CASE STUDY // SYS-WILDHAWK-1-0Operational Flight Test Platform
WildHawk 1.0 — Autonomous Surveillance UAV
High-endurance tactical autonomous reconnaissance drone built for environmental and wildlife tracking.
#AERIAL#AUTONOMY#AVIONICS#ROBOTICS
DEVELOPMENT YEAR2025
MY ROLEAvionics System Architecture & Flight Testing
TEAM STRUCTUREAero-Modelling Team Lead
VALIDATION STATUSOperational Flight Test Platform
THE ENGINEERING PROBLEM
Commercial off-the-shelf surveillance UAVs lack extended endurance and modular payload telemetry customization for terrain monitoring.
THE ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION
Developed a custom-built UAV platform featuring streamlined aerodynamic composite construction, long-range telemetry links, and mission autonomy.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW & ARCHITECTURE
WildHawk 1.0 features custom avionics wiring, long-range RF telemetry, and automated waypoint flight execution using ArduPilot flight stacks.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE BLOCK DIAGRAM FLOW:
ArduPilot Master Stack → 433MHz Long-Range Telemetry → Ground Control Station (QGroundControl) with automated mission scripting.
KEY TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS:
- ✓Optimized flight endurance through lightweight composite materials and efficient motor thrust profiling.
- ✓Integrated telemetry logging for post-flight aerodynamic performance validation.
HARDWARE & ELECTRONICS
- Custom Aerodynamic Airframe
- ArduPilot Flight Controller
- Long-Range Telemetry Radio
- BLDC Motors & Telemetry ESCs
SOFTWARE & FIRMWARE
- ArduPilot
- QGroundControl
- Mission Planner
- Python Data Logging
ALGORITHMS & CONTROL LOOPS
- Waypoint Mission Generator
- Failsafe Return-To-Home (RTH)
- Battery Telemetry Estimation
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS
- MAVLink
- Telemetry Radio
- PWM
- PPM
ENGINEERING CHALLENGES OVERCOME
- Balancing structural rigidity against weight budgets during high-speed maneuvering tests.
MY DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS
- Designed electrical wiring schematic, battery management system, and telemetry integration.
- Executed flight envelope testing and tuning PID control gains.
VALIDATED SYSTEM RESULTS
- ▸Demonstrated stable autonomous waypoint navigation and mission execution across multi-kilometer mission corridors.
KEY ENGINEERING LESSONS LEARNED
- ▸Proper PID tuning in varying wind conditions requires rigorous HIL (Hardware-In-The-Loop) Gazebo simulation prior to maiden flights.