Unmanned cargo aircraft: a

future for the Dutch and

European aerospace industry?

Hans Heerkens

University of Twente

Netherlands

Agenda

• Why unmanned cargo aircraft?

• Why now?

• Why in Holland?

• What next?

Unmanned cargo aircraft (UCA’s)

• Specifically designed for cargo

• Maximizing advantages of ‘unmanned’

(not just a plane without windows)

Not this…Source: naval-Technology.com

…but this…Design by the UT- students Borghout, de Jonge, Roos, van Schroijnstein Lantman en Westenberg

...or this…Design by the UT-students Van der Veer, Kestelo, Kohlmann, en Lechevallier

Why unmanned cargo aircraft?

Unmanned means: lower cost,

higher productivity (quantity, price)

• No pilots, so

– Reduced salaries (1 long-distance plane may

require 12 crews)

– No cockpit (cargo doors)

– No fatigue (long flights, efficient cruise speed

with turboprop engines)

– No rest facilities

– No back-up crew

– No traveling expenses

– No extra ‘away from home’ pay

– No coupling of aircraft and crew

– Planning much more flexible

– One controller for several aircraft

– Controllers dedicated to airport operations

– ‘Synthetic’ airport lay-outs

• Some of these advantages increase with

number of UCAs in use

• No passengers, so

– No windows (weak spots in airframe)

– No pressurized cabin

– Simple fire prevention

– Cargo containers part of structure?

– Optimized fuselage diameter

• Small is beautiful (exception in technology)

– More direct flights, so less damage to cargo

– New routes/applications

Why UCA’s now?

• Technology is available

• Military UAVs is pave the way

• Large areas where infrastructure holds back growth

• Fragmentation of air transport (maturity) – China: 61 cities with 1 million or more inhabitants

• Internet trade; spreading production and consumption

• High value-weight ratio growth

• Insufficient capacity of other modes of transport

• Sustainability

– Yes: more efficient flight profiles

– No: reducing cost increases demand

Why here?

• Integration knowledge

• Industrial infrastructure

• Capabilities: combination of materials,

structures, logistics, sensors, software

support

• We need innovation (at least to talk about

it)

• We are not strong, so we have to be quick

to identify niche markets

• Relevance unmanned aircraft will

increase, one way or another

• Airframe integration project can give

aviation industry policy focus

Challenges

• Safety – In the air

– On the ground

• Certification

• Infrastructure will be there, but when?

• Chicken-or-egg problem; no tradition to build on

• Probably more market creation than substitution

• Public opinion

Are these problems temporary or principal?

Markets

• Package transport

– Continental and intercontinental

– Large and small airports

– Thin routes, advantage for unmanned

– Fragmentation of air transport

– Internet trade

– A good first step

• Bulk transport

– Competes with bellyfreight or converted

passenger aircraft

– Technical challenge too big

• Special transport (animals)

– Market for dedicated aircraft small

– Unmanned not the best option

Key characteristics

• Payload

– More than minivans

– Not more than BAE Systems 146-class

aircraft (short ranges)

• Range

– More than short-range road transport

– Intercontinental

• Speed

– Fast enough for reliable arrival times

– Optimal fuel consumption

Possible payload-range-

combinations

• Medium/long distance, 10-20 tonnes

– Oversea routes

– No competition with bellyfreight

– Low cruise speed

– Europe-China, new connections or increased

frequencies

• Short distance (intra-Europe), 3-10 tonnes

– 2500 airfields in Europe

• Flying boat, floatplane, amphibian?

– 90% cities near waterways

Small is beautiful

• Salary cost relatively high

• Does not compete with belly freight

• Doable for Dutch industry

• Simple infrastructure suffices, so potential

for new destinations

Criteria for choosing payload,

range etc. • Market needs

• Competencies of ‘BV Nederland’

• Logistics and technological policy of key

players

– National

– International

• Technical feasibility

• Potential for generating enthusiasm,

involvement and support

• Long-term perspectives for organizations

involved

What next?

• Investigate logistic flows, present and

future

• Investigate cost structure of UCA’s

• Identify promising payload-range

combinations

Platform for Unmanned Cargo

Aircraft (PUCA)

• Initiation (research)

– Both technical and economical perspective

– Needs of users are starting-point

• Organization (development)

• Mobilization (hearts & minds, money)

Can you contribute?

YES, you can:

• Bachelor- and Master assignments

• Spread the word!

• Financing (partner organizations)

Questions?

Discussion!