小型無人飛行機の開発と南極・デセプション島での空中磁気観測
船木 實 (元･極地研), Ant-Plane グループ

Ant-Plane Project
Model airplane technology and commercialized parts
Cooperated with amateur model airplane groups
More than 500 km flight in Antarctica
Flight in calm wind and higher than –15 ˚C in temperature
Onboard space of the scientific instruments in the model airplane
Autonomous flight in cruising, while takeoff and landing by manual
Development of onboard scientific instruments

Why did we start this project?
JARE 42: 2000-2001, Magnetic survey
at Riiser Larsen Mt., Amundsen BayAmundsenBayMagnetic anomaly

300 km on foot / 2 months

It was too low efficient !!
inefficient !!

Magnetic anomaly gives information formineral resoces and volcanic activity

Background for development of UAV• May 2000, the accuracy of GPS was improved
horizontally from 100 m to 10 m
• the reliability of computer and electronic devices
increasedo accompanied by a decrease in size, weight, and power
consumption•

August 2003, TAM 5 flew 3,020 Km from Newfoundlandin Canada to Irelando 3,020 km, 38:23•NIPPI Co. developed UAV in 2002

Outline of the control system

Way point
LatitudeLongitude
AltitudeSpeed

Ant-Plane 6-3

Ant-Plane 6-3 with magnetometer

Parachute
2.4 GHz antenna
Sensor ofmagnetometerVideo camera
GPS antennaSki•
•••
•
••••
•••
•

Cost: 20,000 US$

pusher type
dry weight: 20 kg
length: 2.42 m
wingspan: of 2.89 m
distance: 500 km
engine: 86 cc two-stroke
fuel: 10 liter gasoline
cruising time: 5 hours
cruising speed: 100-120 km/h
dynamo: 25 W
payload: 2 kg
emergency parachutecommunication: 5 km

2420

Inside of body, Ant-Plane 6-3
Sensor of magnetometer

Flaxgate magnetometer system
Control system
Digital camera

GPS logger

Control system
Transformer

GPS antenna
MR magnetometer system

Fuel tank

Nose

Engine off switch
Transmitter and modem
2.4 GHz antenna

Parachute release switch
Generator
EngineSkiOnboard Magnetometer
Magnetometer

Field Sensitivity Weight Price
nTkg
US$

Station magnetometer
Cesiumtotal
Overhauser
totalProton
total
Fluxgate
xyz
Mobile magnetometer
Fluxgatexyz
Magneto-resistant xyz

0.01
0.1
0.1
0.1

2-4
2
4
1-3

40,00020,00015,00015,000

0.1
70.4
0.4

6,000
3,000

data logger+GPS
data logger+GPSA three-component fluxgate magnetometer system
BatterySensor

GPSAntenna

3 cm

Sensitivity 0.1 nT, 523g, 0.5W,
Battery: 7.4V，2100mA
SD-card

Achievements of UAV flights 2003-12
1. Sakurajima Volcano, 2003 Nov. 17・18
Aeromagnetic survey, aerial photograph

Sakurajima Volcano
Mt. Kitadake

Mt. Minamidake(Eruption)

6km to Sakurajima Volcano

1400mCourse C

Nakadake

Course A, C700

Sakurajima Volcano
0

桜島フェリーターミナル
nT

47200
47000
46800
46600
46400

桜島南岳とクレーター

46200
１周目

46000

02550

２周目

75

３周目

４周目

100 125 150 175
Time (second)

５周目

６周目

200250225

７周目

275

300

2. Mt. Vetters Station, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Mar. 22, 2006

Ant-Plane 4-1

GPS altitude: 427 m
Ground distance: 505.7km
Temp.: 30–36 ˚C
Wind: 7.5 m W

span: 2.6m, length: 2m,
cruising to 600 km (max.
1108km, elevation 5800m),
86cc 2 cycle gasoline engine

Magnetic anomaly
10x10 km, 200 m span, 51 lines
Magnetic anomaly patternobtained by Ant-Plane 4

Magnetic anomaly byGeoscience, Australia
10 km

Survey area

3. Flight to 5700 m in altitude at Monbetsu

Temperature and humidity

June 28, 2005Relative humidity（％）
020 40 60 80 100

4000

10： 22-11-19JST 28 Jun e 2005

3000
2000
1000
0Cloud layer-10-50510 15
20
Temperature （℃）

Number of aerosol

4000

0.3 :m
0.7
2.0

3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500

Up to 5700 m

0
1

10100

1000

Number of particles in 0.47 liter

Max. distance: 1108km by 20 l of gasoline

10000

1000004. JARE49, Ant-Plane 4-3
Dec. 18, 2008, 12:52-13:51

Meteorological devices, wind: 5.3m/s NE

1000

Dec. 18, 2008
Syowa
Station

800

1.5km

Flight course for survey

Antarctica

600

Waiting
course400

200

IwajimaIsland0m

Longitude

Basestation

Syowa
Station
41.2

Run way

Manualflight

East Ongul Island
40.7

1 km

NOngul Strait
Winddirection

50 60

70

南極Antarctica
大陸
2030 40

5. Bransfield Strait: Ant-Plane 6 2011-12
Aeromagnetic survey, aerial photograph in the storm zone
Following institutions cooperated with this study
Korea Polar Research Institute
Chile Antarctic Institute
Bulgarian Antarctic Institute
Spanish Antarctic teamRussian Antarctic Research (unofficial)
61/S

6２/W

60/W

58/W

54/W

Phoenix plate
MarshAirfield

King George Is.

