Project ATTIS envisions developing a long range reconnaissance drone for assistance in search and rescue operations. The team plans to ensure the aircraft can operate in adverse weather conditions and be deployed quickly.
In a search and rescue mission the amount of area covered is a most important which comes down to how much area can be covered by the aircraft and how many can be fielded. While area coverage will handled by the aircraft an important limitation on how many drones can be fielded may come down to cost. There are other UAV options available on the market but they are very expensive. Some examples are SB4 Phoenix ($25,000), Atmos UAV (€17,000), and BAE PHASA 35. A more affordable, long-range platform for imaging sensors that can fly autonomously over waypoints would provide a way for data to be gathered more efficiently, with lower costs and with less environmental impact is something we believe lacking in the current UAV market.
Current Status/Scope
The project is in its early development phase. The current goal is to first build a smaller scale aircraft to then serve as the basis for a then larger and longer ranged aircraft.
Currently, the preliminary sizing of the UAV is in progress. Further a configuration has been selected leading the way for second class sizing and estimations.