Ground Carriage
The mobile runway system, also known as a ground carriage, is a revolutionary concept for drones, currently being developed by mb+Partner. The new technology will allow flexible operations of fixed-wing unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) independent from conventional runway infrastructure and in xSTOL (extra short take off & landing) scenarios. An initial goal is to provide a mobile runway system that can be set up for automated operations by 2 people within 1-2 hours with minimal location constraints.
The application of UAVs starting from a mobile runway system enables automated surveillance and services with long range or large area requirements. Examples for long range surveillance scenarios are the regular flyover of pipelines, train tracks, coastlines and power lines. Large areas need to be surveyed in the case of search & rescue, emission detection, early wildfire detection and many more.
Future applications with larger UAV and light aircraft include cargo transport, automated firefighting UAV and handling regional battery-powered aircraft, which benefit exceptionally from mass savings due to the large battery weight.
First working test carrier
As part of the REALISE research project, the first functioning test vehicle of a mobile runway system was put into operation, as can be seen in the video. The REALISE system is capable of accommodating aircraft weighing up to 150 kg.
Scaled test vehicle
With the ElektRail project, the approach of the REALISE system was taken up and raised to the next level. In addition to a higher maximum weight of the aircraft of 600 kg, the maximum speed was improved. The final test campaign successfully demonstrated the functionality of the system with a 400 kg electrically powered small aircraft.