6２/S

King Sejong
St. Kliment

Livingstone Is.

BransfieldStrait

63/S

Deception Is.

Antarctic plate
64/S

0100 kmMagnetic survey operated by Spanish teamSouth Shetland Is.

Antarctic
Peninsula
Livingston Is.

Deception Island

Flights from Marsh Airfield, King George Island,and
St. Kliment Ohridski Base, Livingston Island
Marsh Airfield, Jan. 2012••••

St. Kliment Ohridski Base, Dec. 2012•••

Control tower

Strong wind in the clear day
Dominant weather of cloudiness and rain at King George Island
Civil and military flights in clear day
Restriction to use the runway and airspace by control tower

Marsh Runway

100 km apart from Marsh AirfieldFlat glacier behind the base
Relatively good weather compared with King George Island

Weather at King George
King George Island
Jan. 8 - Feb. 28, 2011
Fine
Clear
CloudyRain
FogSnow

20181614
12Flighth=300m:22m/s

108642

King Sejong Station

Escudero Base0
1/8

1/13 1/18 1/23

1/28

2/2

Date

2/7

2/12

2/17 2/22

2/27

Flight from St. Kliment Ohridski Base toDeception Island by Ant-Plane 6-3
St. Kliment Ohridski Base: Bulgarian Antarctic station

Glacier behind the base62º38′29″S
60º21′53″W

Flight plan for Deception Island
St. KlimentOhridski Base

Drake Passage
62 30 S

Livingston Island
027
126St.Kliment
Ohridski Base

N

10 km

Bransfield Strait
Livingston Is.

18x10 km
24 323 478111215161920576m
FosterBay

35 km

2 25
5 22
69101314
171821

Antarctica

18 km

63 00 S
61 00 W

60 00 W

Flight distance: 300 km
10 km
Speed: 120 km/h
Altitude: 800 m
1km interval
12 lines

Flight result
GPS Altitude (m)800m bybarometer

Target altitude: 800 m
Speed: 33.3 m/s

St.Kliment
Ohridski Base
50Ground speed (m/s)

4030

100ｋｍ/ｈWind: 340˚ 10 m/s

20100
5:18:17

5:51:37

6:24:57

6:58:17

7:31:37

8:04:57

Time (UT: Dec.18, 2011)

Dec.18, 2011. 2:20 – 5:27 (3h 07m)
302 km in distance
Fuel: 6 liter (~9 US$)

Shortcut

576m
FosterBay

10 km

Reliability of the magnetic measurement
36800

Line 11Line 1
Line 0Line 1036600
36400
36200

F (nT)
38000

36000
1860 nT

35800

noise (Line 0)

35600

36000

Line 835400

W

W

18 km

18 km

EEData processing
Avoidance of the data during
turning flight and spiky change
Subtracting the IGRF F value fromthe dataIGRF-11 (international geomagnetic
reference field) at the center ofDeception Island for 2010 above
800 m
IGRF F = 36623.5 nT

Magnetic anomaly around Deception Island
airborne survey by Ant-Plane 6-3
Seaborne survey
-24

376

1176

-624

-124

376

876

1376

Cost-effectivenessfuel consumption: 50km/l for gasoline
gasoline of 1.5 US$/l
manpower fees: 4 members of 400 US$/day
1） 0.03 US$/km
fuel consumption2) 1.04 US$/km
full mobilization costs (including test flight andmanpower charge)3) 21.2 US$/km
including down-time (16 days of manpower charge)4) 102.5 US$/km
total budget of this project (31,000 US$.)5) 168.7 US$/km
total budget and airplane cost (20,000 US$)We cannot conclude whether the cost-effectiveness of the airborne
survey by UAV is significantly better than that of manned flight
For remote locations in the Antarctic storm zone, Ant-Plane may
be more cost-effective compared with manned flights

Points to note regarding UAV flights in Antarctica• disruption of satellite signals when the plane banked
quickly by affecting strong turbulenceo several GPS antennae oriented in different directions• accidentally released parachute due to the breakage of aplastic latcho using a metal latch with enhanced rigidity• icing when flying in cloud at an air temperature of ca 10°C
o Flights in cloud should be avoided• the ground-snow conditions vary with the weather• Chipping of a wooden propeller by granular snow during
taxiing• serious problem of metal fatigue
o requires maintenance before each 10 h of flight time

Conclusion
1.

Safety and high cost-effectiveness were achieved in airborne survey by Ant-Planein Antarctica

2.

Various kinds of geophysical devices less than 2.0 kg in weight can be on board

3.

Available flight is 1108 km in distance and 5700 m in altitude by Ant-Plane 4 inJapan

4.

More than 300 km of flight by Ant-Plane 6 was confirmed beyond the horizon at thestorm zone in Antarctica

5.

Aeromagnetic map of Deception Island was obtained

6.

Successful flights in Antarctica require low winds and cloud-free conditions to avoidicing

7.

it is advisable to operate UAVs in remote areas away from existing infrastructure