The Kestrel Program
The Kestrel Program, named after the bird of prey, is focused on the fast-paced development of high-speed, maneuverable aircraft. The aircraft in the Kestrel program are designed with iteration in mind, building aircraft quickly and learning from hardware and flight testing. This is an iterative vehicle program, focused on pushing the envelope of what is possible with high-powered sUAS and using past designs to influence decisions on what is to come in the future.
Kestrel Mk-1
Kestrel Mk-1 is the first iteration of vehicles within the Kestrel program. This vehicle is meant to define what is possible for the future vehicles within the program, including refining the requirements, developing the workflow and building the early-stage models necessary to inform design decisions in the future.
K-Mk1 will have a top speed of 300 mph and be able to handle 10g loads in 200 mph sustained speed maneuvers. This is meant to push the bounds of what is possible with collegiate aircraft programs, and open the doors for other colleges to become involved in this effort.
K-Mk1 Development Timeline
Pushing what is possible for college teams to achieve in a year…
Mission Requirements Review (MDR)
March 2025
Finalize the conceptual design, including initial sizing, engine selection, OML definition, and initial structural sizing.
Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
January 2026
Final design iterations complete and manufacturing plan laid out in comprehensive detail. Final steps before stepping into build.
Ground and Flight Testing Begins
Late Summer 2026
Defined mission requirements of the aircraft including high-level performance goals and an initial concept of operations.
Conceptual Design Review (CoDR)
October 2025
More detailed analysis and optimization of aircraft structure and internal components, TX-RX systems, and flight control law development.
Critical Design
Review (CDR)
March 2026
With the aircraft fully built and integration testing complete, flight testing and envelope expansion will occur in the Fall semester.