Engineering:NUST UAV

Starfish 5
Role	UAV
National origin	China
Manufacturer	NUST
Introduction	2011
Status	In service
Primary user	China

NUST UAVs are Chinese UAVs developed by Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUST), most of which are experimental UAVs developed to explore various technologies.

Flying Suction Robot

Flying Amphibian UAV is an UAV developed by a team of NUST headed by instructor Mr. Liu Yong (刘永). The complete name of this UAV is Flying Suction Amphibious Reconnaissance Robot (Fei-Xing Xi-Fu Liang-Xi Zhen-Cha Ji-Qi-Ren or feixing xifu liangxi zhencha jiqiren, 飞行吸附两栖侦察机器人), often abbreviated as Flying Suction Robot (Fei-Xing Xi-Fu Ji-Qi-Ren or Feixing xifu jiqiren,飞行吸附机器人) and it is also known as Spy Shadow Rotary Aircraft (Die-Ying Xuan-Ji or dieyingxuanji, 谍影旋机). Flying Suction Robot UAV is a quadcopter with landing consists of a pair of skids. The suction cup enables the UAV to suck to any surface and also allows to suck on surface on sides, and this allows the shutdown of the motors to conserve battery power, and allows prolong missions. The UAV is capable of automatically switch between suction mode and flying mode. Specification:

• Weight (kg): 1.5
• Payload (kg): 1

Sharp Sword

Sharp Sword (Li-Jian or Lijian, 利剑, not to be confused with another Chinese UAV with the same name, AVIC 601-S Sharp Sword) UAV is a Chinese UAV developed by NUST as an experimental UAV for two purposes: gaining experience for aircraft carrier operations, and for UCAV. Sharp Sword is a miniature version of Sukhoi Su-35, which the UAV aerodynamics is based on, with an addition of tailhook.

To fulfill the land attack mission, the UAV is equipped with a hardpoint at the belly, armed with a small practice bomb. Weapon release is remotely controlled, and when target is identified, the bomb is released remotely by the operator. Carrier landing operation is also another area to be explored by Sharp Sword. However, unlike other Chinese experimental UAVs for carrier operations, Sharp Sword is not concentrated on the flight control, but instead, it explores the structural design of the tailhook. As with another NUST UAV Starfish 5, Sharp Sword is also developed by the same team of NUST students headed by Mr. Yu Jintian (余劲天), a lecturer of School of Engergy and Power Engineering of NUST.

Starfish 5

Starfish 5 (Hai-Xing or Haixing, 海星) is a Chinese experimental UAV developed by Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUST) to gain knowledge of carrier landing technology. Starfish 5 resembles a scaledown version of AAI RQ-7 Shadow and adopts similar configuration, with tailhook added for carrier landing. The wing of Starfish can be folded to reduce space needed for storage onboard ships. Starfish 5 utilizes infrared camera, GPS, ultrasound and remote control to achieve safe landing on carriers. Since GPS cannot provide accuracy up to centimeter level, it is assisted by ultrasound to provide such information. As image from infrared camera and accurate data from GPS and ultrasound are passed back to control station, operator remotely pilots the UAV to land. Starfish 5 UAV is developed by a team of NUST students headed by Mr. Yu Jintian (余劲天), a lecturer of School of Engergy and Power Engineering of NUST. Specification:

• Length: 2.65 m
• Wingspan: 3.01 m
• Height: 0.864 m
• Max takeoff weight: 16.8 kg
• Speed: 80 km/h
• Landing speed: 70 km/h
• Unit cost: ¥ 20000

See also

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles of China
• NUST V/STOL UAV