This vote is to approve or reject the creation and initial funding phase of the ‘Project Spearhead', as proposed here.

If approved, an amendment to AIP-007 would be made to add ‘Project Spearhead’ to the list of projects. Its current status would be listed as ACTIVE along with relevant information such as project lead, funding status, spending caps, start and expiration dates.

Technical requirements are reducted here due to Snapshot character limit. See Arrow DAO forum for details.

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1. Project Summary

Project Spearhead is a multi-purpose 25 kg MTOW hybrid fixed-wing VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform. The project aims to develop an aircraft platform equipped with electric motors for VTOL capability and a pusher internal combustion engine for cruise flight.

Spearhead will primarily target:

• Long-endurance rural surveillance missions
• Limited payload / emergency cargo missions

The core focus of the project is to develop and validate:

• Aircraft sizing & structural integrity
• Hybrid propulsion (internal combustion cruise + electric VTOL)
• Generator integration and energy management
• Transition flight control
• Internal combustion engine vibration mitigation
• Long-range telemetry, possibly beyond conventional RF limits

The aircraft will be fully usable for endurance missions and limited cargo operations, but it will not be optimized as a final commercial product. The intent is to build a capable platform and the internal know-how required for larger systems.

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2. Project Scope

2.1 Hybrid Powertrain Development

Develop and validate:

• Gasoline engine integration
• Generator architecture
• Battery charging strategy in cruise
• Power distribution and monitoring
• Engine and generator failure handling

Special attention will be given to vibration isolation and avionics protection from engine-induced vibration.

2.2 Transition Flight Architecture

Design and test:

• Hover-to-cruise transition
• Cruise-to-landing transition
• Control logic and tuning
• Aerodynamic balance between stall speed and transition time

Trade-offs between wing size, stall speed, and battery mass will be studied.

2.3 Long-Range Telemetry

Investigate and test:

• Extended-range RF systems
• Potential satellite-based communication solutions (e.g., compact satellite terminals)
• Latency implications for BVLOS operations

The objective is to remove telemetry range as the primary operational limitation.

2.4 Platform Modularity

Spearhead will be designed as a platform that can support internal/external payload compartment.

2.5 Safety & Failure Modes

As the platform operates at significant distances and weights, the following safety options will be studied:

• Power System Redundancy: Evaluation of backup power delivery if the generator or internal combustion engine fails during cruise.
• Emergency Recovery Protocols: Options for autonomous flight termination or recovery procedures will be explored for high-latency or lost-link scenarios.
• Environment Awareness: Investigation into computer vision or sensor-based systems to identify safe areas for emergency maneuvers or landings.

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3. Project Timeline

Phase 1: Electric Flight Validation (March-June 2026)

Prototype 1 to test the structural integrity and system validation.

• Platform: Full airframe (cockpit, tail, wings).
• Propulsion System: Equipped only with electric VTOL motors.
• Power: High-discharge flight batteries (no internal combustion engine or generator).
• Key Objectives:
  • Validate vertical takeoff and hover stability.
  • Test control surface authority (ailerons, elevator, rudder) during forward flight.
  • Verify airframe structural integrity under real flight loads.
  • Test the wing detachment system.

Phase 2: Hybrid Integration (July-October 2026)

Merging the propulsion systems and solving the mechanical noise.

• Integration: Installation of the internal combustion pusher engine, fuel system, and cooling system.
• Ground Testing: Static fire runs to:
  • Verify internal combustion engine readiness.
  • Measure engine temperature and evaluate cooling system effectiveness.
  • Measure real-world vibration data using onboard IMUs.
• Key Objectives:
  • Integrate internal combustion engine and related systems.
  • Execute VTOL-cruise transition.
  • Achieve cruise flight.
  • Evaluate battery sizing.
  • Tune the flight controller's notch filters to ignore engine-induced noise.

Phase 3: Beyond Visual Line of Sight Flight (November 2026-January 2027)

Testing phase for VTOL-cruise transition. Breaking the telemetry limitation. Achieving BVLOS flight. Integrating obstacle avoidance system.

• Hardware: Integration of obstacle avoidance system. Integration of the long-range telemetry system. Evaluation of RF or satellite based options.
• Flight Profile: Transitioning from short-range testing to long-range linear paths.
• Key Objectives:
  • Achieve consistency on flight mode transition.
  • Measure latency and command-link reliability over long-range telemetry system.
  • Evaluate autonomous "Link-Loss" protocols and recovery behaviors.
  • Validate the "Environment Awareness" and obstacle avoidance systems.

Phase 4: Operational Tailoring (February-March 2027)

Finalizing the platform for specific mission profiles.

• Configurations: Testing the modular "Cargo" vs. "Surveillance" pods.
• Safety & Failure Modes: Integration and validation of failure modes during cruise flight.
• Key Objectives:
  • Finalize the "Performance Manual" for customers (max payload vs. max range).
  • Formalize the transition of "Spearhead Know-How" into the larger 500 lb cargo project.

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4. Budget Cap

The project requires a budget to compensate skilled engineers specialized in research and development, real-world hardware testing, prototype construction, and flight tests.

• Labor Costs: $28,000/month
• Hardware Costs: $7,000/month
• Total: $35,000/month

Labor and hardware-related expenses will vary from month to month; thus, the stated budget includes a margin. Note that this is the maximum spending cap, actual monthly expenses are expected to often be lower. The project will end at the end of March 2027.

A multisig wallet will be established after approval to receive funds. The seats on the multisig will be; Project Lead (alperenag) and GBC.

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5. Governance

Project Charter

This document will be presented in the GitHub repository upon project approval.

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6. Project Lead

I, alperenag, will be responsible for leading the Project Spearhead team, overseeing the technical direction, coordinating development activities, and ensuring successful achievement of milestones and objectives.

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7. Project Team

I, alperenag, will assemble the project team under the approved Project Spearhead budget upon project approval.

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8. Deliverables

• Prototype UAVs: Development and refinement of UAV prototypes through each project phase.
• Engineering Reports: Prepared for each major milestone, clearly outlining technical specifications, decisions, and current project status.
• Design Files: CAD models, PCB layouts, and software repositories accessible for community collaboration.
• The "Performance Manual": Data-backed charts for different configurations.
• Meeting Summaries: Documentation of meeting attendance, key decisions, and action items recorded and shared via GitHub.
• Structured Documentation: Documents assigned unique identifiers for transparency, consistency, and version control for logging the know-how achieved during the project.
• Operational UAV: Development of a mission-capable, long-endurance hybrid fixed-wing VTOL platform ready for diverse operational scenarios.

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