SUSU: Drone Landing System

History

2025: Product Announcement

In April 2025, scientists from South Ural State University (SUSU) patented an innovative navigation device for aircraft. The development makes it possible to automatically land drones without the direct participation of the operator, using advanced radio altimetry technologies.

According to "наука.рф," the new device is a lightweight aluminum structure with integrated receiving and transmitting antennas, which is attached directly to the aircraft body. A key advantage of the development is the ability to determine the height and angular position of the drone relative to the earth's surface.

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Фото: SUSU

Nikolai Dudarev, Associate Professor of the Department of Radio Electronics and Communication Systems of SUSU, noted that the developed complex differs from traditional on-board radio navigation systems in a fundamentally new approach. According to him, the team created a unique algorithm for recalculating the ranges obtained from four radio numbers, which makes it possible to determine the angular position of the aircraft.

Alexander Kolenchuk, engineer of the scientific laboratory "Aircraft Control System" of SUSU, stressed that high economic efficiency was achieved during the development. He noted that the team used a Chinese transceiver module worth about ₽3 thousand per unit, which significantly reduced the cost of the device compared to existing counterparts.

Among the key advantages of the new navigation device, experts note the possibility of automated landing without human participation, high accuracy in determining the spatial position, low production costs, as well as versatility that allows the system to be used for various types of aircraft.^[1]

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