Launch and recovery system for unmanned aerial vehicles

摘要

A method of launching and retrieving a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) ( 10 ). The preferred method of launch involves carrying the UAV ( 10 ) up to altitude using a parasail ( 8 ) similar to that used to carry tourists aloft. The UAV is dropped and picks up enough airspeed in the dive to perform a pull-up into level controlled flight. The preferred method of recovery is for the UAV to fly into and latch onto the parasail tow line ( 4 ) or cables hanging off the tow line and then be winched back down to the boat ( 2 ).