ShinMaywa INSIGHT

Achieving Practical Applications of the Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle XU-S : (3)

December 28, 2020

Aircraft Division Research and Development

Conducting Environmental Observational Tests on Awaji Island

The XU-S (Experimental Unmanned / Utility aircraft by ShinMaywa), the fixed-wing type unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on which our Aircraft Division is continuing research and development, successfully completed an extended, long-distance flight on October 22, 2020 that lasted about four hours (see the post dated November 11 for details).

From November 30 to December 2, an environmental observation test using the aircraft was conducted in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, in collaboration with Japan Meteorological Corporation and Kobe University.

This test was part of Hyogo Prefecture’s commissioned project “FY2020 Drones for Preemptive Utilization Project (Public-Private Cooperation Sector),” which uses UAVs (drones) to measure the distribution of atmospheric pollutants and other substances in the sky. The Japan Meteorological Corporation was responsible for calibrating and operating the measuring instruments, Kobe University for analysis of the data obtained, and our company for providing the UAV, installing the measuring instruments, and operating the aircraft during the demonstration test.

The XU-S is not only capable of extended stays at high altitudes, but can also acquire accurate data during its atmospheric observations due to it being electrically powered and not emitting exhaust gas.

During the test, the XU-S equipped with an ozone concentration measuring instrument, PM2.5 concentration measuring instrument, and meteorological sensors was flown from ground level to about 500 meters above ground level at different times in the day to obtain the vertical distribution of concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, temperature, humidity, and so on (data categorized by altitude).

It is hoped that analyzing the data obtained during this test and gaining and understanding of the fluctuation in the spatial structure of atmospheric pollution throughout the day will allow for highly accurate forecasts in the future.

Here are some comments from Mr. Miyauchi of the Planning and Research Section of the Engineering Department that is involved in the development of this unit:

Although two years total of development time have been required thus far and progress has been made extremely quickly, we are relieved that we were able to reach the service demonstration stage without any major incidents.
That being said, XU-S is just one part of our company’s technical potential.
With a 100-year history, we have a number of businesses other than our aircraft business.
Through co-creation between these businesses, we would like to not only improve this aircraft, but also expand our initiatives to meet the broader expectations of society. We look forward to your support.The XU-S has undergone demonstration tests since last fiscal year, but starting in 2020, it became possible to conduct flights tailored to customer requirements as opposed to simply verifying the design.