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Sentinel team places 2nd in Dassault UAV Challenge 2024
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Ziad El Asmar and the rest of the Sentinel team, created to represent ISAE-SUPAERO in the Dassault UAV Challenge 2024 competition, took 2nd place on the podium in the final held on May 25 and 26. The Sentinel team has earned the Institute its 3rd consecutive podium finish in the competition!
They tell you.
Key figures :
- 6 team members (1 French, 1 Lebanese, 1 Cypriot and 3 Indians)
- 2nd place in the competition
- Drone endurance of approx. 15 minutes
What was the initial aim of the project?
Ziad El Asmar
The aim of the “Sentinel” project was to develop a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) designed for search and rescue operations. The UAV was to be capable of locating people in distress, providing them with distress communication, and maintaining constant communication between the victim and ground rescue teams.
The project followed our participation in the Dassault UAV Challenge 2023-2024 in October. We started with a preliminary design phase, where the team selected the key components and defined the basic technical specifications. After this phase, a report was submitted to Dassault and, from the 13 teams selected in October, 6 were chosen to continue and start manufacturing the UAV. Our team was one of the finalists.
How did you go about developing the project?
The development of the project included several phases:
- Design and manufacturing: The fuselage and wings have been designed with weight and structural constraints in mind. Different materials and configurations were tested to optimize the drone’s performance and durability.
- Ground and flight tests: Prior to flight testing, ground tests were carried out to verify the structural integrity and operation of the avionics systems. Test flights were then carried out to evaluate performance in real-life conditions and adjust design parameters.
Have you achieved the goals you set for yourself?
The drone developed by the “Sentinel” team finished in 2nd place and managed to accomplish several key objectives:
- Autonomous flights with climb, search, descent and communication phases. The drone’s stability and maneuverability were phenomenal.
- Ability to release a distress communication module at optimum altitude with minimum impact.
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Project highlights :
- Technical innovation: Use of lightweight materials and advanced manufacturing techniques to optimize drone design and performance.
- Autonomy: The drone is capable of carrying out autonomous missions, reducing the need for constant human intervention.
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Project weaknesses
- Weight problems: Adjustments had to be made to reduce the weight of the fuselage and wings, which sometimes complicated the manufacturing process.
- Manufacturing complexity: Some components, such as the trailing edge of the wings, presented significant challenges in terms of manufacturing precision.
How would you sum up this experience?
This project has enabled us to deepen our aeromodelling skills. Some of us would like to continue doing so. In fact, we’ll be mentoring the team representing ISAE-SUPAERO at next year’s Dassault UAV Challenge.
Beyond aeromodelling, we continue to work on our research projects, which are part of our curriculum.
We would like to thank our donors for their generous support, which has enabled us to achieve the good results mentioned above.