Akela Practical, Agile, Compact

Our System

We have a winning combination of custom mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems that allows us to consistently rank highly in the AUVSI SUAS competition from year to year. Each incredible in its own right, our subsystems are outlined below.

Akela Airframe

Features

  • Built-up construction from laser-cut plywood
  • Rail-based payload mounting for easy payload swaps and integration
  • Easily breaks down for transportation - fits in 56 in X 24 in X 20 in volume

Dimenions

  • Wingspan: 85 in
  • Length: 96 in
  • Height: 18 in

Weights

  • Empty Weight: 19 lbs
  • Max Gross Weight: 35 lbs
  • Fuel Capacity: 42 oz
  • Current RTF Weight: 25 lbs

Performance

  • Powerplant: DLE-35RA
  • Loiter Endurance: 60+ minutes
  • Stall Speed: 19 kias
  • Loiter Speed: 34 kias
  • Cruise Speed: 45 kias
  • Max Speed: 100 kias
  • Takeoff Distance: 200 ft
  • Landing Roll: 100 ft
  • Max Rate of Climb: 2000 ft/min

Autopilot

Pixhawk 2.1

Capabilities

  • Fully autonomous flight
  • Fully autonomous takeoff and landing
  • Easy dynamic retasking through ground station

Imagery

Image Capture

  • Sony a6000 camera for simple, easy image capture
  • High resolution 24.3 MP images for analysing small details on ground targets
  • Nadir tracking gimbal keeps the camera pointed directly at the ground

Imagery Infrastructure

  • Onboard flight computer for control and storage, even in the event of communication loss
  • Near real-time still image downlink, 70Mbps link to the ground
  • RAID-backed database of all imagery ever captured - over 60,000 images total

Image Analysis

  • Easy-to-use image software aids analysts in quickly detecting and identifying targets
  • Automatic target recognition software aids operators in detecting and characterizing targets