The prototype modular unmanned air vehicle (UAV) developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) made its first flight in front of the media on Thursday morning.

It was also only the second time that the UAV had flown on autopilot.

The flight took place at the White Hills radio flyers facility in rural Centurion, west of Pretoria.

The modular UAV is an experimental aircraft designed to be able to support a wide range of research projects, such as variable aircraft stability, sense and avoid technologies, autopilot algorithm development, and nonlinear flight control.

The aircraft is powered by two electric motors, generating 6 kW of power, and has in its current configuration a wing span of four metres. It can carry a payload of 10 kg and with such a payload has an endurance of 45 minutes.

The modular UAV is being funded by the Department of Science and Technology and is being managed by the Maraka Institute.

The airframe was designed, and the prototype test flying is being undertaken, by the aeronautics systems competency of the CSIR. The autopilot has been developed by the engineering systems laboratory of the University of Stellenbosch.

The UAV is the first part of a two-part project. The second part, currently under development, is a UAV systems integration laboratory.

This laboratory will simulate the UAV system and its flight characteristics, using data from test flights and from wind tunnel tests. One UAV airframe and its autopilot will form part of the laboratory’s hardware.

The laboratory will provide the ability to test new technologies regarding UAVs in an environment that is controlled but realistic, before any flight is undertaken.

Currently, it is planned to produce four modular UAVs, namely a wind tunnel model, a flying prototype (the aircraft that was demonstrated on Thursday), and two production aircraft to support research programmes.

One of the production aircraft will be operated by the CSIR and the other by the University of Stellenbosch.

The size of the UAV was determined by the need for it to be small enough to be legally classified as a model aircraft, but big enough to carry a worthwhile research payload.

A larger UAV could currently only be operated with special permission from the civil aviation authority for each and every flight.

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