Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University has patented a single-use unmanned aerial vehicle designed for vertical launch from a transport and launch container. The design allows the UAV to be placed in a compact square-section cell, and after exiting the container, automatically deploy its wings and tail assembly.
The development is intended for special tasks and is primarily focused on launching from surface ships. The patent states that the device must be stored in a transport and launch container, from which it is ejected by a catapult mechanism.
In the transport position, the front and rear wings fold along the fuselage — some are located on top, some on the bottom. The tail assembly also retracts along the side surfaces of the fuselage. Due to this arrangement, the device, together with the unfolded elements, forms a cross-section close to square.
After exiting the container, the locks release the wings, which unfold perpendicularly to the fuselage. Simultaneously, the tail assembly deploys. After this, the engine starts, and the folding blades of the pusher propeller unfold under the action of centrifugal force.
One of the key features of the project was the modular internal layout. The developers propose using a single basic platform, equipping it with various equipment depending on the task.
Sensors, a video camera, optoelectronic equipment, or a radar station can be placed in the front part. Inside the fuselage, there is space for interchangeable payload, fuel tanks, batteries, and onboard equipment.
The patent directly considers the installation of explosives or dropped ammunition in the central compartment. Therefore, the development can potentially be used not only as a reconnaissance or surveillance UAV but also as a single-use strike aircraft.
Russian developers are actively patenting marine unmanned systems
The topic of launching drones from marine platforms is actively being developed in several Russian scientific centers. We have already reported on how specialists from the Institute of Marine Technology Problems of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Vladivostok patented an unmanned boat capable of carrying four aircraft-type drones — the surface drone is equipped with sealed compartments and a launcher, and a network of radio-absorbing material reduces its visibility. The same institute previously presented an underwater vehicle that launches a quadcopter from underwater: the carrier surfaces and, on command, releases an aerial drone for reconnaissance or communication.
In parallel, Russian defense enterprises are patenting single-use strike UAVs: "NPO Mashinostroyeniya" received a patent for an aircraft-type kamikaze drone with a "canard" scheme, a turbojet engine, and a central cargo compartment for combat load. The development of Kant BFU fits into this general trend — the creation of compact single-use devices ready for launch from ships and capable of carrying both reconnaissance equipment and explosives.
Read more on the topic:
- "Molniya-2" Received New Combat Load: The Drone Was Equipped with a "Shmel" Charge
- "Gerbera" Received Half of "Geran-2" Engine: 275 cm³ Significantly Accelerated Light UAV
- Electronic Warfare System Developed for "Geran" Against Interceptor Drones