OSU's Pistol Pete's Propulsion Posse chosen as finalist in the C3 Challenge
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
The FirePoint Innovations Center at Wichita State University selected Oklahoma State University’s Pistol Pete’s Propulsion Posse team from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology as one of six teams to receive $10k to build out their proof of concepts for the next phase in the C3 Challenge.
FirePoint started the C3 (Converge, Collaborate and Create) Challenge last September,
inviting university students from around the U.S. to submit their designs for the
Army’s future unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) intended for next-generation combat and
defense.
Sponsored by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile
Center (CCDC AvMC), FirePoint C3 Challenge is supported by Dassault Systems and America
Makes.
As part of the C3 Challenge, the teams will get an opportunity to work with Army Futures
Command and aerospace companies to build working UAV prototypes.
The Pistol Pete’s Propulsion Posse team consists of students from the School of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
(ECE) including Ross Brumley, Johnathan Burgess, Andrew Cobb, Joshua Johnson, Max
Lewis, Abdalrahman Mansy, Gustavo Ravello, Cole Replogle, Cooper Tiderman and Malorie
Travis. The team’s project advisor is MAE’s assistant professor Kurt Rouser.
Prior to being selected, each team had to submit a statement of work for their project.
The Pistol Pete’s Propulsion Posse is working to further develop the concept of turboelectric
propulsion and power to accommodate different UAV platforms.
Turboelectric systems are a type of hybrid electric propulsion and power, which harnesses
the high power density of batteries and the high energy density of hydrocarbon fuels
simultaneously, enabling not only added capabilities for distributed propulsion and
power, but also increased range and endurance.
Small scale UAVs have limited range and endurance due to battery technology, however
this system’s benefit is also applicable as system scale increases. Their idea is
to power small UAV (<55lb) platforms in demonstration flight tests, which will show
the versatility and scalability of the system.
Additionally, electrical systems and subsystems will be designed and developed to
address integration/vehicle level considerations.
In March, four teams will be selected to advance to the final phases of the competition.
These teams will begin physical manufacturing of their prototype using the methods
they outlined in their statement of work. FirePoint will award successful teams up
to an additional $25k per team to continue fabrication of their prototypes. They
will also start collaborating remotely on their designs and integration using Dassault
Systems 3D design and modelling platform.
Finally, in February 2021, teams will submit Final Reports to accompany their presentation
during the Functional Demonstration where they will present to the Department of Defense
and other industry experts their experience and progress over the past 18 months.
“I’m very pleased to see this team realize this technology advancement as a fully-integrated
system, drawing on multiple engineering disciplines in a highly cooperative way,”
said Rouser. “Expect even bigger strides moving forward as the students further develop
knowledge and skills in this area.”
FirePoint and CCDC AvMC aims to increase efficiency and quality of their end products. This
competition looks to expose the bright minds of tomorrow to these concepts early in
their careers, so that they can assist in developing the next generation workforce.
RELEASE CONTACT: Kristi Wheeler | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-5831| kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu