AIAA Foundation Announces Winners of its 2012 - 2013 Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition Written 20 September 2013

September 20, 2013 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation (AIAA Foundation) is pleased to announce that the team from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan., has won first prize in the AIAA Foundation’s annual Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition.

The 2012-2013 competition required teams to design a high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS), carrying a direct energy laser weapon for use in missile defense.

The winners are:

• First Place: “Team Cyclops,” from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan. Team members: Amir Bachelani, Julian Bettoni, Stuart Hunsinger, Kirill Nadtochiy, Graham Ray, Trevor Schlieper, Samantha Schueler and Davis Woodward. Faculty advisor: Dr. Ron Barrett.



• Second Place: “Team Tarantula HALE UAS,” from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. Team members: Ilhan Akcay, Joachim Amis, Benjamin Grauel, Omar Gomez, Philipp Juretzko, Franz Sendner, Philipp Stahl, Ins Uriol and Julian Wilberg. Faculty advisors: Thomas “Sky” Sartorius, Sebastian Speck and Hannes Ross.



• Third Place: “Team Svalinn,” from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. Team members: Richard Boles, Dan Eusebio, Darin Gaytan, Patrick Gendotti, Keith Holmlund, Azadeh Keyvani, Andrew Levinson, Jen Sheriff, Herbert Turner and James Wong. Faculty advisors: Dr. Charles A. Radovich and Dr. Geoff Spedding.