Engineering:AI Bird UAV

AI Bird UAVs are Chinese UAVs developed by Wuhan AI Bird UAV Co., Ltd. (AI Bird, 武汉智能鸟无人机有限公司), whose products covers both the fixed wing and rotary UAVs.

Gull 1

Gull 1 unmanned flying boat (Hai-Ou Yi-Hao Shui-Shang Wu-Ren-Ji, 海鸥一号水上无人机) is a fixed wing micro air vehicle (MAV) developed by AI Bird that is able to land on water. Gull 1 is in conventional design with high-wing configuration. Gull 1 MAV is in conventional layout and propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Since the MAV is designed to be hand launched and landed on water for recovery, the payload cannot be attached under the fuselage as in most land-based UAVs/MAVs in conventional layout. Instead, the payload is attached to the wingtips in cylindrical pods. A third cylindrical pod is mounted atop of the fuselage, but its purpose was not revealed by the developer when the MAV made its public debut.

Hexacopter

AI Bird hexacopter is a multirotor MAV with a pair of skids as landing gear, and it is intended aerial survey / photography applications. This hexacopter is the smaller cousin of its smaller cousin quadcopter. Specification:

• Length (m): 1
• Width (m): 1
• Height (m): 0.3
• Empty weight (kg): 4
• Payload (kg): 3
• Remote control distance (km): 5
• Ceiling (km): 2
• Speed (km/h): 30
• Endurance (min): 25
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 3

KC-09

KC-09 UAV is a gasoline-powered UAV developed by AI Bird in twin-boom layout with mid wing configuration, and it can also be electrically powered if customer requires. The landing gear consists of a pair of skids, and each skid has a pair of wheels installed for easy transportation on the ground. Alternatively, the landing gear can be configured as wheels-only version with skids removed. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage. Specification:

• Length (m): 2.62
• Wingspan (m): 3
• Height (m): 0.6
• Max take-off weight (kg): 25
• Payload (kg): 8
• Range (km): 500
• Ceiling (km): 3 for gasoline-powered, 5 for electrically powered
• Cruise speed (km/h): 90 – 110
• Endurance (h): 5 – 6
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6
• Remote control radius (km): 20, 60 or 100 (with relay station)
• Launch: catapult or taxiing
• Recovery: parachute or taxiing
• Take-off distance (m): 25
• Landing distance (m): 60
• Power plant: 50 cc gasoline engine or lithium battery powered electric motor
• Deployment time (h): < 0.5 from storage to airborne

KC-1600 Sky Hawk

KC-1600 Sky Hawk (Tian-Ying or Tianying, 天鹰) is a hand held, electrically powered MAV developed AI Bird in conventional layout with high-wing configuration, but without elevator. In addition to lacking horizontal surfaces at the empennage, another unusual feature of KC-1600 Sky Hawk is that it is a twin-engine MAV, with one engine on each wing driving a two-blade propeller. KC-1600 Sky Hawak externally resembles a replica of AeroVironment RQ-14 Dragon Eye and performs similar mission of RQ-14, so it can be said that it is the Chinese version of RQ-14. Specification:

• Length (m): 1
• Wingspan (m): 1.64
• Max take-off weight (kg): 3
• Payload (kg): 0.5
• Ceiling (km): 4
• Cruise speed (km/h): 65
• Stall speed (km/h): 36
• Max speed (km/h): 72
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 4
• Remote control radius (km): 20 – 60
• Launch: catapult or hand
• Recovery: parachute
• Endurance (min): 45
• Normal operating radius (km): 15
• Power plant: battery powered electric motors

KC-2000

KC-2000 is an UAV developed by AI Bird in flying wing layout with cropped delta wing with winglets Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven pusher engine mounted on the empennage. The winglets of KC-2000 point downward instead of upward in most aircraft. Specification:

• Length (m): 1.08
• Wingspan (m): 2
• Height (m): 0.38
• Max take-off weight (kg): 9
• Payload (kg): 3
• Payload compartment size (cm): 16 x 20 x 16
• Launch: catapult
• Recovery: parachute
• Ceiling (km): 5
• Fuel (L): 3
• Cruise speed (km/h): 110
• Stall speed (km/h): 60
• Endurance (h): 3 – 4
• Max windscale allowed: 6
• Propulsion: 2 kW
• Remote control radius (km): 20 – 60

KC-2400

KC-2400 is a gasoline-powered UAV developed by AI Bird in conventional layout with v-tail and a pair of skids as landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Specification:

• Length (m): 1.9
• Wingspan (m): 2.4
• Height (m): 0.45
• Max take-off weight (kg): 15
• Payload (kg): 3 – 5
• Ceiling (km): 4
• Cruise speed (km/h): 110
• Stall speed (km/h): 60
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6
• Remote control radius (km): 20 – 60
• Launch: taxiing or catapult
• Recovery: taxiing or parachute
• Endurance (h): 2 – 3
• Power plant: 4 kW gasoline engine
• Fuel: 4.5 L

KC-2800

KC-2800 is a gasoline-powered UAV developed by AI Bird in conventional layout with a pair of skids as landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Specification:

• Length (m): 1.965
• Wingspan (m): 2.8
• Height (m): 0.42
• Max take-off weight (kg): 19
• Payload (kg): 3 – 5
• Ceiling (km): 5
• Cruise speed (km/h): 110
• Stall speed (km/h): 60
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6
• Remote control radius (km): 20 – 60
• Launch: taxiing or catapult
• Recovery: taxiing or parachute
• Endurance (h): 2 – 3
• Power plant: 4 kW gasoline engine
• Fuel: 6 L

Quadcopter

AI Bird quadcopter is a multirotor MAV with a pair of skids as landing gear, and it is intended aerial survey / photography applications. This quadcopter is the smaller cousin of its larger cousin hexacopter. Specification:

• Length (m): 0.55
• Width (m): 0.55
• Height (m): 0.27
• Empty weight (kg): 0.88
• Payload (kg): 0.3
• Remote control distance (km): 5
• Ceiling (km): 2
• Speed (km/h): 30
• Endurance (min): 10
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 3

Sea Eagle 1

Sea Eagle (Hai-Ying or Haiying, 海鹰) 1 is a fixed wing long endurance UAV developed by AI Bird in twin-boom layout with inverted v-tail. Sea Eagle 1 has winglets and tricycle landing gear, and propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage. Specification:

• Endurance (h): 10 – 15
• Range (km): 1000 – 1500
• Launch: catapult of taxiing
• Recovery: taxiing

SY-2000

SY-2000 UAV is a gasoline-powered unmanned parawing developed by AI Bird in conventional layout with parasol wing configuration. In comparison to traditional fixed-wing UAV, SY-2000 parawing can carry the same payload with lower cruise speed (40–80 km/hr, as opposed to the usual 110 km/hr of traditional fixed-wing UAV), so that it is better suited for aerial photography. SY-2000 has tricycle landing gear and is propelled by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Specification:

• Length (m): 2.04
• Wingspan (m): 1
• Height (m): 1.28
• Max take-off weight (kg): 20
• Payload (kg): 3 – 5
• Ceiling (km): 4
• Cruise speed (km/h): 60
• Stall speed (km/h): 40
• Max wind scale allowed for operation: 4
• Remote control radius (km): 20 – 60
• Launch: taxiing
• Recovery: taxiing
• Endurance (h): 3 – 4
• Power plant: 4 kW gasoline engine
• Fuel: 4.5 – 6 L

See also

List of unmanned aerial vehicles of the People's Republic of China