| Abstract | Despite strict regulations enforced worldwide, mid-air collisions between drones and aircraft continue to pose a risk to aviation safety. These risks may arise from both careless and malicious operators.
This experimental study builds on a previous investigation assessing drone impact damage on the windshields of an AWM 525 category aircraft. In the prior study, side windshields mounted on a steel frame were struck by quadcopters at speeds of 142 knots and 252 knots, resulting in significant damage.
This report presents findings from a new series of drone strike tests conducted on the main windshields of an AWM 525 aircraft, this time with the windshields mounted on the cockpit. The tests, performed using a DJI Phantom 4 and a DJI Mavic 2, produced different results. Unlike the previous study, the impacts caused only localized defects on the outer glass panes and widespread cracking across the external windshield surfaces. These findings suggest that the cockpit structure plays a crucial role in absorbing impact energy. |
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