Defence Q&A Feedback for Designing a Field Drone

[_Bear]

I am in the process of designing a drone for military field use. I have a general concept for it, but the whole thing needs refinement to get it to a prototype worth state. The current concept is a high endurance, medium altitude, ultra long range, easily portable, VTOL, UAV for ISR and light payload delivery. I have looked through hundreds of existing UAVs and this seems to be one of the few untapped niches of design, but I am wondering how much practical application it has. My reason for this post is to ask for feedback on modifications I should make to design and mission roles to maximize its applicability. I am more than happy to provide any additional info needed.

 

[Loban]

I am in the process of designing a drone for military field use. I have a general concept for it, but the whole thing needs refinement to get it to a prototype worth state. The current concept is a high endurance, medium altitude, ultra long range, easily portable, VTOL, UAV for ISR and light payload delivery. I have looked through hundreds of existing UAVs and this seems to be one of the few untapped niches of design, but I am wondering how much practical application it has. My reason for this post is to ask for feedback on modifications I should make to design and mission roles to maximize its applicability. I am more than happy to provide any additional info needed.

Right now you’re stacking too many competing requirements. High endurance, VTOL, ultra-long range, portable, medium altitude and payload delivery will fight each other in weight and complexity.

Pick the primary mission first. If it’s ISR, prioritize endurance, sensor quality, low signature and secure comms. If it’s light resupply, lock in a realistic payload weight and radius, then design around that.

Also focus on what operators actually care about: fast setup, minimal crew, modular payloads, anti-jam capability and easy maintenance. Define the exact user and scenario before refining the airframe.