HALO the winning entry to the DARPA UAVForge challenge 2012

Abstract

The DARPA UAVForge challenge was designed to bring together a diverse group of UAV enthusiasts to develop the next generation, low cost, small unmanned air system (SUAS) for perch and stare operations in a military context. The challenge combined a web-based collaboration site with a live competitive fly-off event held at Fort Stewart, Georgia, USA in May 2012. UAVForge was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Atlantic (SSC Atlantic) initiative to leverage the exchange of ideas among an international community united. More than 140 teams and 3,500 registered citizen scientists from 153 countries participated in this year long event. From several selection rounds, a core of nine teams competed in the fly-off event and in June 2012 Team HALO from the UK was declared the winner scoring 47.7 points out of a maximum possible 60 points, with their co-axial tri-rotor Y6 design. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.