Royal Navy ship flies 3D-printed UAV

Weighing 3kg and measuring 1.5m, the airframe was created on a 3D printer using laser sintered nylon and catapulted off HMS Mersey into the Wyke Regis Training Facility in Weymouth, before landing on Chesil Beach in Dorset.

The approximately 500m flight lasted less than few minutes but demonstrated the potential use of small lightweight UAVs that can be launched at sea.

SULSA (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft) carried a small video camera to record its flight and Southampton researchers monitored the flight from their UAV control van with its on-board video-cameras.

Called Project Triangle the capability demonstration was led by Southampton researchers, making use of the coastal patrol and fisheries protection ship.

Prof Andy Keane, from Engineering and the Environment at Southampton University, said the UAV was flown under standard Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules for sub-7kg aircraft.

“The key to increased use of UAVs is the simple production of low cost and rugged airframes – we believe our pioneering used of 3D printed nylon has advanced design thinking in the UAV community world-wide,” he said in a statement.