Unmanned aerial vehicle and method of launching

摘要

A method of launching a powered unmanned aerial vehicle at an altitude of at least 13,000 m, the method comprising lifting the vehicle by attachment to a lighter-than-air carrier from a substantially ground-level location to an elevated altitude, causing the vehicle to detach from the carrier while the velocity of the vehicle relative to the carrier is substantially zero, the vehicle thereafter decreasing in altitude as it accelerates to a velocity where it is capable of preventing any further descent and can begin independent sustained flight.

主权项

1. A method of launching a powered unmanned aerial vehicle at an elevated altitude, the vehicle having wings, the method comprising:
lifting the vehicle by attachment to a lighter-than-air carrier from a substantially ground-level location to an elevated altitude, wherein during lifting the vehicle is in a wing-tip-up orientation with the wings of the vehicle in a substantially vertical attitude, reorienting the vehicle at the elevated altitude from the substantially vertical attitude to a substantially horizontal attitude prior to detaching the vehicle from the lighter-than-air carrier, and detaching the vehicle from the carrier while the velocity of the vehicle relative to the carrier is substantially zero, the vehicle thereafter decreasing in altitude as it accelerates to a velocity where it is capable of preventing any further descent and can begin independent sustained flight.