Guided Systems Technologies, Inc.

LAST DATE REVISED
August 22, 1996
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Company Profile

Guided Systems Technologies (GST) was founded in 1989 and provides a variety of aerospace design, analysis, research, development, and testing services to agencies of the federal government and industry. The majority of GST's contracted efforts have been focused on either design and analysis of rotorcraft, or development and demonstration of advanced control systems.

Government Customers:

  • NASA
  • Charles Stark Draper Laboratories
  • Naval Air Systems Command
  • Naval Air Development Center
  • U.S. Army Aerostructures Directorate
  • U.S. Army Aviation Troop Command
  • Department Of Energy
As part of these efforts, GST has developed a small unmanned helicopter with a fully automatic control system. The helicopter, known as the Model 300, features a six foot diameter main rotor, and weighs under 17 pounds empty in a minimum flight configuration. At the recommended maximum gross take-off weight of 37 pounds, it is capable of a full range of flight at standard conditions, including an impressive vertical climb rate. The twenty pounds of available payload is typically consumed with avionics, batteries, fuel, a mission equipment package, and the substructure required to mount all equipment. A current configuration outfitted with both a fully automatic flight control system and a gimbaled video camera with microwave transmitter is capable of 3/4 of an hour flight duration.


The avionics suite is a fully integrated miniature package for telemetry, navigation and flight control known as the GST Model R1. This system features multiple processors, 32 channels of A-to-D, 48 digital timing channels, a solid-state attitude and heading reference system, a number of GPS options ranging from a low cost differential solution to a state-of-the-art and robust 20 centimeter accurate system, a high-speed serial spread spectrum radio link with the ground station, an 8 channel ultrasonic ranging system and barometric altimeter, as well as software for sensor management, communications, platform stabilization, autopilot functions, or fully automatic execution of a pre-planned mission. A complete GPS-aided inertial navigation solution will be available as an upgrade in early 1997. Total weight of the avionics package is under 6 pounds.

Avionics Features:

  • Modular Card-cage design
  • Up to 3 MC 68332 processors
  • Solid State Attitude Heading Reference system
  • Differential GPS positioning Systems
  • 32 Channels of Conditioned A-to-D
  • 12 Channel switched interface to PWM
  • Ultrasonic, Barometric, and/or Radar Altitude
  • High Speed Serial Data Link
The GST Model 300 helicopter equipped with the R1 avionics package is presently being employed by Georgia Tech and the U.S. Army as an Autonomous Scout Rotorcraft Testbed (ASRT). The ASRT program seeks to demonstrate high level intelligent control of unmanned rotary wing platforms in a generic surveillance and tracking mission. The focus is on system autonomy in order to enable routine operations by personnel with minimal (i.e. one day) training. GST is providing vehicles, avionics, imaging systems, software for stabilization and control, a back-up ground station and operator interface, and field support for this 1996 demonstration.

The Model 300 and R1 are also being employed by GST to develop and demonstrate an advanced full-authority nonlinear flight control system for another U.S. Army unmanned helicopter, known as the Free Flight Rotorcraft Research Vehicle (FFRRV). This control system technology, for which GST has a patent pending, is based on an innovative combination of feedback linearization and artificial neural networks. The developed algorithms allow transfer of a high performance control system design from one flight vehicle configuration to another without redesign. Using traditional methods, a complete system redesign is required for similar transfer. Instead, the subject technology provides adaptation in real time to the configuration changes.

An initial evaluation and demonstration for feasibility of using a small, unmanned helicopter as an aerial platform from which to conduct remote sensing tasks was conducted by GST at the Savanna River Site (SRS) during June, 1995. The effort was operated under contract by GST with the cooperation and support of several sponsors at SRS using a GST Model 300 outfitted with the R-1 Avionics Package. A full range of sensors was flown by the system, including a 2-channel infrared thermometer, a radiation survey instrument, a magnetometer, and a color video camera. Data from these sensors was telemetered to a ground station for real-time evaluation and archiving, along with full helicopter state data (pitch, roll, yaw, all rates, altitude above ground, latitude and longitude).

This unmanned helicopter with fully automatic flight controls is flight proven and available to perform surveillance, patrol, environmental monitoring, agricultural and mapping tasks, and to perform in disaster response or for special operations. Modular design allows a system to be configured for specific mission requirements and budgets. In addition, the avionics are directly transportable to other platforms, and an open architecture allows for user development of software for research and development purposes, or for integration of special mission equipment. GST offers a full range of products and accessories for this unmanned system, as well as field operation services or hands-on operational training.

The technology for low cost fully automatic miniature unmanned helicopter operations is here today, call to arrange for a flight demonstration with an application specific payload of interest to you.