There are several hybrid aircraft designs under development in companies from all over the world, in which the maneuverability of a VTOL aircraft (helicopter or multirotor) is combined with the efficiency and cruising speed of fixed-wing planes. This technology provides fast UAVs with high endurance capabilities (like an airplane), combined with high flight maneuverability; at the same time, it enables vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) operations.
Hybrid aircraft technology has many advantages, fusing qualities from different types of aircraft, standing out for: vertical and runway takeoff and landing capabilities, high endurance and range, ability to hover, high cruise speeds,… This technology is applicable to a wide range of applications: agriculture monitoring, cartography, maritime observation, border custody, logistics,… among other applications.
Hybrid aircraft viability
The hybrid aircraft is already a fact; there exist different models in flight with capabilities more than remarkable. Albatross aircraft is a noteworthy example, developed by Dronetech UAV and controlled by Veronte Autopilot 1x. It is a multirotor drone powered by two forwarding motors and four motors for the vertical flight, all of them electric. Also, Veronte enables fully autonomous flight control as well as monitoring in real time the aircraft during flight.
The hybrid aircraft is already a fact; different models are in flight with more than remarkable capabilities. A noteworthy example is the Albatross, developed by Dronetech UAV and controlled by Veronte Autopilot 1x. It is a multirotor-plane drone powered by two motors for forward control and four motors for vertical flight, all of them electric. Veronte Autopilot 1x installed enables fully autonomous flight and transitions at the time it provides real-time flight monitoring.
Veronte Autopilot 1x is fully configurable and adaptable to any VTOL hybrid aircraft configuration, permitting to perform fully autonomous missions, including transitions between flight configurations, as well as providing fully autonomous payload control. Veronte includes a module for performance customization where simple flight phases can be configured, together with combined flight modes and smooth transitions.
Veronte has been successfully installed into different configurations of hybrid aircraft, such as the HADA project, in which helicopter flight modes have been combined with fixed-wing aircraft capabilities, including a retractable wing design, or the Albatross and Pelican aircraft, combining qualities of multirotor flight with fixed-wing aircraft control, and installing rotors for vertical flight on pods installed on the wings.
Veronte Autopilot 1x is also configurable for fully autonomous control for any other hybrid aircraft combinations, like aircraft with complete wing and motor rotation to be positioned in vertical or forward position, fixed-wing aircraft with vertical takeoff positioning and inflight rotation capabilities, aircraft and surface vehicle combinations, and any other imaginable configuration. All of them are fully controllable from a single Veronte Autopilot installed on the platform.
