Stealth Switch

This section explains how to plan a mission that facilitates the stealth switch.

The Stealth Switch is a feature that allows the DeltaQuad Evo to turn off all radio emissions, making it undetectable to interception systems. When activated, the vehicle disables all radio transmissions, ensuring it operates in complete stealth mode.

The operator can plan missions with predefined stealth operation phases using Auterion Tactical Stack Avionics. The drone autonomously executes these stealth phases and then reconnects with the operator at a designated point in the mission.

To ensure a successful stealth operation, the settings for the Data Link Loss Failsafe Trigger are always ignored and set to disabled by default during mission plan execution. This prevents the stealth mission from being aborted (e.g., by initiating Return-to-Launch) if radio transmission is cut.

• To use the Stealth Switch, a mission plan must be created. Plan a VTOL Takeoff and Transition, along with Intermediate Waypoints, up to the location where you wish to engage the Stealth Switch. Please review the instructions for planning a VTOL Takeoff, Transition, and Intermediate Waypoints.

• To engage the Stealth Switch, an additional waypoint must be planned, which will be set as a Custom Action Command.

1. Create a waypoint at the location and altitude where the Stealth Switch should be engaged. In the example below, the Stealth Switch should be engaged at waypoint 3.

1. Create a waypoint anywhere on the map.

1. In the Mission Editor, on the right side of the screen, click on the Waypoint type (Waypoint).

2. A menu will open, allowing you to Select a Waypoint Type, choose Action.

1. As soon as the Waypoint Type is set to Action, Waypoint 4 will be attached to Waypoint 3 as a Custom Action.

1. In the Mission Editor, the Action tab is available on the right side of the screen. When you click on it, a drop-down menu will appear. Select Turn radio off.

1. We have now planned for the Stealth Switch to engage at Waypoint 3. From that point onward, all subsequent waypoints will be flown without any radio emissions, meaning no radio connection to the GCS. Now, let’s plan the next waypoint where the Stealth Switch will disengage. We will place this at Waypoint 4, just beyond the riverbed.

1. If we now click on the Waypoint Summary at the top of the Mission Editor, the Custom Action attached to Waypoint 3 is listed as Action.

Since Custom Actions are not displayed on the map, the only way to access and change their settings is through the Waypoint Summary.

1. We create another Waypoint anywhere on the map, which will be set as the Custom Action to disengage the Stealth Switch. In the Mission Editor, on the right side of the screen, click on the Waypoint type (Waypoint).

2. A menu will open, allowing you to Select a Waypoint Type, choose Action.

1. As soon as the Waypoint Type is set to Action, Waypoint 5 will be attached to Waypoint 4 as a Custom Action to disengage the Stealth Switch.

1. In the Mission Editor, select Turn radio on from the drop-down menu in the Action tab.

1. After a few seconds, the Radio Connection with the GCS should be re-established. From this point, the mission can continue with another Stealth Switch activation or a landing at the home position.

In fixed-wing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), the acceptance radius refers to the radius around a waypoint within which the UAV considers itself to have reached that waypoint and can proceed to the next. It’s a tolerance value, typically measured in meters, that allows for slight deviations due to wind or other factors affecting flight path accuracy.

For fixed-wing UAVs, the acceptance radius is usually larger compared to rotary-wing UAVs because fixed-wing aircraft can’t make sharp turns and require a smoother, more gradual transition between waypoints.

Typical acceptance radius values for fixed-wing UAVs range from 5 to 50 meters, depending on factors like mission type, aircraft speed, and waypoint precision required. If the UAV enters this radius, it will consider the waypoint achieved and adjust its heading toward the next one.