UHart Students Successfully Tackle DARPA Heavy-Lift Drone Challenge

Working alongside Piasecki Aircraft Corporation and the FNP Foundation, the students put their engineering knowledge to the test, ultimately demonstrating that their aircraft could successfully lift and fly with payloads of 55 and 110 pounds.

Led by Professor Dongbin Kim, the team advanced through several stages of a highly competitive process. Of the 489 teams that initially applied, 225 cleared the technical benchmarks, 132 were invited to participate, 76 checked in at the competition, and just 62 passed the required safety checks. The UHart team successfully navigated each stage, earning the opportunity to bring its aircraft to the flight line.

Although the team did not receive an official scored flight after the aircraft did not pass the no-payload check flight on two attempts, its successful payload check flights demonstrated the capabilities of an unconventional aircraft design.

"I'm incredibly proud of our students from the University of Hartford," Kim shared. "They kept building, testing, failing, fixing, and pushing forward through every setback over summer."

From the Classroom to the Real World

For the students involved, the challenge offered an opportunity to move beyond classroom exercises and contribute to the development of an actual aerospace system. As research interns at the Hartford University Systems Lab (HUSL), students took on responsibilities spanning computer-aided design, materials selection, composite fabrication, aircraft construction, and testing infrastructure.

Taeyong Eom '28 focused on 3D CAD design, composite 3D printing, and test infrastructure. Working closely with Piasecki Aircraft, he designed structural components using the CAD software SOLIDWORKS, including rotor blade endcaps, air brakes, and sensor mounts. He also optimized 3D printing settings to fabricate components using high-strength carbon fiber composites.

One of his most technically demanding responsibilities involved fabricating composite rotor blades using carbon fiber, laser-cut wood, 3D-printed components, and Mylar film. Because the blades operated at thousands of revolutions per minute, even a small imbalance could create significant vibration. Eom maintained exceptionally tight manufacturing tolerances, keeping the weight of individual internal ribs within ±0.01 grams to help ensure proper rotational balance.

Daniel Szarwacki '28 contributed to the physical construction of the aircraft and developed tools to collect critical performance data. He also designed two important testing systems. The first was an engine test beam, which allowed the team to mount and test the engines separately while simulating their operation on the aircraft. The second was a load cell plate installed beneath the drone to measure its lifting capability as additional weight was introduced.

Developing the engine test beam required multiple revisions throughout the summer as the aircraft's design evolved. Szarwacki had to account for individual components, including fuel tanks, engines, and engine mounts, while ensuring that the test setup accurately represented the full aircraft.

His contributions drew directly on skills developed in the classroom. An introduction to SOLIDWORKS helped him design components such as an encoder, while coursework in flight mechanics gave him a stronger understanding of the aerodynamics and physics behind the aircraft's operation.