 grams lifting capacity, and that with reduced control in flight, and much ...
- 6,948
15
votes
Why don't drones use ducted fans?
The reason not many drones use ducted fans is efficiency.
Ducted fans are great for fast forward flight but not for static lift.
Explanation: Yes, the 'duct' reduces losses at the blade tips, However,...
- 159
15
votes
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What is this Lockheed Martin plane?
Lockheed Martin Sabre Warrior UCAV (concept):
Source
Source
From Defence Forum India:
The Sabre Warrior drone is 46 feet long, with a 36-foot wingspan,
capable of taking off with 30,000 pounds ...
- 69.7k
15
votes
Why would only a specific model of drone be allowed to fly over crowds?
The most likely explanation is that CNN has a waiver from the FAA for certain operations. A waiver is a limited permission to deviate from the regulations and they're very common. In fact, for some ...
- 71.5k
15
votes
What's the minimum number of sensors for a hobby GPS waypoint-following UAV?
It's probably possible with only the GPS receiver, but it wouldn't be easy and you might have to make some compromises on the airframe design to achieve the necessary passive stability.
The ...
- 4,630
15
votes
Why would a fighter drop fuel into a drone?
I don't know about catching fire, although they might get lucky, but I'd imagine that dumping a hefty quantity of liquid into the engine intake might well upset the engine enough to turn the drone ...
- 151
14
votes
Is it possible to get permission to fly in the DCA “no drone” area?
Yes. This page comes up on a quick Google search.
Flying an unmanned aircraft within the 15-mile radius inner ring is prohibited without specific FAA authorization.
Experienced Part 107 and public ...
- 35.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible