Launched six years ago, the IMechE’s UAS Challenge (unmanned air system) provides an educational platform that allows university teams to learn practical aerospace engineering skills, enhance their employability in the sector and develop a range of ‘soft skills’ — including team working and leadership.

Since its launch, over 1,000 students from UK and international universities have participated in the competition, and many have been recruited by industry partners into full-time roles after graduating.

For the 2020 competition, teams will see some significant changes to the rules, including: a change to mission and payload, to encourage new designs; the introduction of a ‘packaging box and modular assembly challenge’; and the need to measure fuel/power consumption and efficiency with a ‘power logger’.

Project manager Alex Robbins said: “The IMechE UAS Challenge has consistently delivered a complex real-world scenario in order to test and develop the university students competing and to provide recruitment opportunities for industry.

“Moreover, the competition continues to grow for 2020, with additional requirements.

“The IMechE has focused on STEM engagement for the last two years of the competition and continues grow its STEM out-reach on an international scale.

“The competition’s accessibility to all universities around the world makes it a pioneer of aerospace engineering, taking input from academia and industry to evolve to meet the needs of the future engineering sector.”

The UAS Challenge returns to Snowdonia Aerospace Centre in Llanbedr, Wales, from 17 to 20 June 2020. Further details can be found at the Web site (www.imeche.org/uaschallenge).