1. AIRMULE TRANSPORTER UAV
FOR ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES

2. Introduction
• The AirMule is an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed and developed by Israel's Urban Aeronautics
to meet the requirements of the Israeli Defence Forces.
• The AirMule successfully completed its first phase of flight testing in January 2010. Its maiden flight,
which was scheduled for April 2009, has been postponed.
• In 2011, Urban Aeronautics resumed flight tests of the AirMule prototype equipped with enhanced
sensors suite and a new wheeled landing gear.
• In 2012, the UAV was further upgraded with Controp's D-STAMP stabilised, electro-optic payload and
a double redundant hydraulic system.
• Test flights of the upgraded air vehicle began in late 2012 and a number of fully automatic test flights
were concluded by December 2013.
• Construction on the second prototype started in December 2011 and its test flight is expected in 2014.

4. Design
• The AirMule was developed during the war in Lebanon in 2006 as a way of
transferring troops and medical equipment.
• The UAV has vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability and can be operated
in remote areas, where helicopters and traditional rotorcraft cannot function
properly.
• The AirMule is intended for cargo transport, medical evacuation and troop supply
missions.
• The payload bays, which are being incorporated in the vehicle, will double the
rescue cabin space for wounded soldiers.

6. Avionics
• The UAV's fly-by-wire can be controlled using a four-channel flight control system that depends on inertial
measurements increased by a global positioning system equipped in the aircraft.
• Two laser altimeters are incorporated in the vehicle to determine the height of the UAV above the ground.
• The aircraft is also equipped with a vane control system to produce either side force or rolling moment.
• A total of 460 channels fitted in the aircraft send real-time data to the ground station operators, which allow
them to track the operations of the engine and subsystems.
• The subsystems include three gear boxes, two main lift rotors and three uplink and downlink communication
channels.
• In February 2014, Urban Aeronautics selected Green Hills Software's INTEGRITY real-time operating
system (RTOS) and MULTI integrated development environment (IDE) for the flight management of the
UAV.

8. Navigation, Sensors & Radars
• The AirMule can be controlled either manually from a ground
control station (GCS) or through an autonomous mode using an
automatic fly-by-wire system.
• The UAV is equipped with infrared sensors and two laser sensors
for monitoring flight altitude.
• The AirMule's radars include a synthetic aperture radar and a
ground-moving target indicator.

9. Specifications
• The UAV is powered by a single Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine,
which can produce 559kW of electric power.
• The AirMule can fly at a maximum speed of 185km/h. Its
maximum altitude is 3,657m.
• Its maximum endurance is between two and four hours.
• The UAV weighs around 635kg and its maximum take-off weight
is 1,088kg.

10. References
•http://www.airforce-
technology.com/projects/airm
ule-uav/

11. THANK YOU