Leptron introduces the Aggressor II™ UAV Helicopter, a fully featured industrial helicopter with the integrated automatic flight control system. The Aggressor II has been designed to be the most reliable, easiest to fly and simplest to maintain UAV helicopter in its class. To do this, Leptron has partnered with Viking Aerospace, the leader in integrated UAV automatic flight control solutions, to jointly design and integrate, from the ground up, the internationally awarded and tested WePilot™ helicopter core autopilot, and navigation system. The most advanced stability algorithms in the aviation business are designed using ‘Robust Control’ techniques based upon H-infinity methods. The same WePilot™ autopilot technology is in use today on hundreds of military and civilian UAV helicopters and fixed wing aircraft throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Our ‘First Responder’ customers in the Fire/Rescue and Police demand the ability to have rapid launch capability (<2 min from power-up) as well as real time in-flight switching between our 4 supported flight modes.

In-Flight Switching Modes

Standard R/C Mode – While in this mode, the Aggressor II is operated as a standard RC helicopter. Additionally, pilots cannot feel any delay in the helicopter response to stick commands, which is a severe problem with early generation UAV autopilots.
R/C Based Pilot Directed Mode – This mode allows any inexperienced user to provide high level direction and velocity commands to the helicopter. The Autopilot creates ‘guard rails’ which are bounded by performance limitations to ensure stability and safety of the Aggressor II. These commands can be given through the R/C interface. (Or via the optional joystick connected to the Ground Control Station (GCS) computer).
Ground Control Station Based Mission Mode – The Mission mode is the simplest of the autopilot options to use. Point and click waypoint programming, real time in-flight mission loading or mission changes, mission interrupt, continue at waypoint X, automatic takeoff, and automatic landing, and are just some of the features included in this mode. Encoded in each waypoint are: Lat, Long, Altitude, Speed (at which to travel), and Payload on/off functionality.
Home Mode – This is a button that can be pushed at any time which will return the helicopter to the home ‘Hover’ position and the ‘Auto Land’. This mode is also entered upon communication loss. Should the operator decide to shutdown all communication (shutdown R/C transmitter and GCS) with the helicopter while in flight, the helicopter will simply return to the home waypoint, land, and shutdown.

Autopilot Options

The Aggressor II™ can be ordered with either of 2 Autopilot Options. The first option is a ‘light’ version which incorporates Standard R/C and R/C Based Pilot Directed Mode and Home Modes.

Additionally, the customer may order the ‘Full’ version which incorporates all 4 modes including the addition of the Ground Control Station Based Mission Mode (Laptop is sold separately) that enables the Mission Mode.

Additionally, if the customer selects the “light” version and wishes to upgrade to the ‘Full’ autopilot, there is no change to the Helicopter or any of the system components, just a simple cable and laptop with Ground Station Software allows the seamless upgrade at anytime.

Ground Control Station Software (Optional)

With a simple flick of the autopilot toggle switch, the Aggressor II™ can now be managed fully from the Ground Station Software. This quick conversion allows the helicopter to be managed in a full autonomous mode via the laptop or optionally attached Joystick.

The Ground Station software allows for creation of pre-determined missions including the capability to download 2D satellite images of terrain and develop complete flight plans that include detailed way point management and the ability to create height, attitude and Helicopter direction via and speed of movement between all way points.

Also, the software allows for the ability to trigger camera and remote video via payloads at specific points. The software also shows ‘real time’ elements of the Helicopter Health including battery, telemetry connectivity and other key attributes. The user always has the flexibility to switch during a mission into Assisted Mode, RC Mode, or Home Mode. The ability to seamlessly switch into and back to the Mission Mode completes the ability of the Aggressor II™ Helicopter to offer true user controlled autonomous flight.

R/C-Based Pilot Directed Mode

With a simple flick of the autopilot toggle switch on the top of the RC unit, the Aggressor II™ is now flying in full autopilot mode called ‘Pilot Directed’. During this “bump-less transfer” the helicopter is now fully stabilized using GPS/INS and other sensors required to perform stability augmentation as well as position and velocity control.

All of the user directed flight commands are now managed via the autopilot to create a set of invisible electronic ‘Guard Rails’ that might be catastrophic with other UAV platforms. The software creates managed ascents and descents, proportional pirouette commands, proportional forward/aft velocity and proportional sideward velocity, and fully automatic coordinated turning can all be used in concert by the user to direct the helicopter to any desired position. Release all commands and the helicopter returns automatically to stable, position held hover. Automatic takeoff and auto landing are also incorporated. The system is able to take ‘Novice’ RC users and make them into efficient mission managers. The Aggressor II™ autopilot interprets the users stick movements and incorporates the most technologically ‘Robust’ autopilot system and manages the entire craft without the presence of a laptop! The result is groundbreaking and creates the simplest to use UAV Helicopter platform on the market today.