Team AREND

Team AREND An international student team is designing a specially instrumented unmanned aircraft (UAV) that shall help Rangers fight Rhino poaching in South Africa.

For the final testing phase the contact information will be transferred to SA: [email protected] The project name AREND stands for “Aircraft for Rhino and ENvironmental Defense.” The word Arend is also Africaans for Eagle. GOAL of AREND
Conceive, Design, Implement & Operate a special remotely-piloted aircraft equipped with distinct sensors, embedded systems, and 3G/4G and TCIP communications

in a robust and high endurance aircraft meeting also acoustic and wilderness operation requirements. The aircraft has an electric propulsion system to satisfy one of the prime requirements of the concept of operations: quiet flight when poachers are detected. The multinational, multidisciplinary, vertically integrated engineering design team, is an established programme at the University of Pretoria in collaboration with local UAV industry. We have hosted interns from various programmes in the US, France, Germany and Norway. The team is composed of aerospace, mechanical, electrical, IT and computer engineers. To receive continues updates of our progress please “like” our team AREND page.

12/11/2021

Prototype flew and got some great feedback from the pilot to improve the new non elliptical loaded wing. Parachute opened successfully! Looking forward to 2022 for more exciting projects!

Keanan hard at work in the wind tunnel exploring the new fuselage for the AREND!
12/11/2021

Keanan hard at work in the wind tunnel exploring the new fuselage for the AREND!

Meanwhile, at our partners at UCT, we are doing wind tunnel work on open cathode fuel cells!
11/11/2021

Meanwhile, at our partners at UCT, we are doing wind tunnel work on open cathode fuel cells!

New emergency recovery parachute system being tested before integration by Theo this morning :)
10/11/2021

New emergency recovery parachute system being tested before integration by Theo this morning :)

Ready for testing 2021! Small version of the new configuration, Mapula and Bianca on form with their beautifully manufac...
10/11/2021

Ready for testing 2021! Small version of the new configuration, Mapula and Bianca on form with their beautifully manufactured aircraft!

After a long year of challenges and reaching multiple new milestones, the test rig collapsed damaging the wing and endin...
12/11/2020

After a long year of challenges and reaching multiple new milestones, the test rig collapsed damaging the wing and ending this years testing. Excellent team effort from the 2020 group!

Many lessons learnt and confident the new cohort will see this bird get up in the air in 2021!

04/11/2020

Subsystem test for the catapult in progress :)

We had 7 successful runs and tested 2 different winglets...until there was a cross wind.. the test rig got destroyed but...
03/11/2020

We had 7 successful runs and tested 2 different winglets...until there was a cross wind.. the test rig got destroyed but no damage to the airframe or car and both pilot and boom operators unscathed! Repairs underway...

Ready for testing!
31/10/2020

Ready for testing!

29/10/2020

Will the new wing fly and survive...

Last bits and pieces coming together as we enter testing phases tomorrow!!
29/10/2020

Last bits and pieces coming together as we enter testing phases tomorrow!!

Address

Department Of Mechanical And Aeronautical Engineering, University Of Pretoria
Pretoria
0002

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