The Affordable Guided Airdrop System (AGAS)

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the Affordable Guided Airdrop System (AGAS). AGAS is a low cost, high aititude, deployable airdrop system that will be autonomously controlled via an onboard Guidance, Navigation & Control System (GN&C). The AGAS consists of a round parachute that is controlled via four pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) which are connected between the system’s payload and risers. The AGAS concept is being developed under the US Air Force New World Vistas Precision Aerial Delivery @WV-PAD) program that is jointly managed by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, Soldier Systems Center (Natick). AFOSR and * Director of Engineering, Senior Member ’ Engineering Manager, AIAA Member * Principal Engineer, AIAA Member ‘Aerospace Engineer, Senior Member : Cyf, Aviation and Airdrop System Div, AIAA Member This paper is declared a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. 316 Natick have teamed with The Boeing Company and Vertigo Inc. to demonstrate the AGAS concept. A scaled system was demonstrated in September and November 1998 and is currently scaling up to a standard container delivery system (CDS) payload (A-22 container with 2200 pound capacity). This paper presents the current state of development of the AGAS and provides experimentally obtained performance data on the scaled system. The paper also discusses the applications for the AGAS system in the context of the NWV-PAD program and introduces the Guidance Navigation and Control (GN&C) system concept, which will utilize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. (c)l999 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics