UAV Facilities

The Beaver Works UAV Center was built with end-to-end UAV fabrication in mind, covering all major subsystems including structures, propulsion, aerodynamics, communication, payloads, and control.  Design is facilitated through access to world-class experts and sophisticated modeling and layout software for visualization and analysis.  Fabrication and integration are streamlined through in-house rapid prototyping capabilities, as well as extensive access to advanced fabrication tools at Lincoln Laboratory and MIT.  Test facilities are world-class and span the development spectrum from bench-top validation to full-up flight testing within FAA-approved airspace.

 

A primary strength of the Beaver Works UAV Center is its test and measurement capabilities.  Indoor developmental testing is possible with sophisticated bench-top stations and access to environmental facilities at Lincoln Laboratory (thermal chambers, vibration testing), the MIT Wind Tunnel, and motion capture facilities at the Laboratory and campus.

Of course, major UAV milestones are defined by flight-tests, and we have standing relationships with nearby field sites that simplify and streamline the flight test process.  Currently, tests are being conducted at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, an installation of the US Army, and Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts National Guard.