Event 38 Unmanned Systems Completes Delivery of E400 To Air National Guard

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Event 38 Unmanned Systems recently completed delivery of the E400 to the Air National Guard (ANG) 178th Wing Fire and Emergency Management teams. The E400 was identified by the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) as a promising commercial technology that could reduce cost and increase readiness for multiple Air Force sustainment objectives. The aircraft was customized for ANG, adding VTOL as well as a live-streaming thermal and RGB video payload. Additionally, Event 38 designed a custom all-in-one handheld ground control station. The aircraft is intended for use by emergency response personnel.

Event 38 provided in-person training, documentation, and the user manual. Four operators were trained to proficiency in 1.5 days of class time and practice flights.

The smaller team allowed Event 38 to provide a more hands-on approach to training, giving each member the opportunity to disassemble and reassemble the aircraft and act as pilot in command. 

The operators found the training to be beneficial and efficient. This group had limited experience with UAS, but found it was easy to set up and control. Learn more about the E400 VTOL here.

Event 38 Develops UAS For Wildfires

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Event 38 Unmanned Systems recently completed a project with a UAS service provider to develop and field an aircraft for wildfire response. The aircraft carries an EO/IR gimbal tied in to a geotagging system that provides real time fire location data to firefighters. It is currently flying missions on behalf of the Department of the Interior.

While this company had previously worked with UAS for ISR and mapping, none of their aircraft were suited for wildfire response. The work calls for long endurance flights at high density altitude within a TFR, and usually without space available for traditional launch and recovery equipment. The drone engineered in collaboration with Event 38 features electric vertical takeoff and landing and a gasoline engine for forward thrust. These are crucial for flying in mountainous regions and over forests, allowing for long flights and requiring minimal space for takeoff and landing.

Event 38 integrated the avionics, including the autopilot, and developed custom flight software and ground control station functions. The team was also responsible for flight-testing the drone from first flight to final testing with DOI.

With up to 9 hours endurance, a ceiling above 12,000’ MSL and an all-up weight over 65 pounds, this project demonstrates Event 38’s ability to develop and deploy high performance UAS for flight in mixed manned/unmanned airspace.

Event 38 Unmanned Systems to Build Heavy Lift eVTOL

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Event 38 Unmanned Systems has been commissioned by a university research team to build a heavy lift electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) for a highly specialized physics payload. The partnership will allow the university to perform a cutting-edge research project and allow Event 38 to expand its portfolio of uniquely capable unmanned aircraft.

The team at Event 38 is responsible for building the eVTOL to lift a 150-pound payload and hold it almost completely motionless for data collection purposes. The aircraft will be impressive in size – 11’ x 11’ and 600lbs all up weight with a flight time of 30 minutes.

Event 38 was selected for this opportunity due to their deep understanding of aerodynamics, electronics, and flight software using Ardupilot and PX4 flight controllers. Possessing these capabilities makes the team uniquely qualified to take on such a challenging aircraft build.

“The work we do at Event 38 lends itself perfectly to this research because the size and sensitivity of the payload require careful design consideration,” said Event 38 Founder and President, Jeff Taylor. “It’s a more economical solution and poses less risk to personnel compared with using a manned helicopter.”

Event 38 believes this technology has many applications including disaster response, personnel recovery and industrial logistics. The first flight is currently scheduled for Q4, 2020 with additional development to follow.