Compared with the extensive applications of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in surveying and mapping, environmental investigation and ecological monitoring, UAV in meteorological sounding is still in a blank state, especially in the application of large UAV in meteorology.
In May 2018, two large UAVs used autopilot of JOUAV AP-201 carrying dropping sounding system, which was domestic independently developed, were successfully tested in Huaibei. This achievement fills the gap of meteorological sounding with large unmanned equipment in China.
UAVs: TL-300 & TL-400, Developed by Skyway Aerial Organization.
Equipment: Dropping sounding system, Developed by Chine Aerial Science Engineering second institution. AP-201 autopilot, Developed by JOUAV
What’s the tough part of this project?
UAV meteorological sounding is absolutely a difficult, complex, multi-disciplinary and challenging work. Dropping sounding system should be the most important and foundation payload of the UAV meteorological sounding. Until 2009, China had the first dropping sounding test for tropical cyclone while there were a long blank in this area.
Testing site
TL-300 and TL-400 equipped with dropping sounding system were launched at 6000m airspace, flying for total 4hrs. The ground and airborne equipment had received sounder signals including data of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and air pressure in real time simultaneously. We succeed.
Zhang Xuefen, director of the base office of the China Meteorological Administration Exploration Center, who participated in the experiment, believed that this success eliminated the blank in area of large UAV dropping sounding in China. After the testing, we're able to provide technology support for other fields like typhoon detection, ecological monitoring, weather and meteorological data collecting in China.
How about the performance
TL-300 & TL-400 large meteorological UAV
Taxiing and Ejection Takeoff
Taxiing Landing, Emergency parachute Landing
Large payload(TL-400 MTOL 40kg)
Capability of large area mission
Dropping sounding system
Precision, Light, Small-size
Sounding system and dropping system integrated with full automation
Automatic temperature control system (70℃ ~ -90℃)
Be able to hanging on the wing, belly or somewhere in the cabin
AP-201 Autopilot
Professional, functional
Integrated MEMS Inertial Sensor
Freescale high performance MPC5200 CPU
200Hz completely Nonlinear GPS/SINS Solution Frequency
200Hz update frequency of control loop
Novatel high precision RTK GPS receiver
Data transmission can reach up to 60Km
J30J Aviation connector with abundant interface resources.
AP-201autopilot
