Penguin C UAS
The Penguin C is a long-endurance, long range unmanned aircraft system designed for professional use. Its flight endurance of over 20 hours and operation radius of over 100 kilometers or 60 miles makes it an extremely productive unmanned platform in terms of distance traveled and area covered in a single flight. If equiped with advanced Epsilon EO payloads, Penguin C is one of the most capable surveillance and inspection UAS available on the market. The entire system with 3 UAVs, operated by a crew of two, fits in a minivan, and it can be assembled in less than an hour. Its portable launcher and parachute recovery system allows for runway-independent operation and unmatched portability in its class.
The Penguin C falls under the 55-pound FAA regulation requirements for small UAVs. The aircraft is non-ITAR restricted, giving our global customers easy access to its capabilities.The design of the system is based on the proven Penguin B airframe, which has been sold to customers in over 43 countries and which achieved a 54.5-hour world record flight in 2012. The Penguin C is powered by UAV Factory's own highly efficient EFI engine. UAV Factory's team has flight-tested the Penguin C for over 4 000 hours to ensure its reliability and robustness in normal to severe weather conditions.
Key Features and Aircraft System
Class leading mobility
- A crew of two can operate the Penguin C UAS, and all the necessary equipment, including the pneumatic launcher, can be transported in a minivan and assembled in under an hour. The whole system, packed in several ruggedized containers, weighs up to 265 kilograms or 585 pounds.
- The use of a sophisticated parachute/airbag recovery system eliminates the need for bulky equipment such as a landing net or landing wire and provides for a very soft landing, thus reducing the risk of damage to the aircraft or payload in case of both planned and emergency landings. In addition, the Penguin C uses a proprietary algorithm that estimates the parachute landing point based on a number of flight conditions and allows for controlled aircraft recovery in a small designated area
Highly efficient EFI long-endurance engine
- Penguin C flight endurance exceeds 20 hours. The cooling system provides the ability to operate from below freezing point to extremely hot conditions. Before delivery, each engine is tested extensively in UAV Factory's engine testing cell to maximize its reliability and efficiency.
- The EFI engine comes built into a swappable propulsion module than can be changed in minutes.
- Each engine is equipped with a Silent muffler with the lowest acoustic signature in this class of aircraft.
Leading cost efficiency
- While the Penguin C system provides the best in-class capabilities, it also comes at the lowest acquisition cost in its class and has the lowest operating cost. Additionally, its parachute/airbag landing system reduces the risk of payload, aircraft or third-party property damage in case of an unscheduled landing.
Penguin C Unmanned Aircraft System
Penguin C unmanned aircraft
- Over 20 hours endurance with the advanced fuel injected engine.Over 100 km operations radius with tracking antenna.Epsilon Gyro-stabilized day/night payloads.Fully autonomous catapult takeoff, flight and parachute recovery.
Long range ground communication equipment
- The Penguin C system is equipped with a state-of-the-art portable tracking antenna system that enables encrypted data transmission to a range exceeding 100 kilometers or 60 miles. Highlights of the system include a bit rate of up to 12 Mbps, integrated pointing algorithm and automatic switching between directional- and omnidirectional-antenna modes. The tracking antenna system and ground control station has a military-grade ruggedized design, and it can be operated in any conditions.
Ground Control Station
- Portable control station. User friendly software interface. Operational at extreme conditions.
Pneumatic Launcher
- Autonomous launching from an unimproved terrain. Man portable design. Launcher is capable of operating at 10,000 ft altitude and is designed for thousands of use cycles.
Third party payload integration
- The Penguin C is also available for purchase with an empty payload bay, and it comes with all documentation necessary to perform payload integration. This provides an option to integrate third-party payloads using standard connections based on specific project needs. For powering the payload, customers can use the onboard 6 V, 12 V and 24 V power supply. For payload control and real-time video, customers can use an integrated data link Ethernet and serial pass-through with a rate of up to 12 Mbps.
Payload Options
Penguin C is available with the Epsilon series of advanced micro-gimbals developed by Octopus ISR Systems, a division of UAV Factory. Epsilon gimbals provide advanced observation, inspection and surveillance capabilities, such as day- and nighttime object tracking and small moving target indication. In addition, Epsilon gimbals are fully integrated and have been tested extensively with Penguin C aircraft.
Aircraft Dimensions and Specifications
Wingspan 3.3 m/ 10.8 ft, MTOW 22.5 kg / 49.6lbs, Endurance 20 hours, Range 100 km/ 60 miles, Cruise speed 19-22 m/s / 37-43 knots, Max level speed 32 m/s / 62.2 knots, Ceiling 4500 m / 15 000 ft MSL, Takeoff Pneumatic Catapult-fully autonomous, Maximum takeoff altitude 3000m /10000 ft AMSL, Recovery Parachute recovery-airbag, Operational temperature -25° C to +50° C, Environmental protection < 5 millimeters/hour rain
