Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - Check Out Malaysia’s First Locally Developed Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)!

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used in various real-world scenarios, including cargo delivery, traffic monitoring, moving things in potentially risky situations, and surveillance. The deployment of UAVs in any of these applications demands the creation of viable and optimal vehicle motion trajectories.

The first offensive use of airpower in naval aviation occurred in July 1849, when a balloon carrier (the forerunner to the aircraft carrier) served as the first unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting.

As Path-planning algorithms for UAV flights differ from ground vehicles, UAVs will be forced to interact dynamically with other flying or static objects in their flight paths, making global path planning nearly impossible. It is tough to map out the configuration space fully.

UAV and UGV path-planning challenges are integrated with some applications for collaborative task execution in complex environments. UAV route planning entails creating a flight path directed at a target with the lowest total cost, i.e. the lowest probability of being destroyed, while yet achieving the UAV's performance requirements. Path planning for UAVs has the following characteristics in general:

1) (Security) This feature is concerned with the safety of UAVs. UAVs are frequently used to carry out missions in dangerous situations. As a result, it's critical to reduce the chances of being detected by hostile radar and other UAVs.

2) (Physical feasibility) This relates to UAVs' physical constraints, such as maximum path distance and minimum path leg length.

3) (Mission accomplishment) This refers to whether or not a path can meet the mission's requirements. When we construct a way to achieve the task, we must meet several requirements. The maximum turning angle, maximum climbing/diving angle, and minimum flying height are frequently among these parameters.

4) (Implementation in real-time) This term refers to the effectiveness of path planning. The flight surroundings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are often changing. As a result, we need a computationally efficient path-planning technique. The ability to replan is essential for adapting to unforeseen risks.

Increasing research and development efforts have been conducted to enhance UAV reliability and suitability for diverse applications because unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are still in their early stages.

As the technology is rapidly developed, many countries have begun to adapt to UAVs, especially for defence purposes, including Malaysia.

Malaysia crossed a significant milestone in its history with the debut of the first locally developed tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on the opening day of the four-day 17th Defence Services Asia 2022 (DSA 2022) and National Security Asia 2022 (NATSEC Asia) exhibitions.

Designed by DEFTECH Unmanned Systems Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd, the UAV, known as the Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ISR UAV), can operate day and night for 10 hours and is capable of flying at a distance of 100 kilometres.

The 3.28m-long Tactical UAV has a 4.86m wingspan, a 120kg MTOW, and a 10kg payload. It has a range of 100 kilometres and a 10-hour endurance, with a cruise speed of 111 kilometres per hour and a twin-cylinder 25 horsepower piston engine.

With the ability to fly at 4,000 feet, a prototype Tactical UAV's maiden flight is slated for mid-April, pending certification by Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, which controls operating frequency usage, is expected to approve the data link frequency.

With the introduction of the ISR UAV, the capabilities of the Malaysian defence and security forces could be doubled by providing a secure platform to handle dangerous and challenging situations or environments.