102918Persistence through Reliable Perching (PEP)ClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKSwarm Systems is developing a product for the growing market need of Flying Binoculars. Multi-rotor, battery SUAS have endurance of around 20 mins. A common request is for SUAS persistence of hours or more. Customers are specifically asking for a perch and stare capability to achieve persistence. However, perching using existing technology is very hit and miss. This PEP proposal has a goal of achieving greater than 99% reliability in perching on unprepared, outdoor locations in challenging weather conditions and taking off again. The SUAS category is sub-200g. The PEP research approach includes: adding new passive and active sensors, creating soft sensors from combinations of existing sensors, researching a novel automatic abort using 'disturbance from internal model' techniques (Loughborough University) and innovating undercarriage design including multi-surface gripping. PEP project management will be led by an analysis of perching ground types and weather conditions. The final 1/3 of the project will be focused on improving where testing proves that reliability is poor. A commercial goal is to add a key new capability to Swarm Systems product, enabling it to win export orders.