LARUS: an unmanned aircraft for the support of maritime rescue missions under heavy weather conditions

In maritime emergencies, the time until arrival at the scene of an accident is a decisive factor for a successful rescue operation. In this context, the research project LARUS aims to support the rescue forces at sea with unmanned aerial systems and thus to optimize the rescue process. This refers on the one hand to the localization of potential accident sites and on the other hand to informing the rescuers about the situation on site as well as the provision of an efficient communication infrastructure. For this purpose, the UAS is equipped with various sensors and communication media. To ensure a seamless rescue procedure, the aircraft must be capable of operating even under severe weather conditions. In this regard, the Institute of Flight System Dynamics is currently investigating measures to reduce the gust loads to make the UAS robust against challenging weather conditions. The integration of the LARUS aerial system into airspace using an active collision avoidance system is also an important research aspect. In addition, the adaptation of flight control to the expanded requirements and influencing factors as well as the implementation of international SAR search strategies for flight guidance are also the subject of development work.