v1.4.1 / chapter 9 of 19 / 01 mar 08 / greg goebel / public domain
* This chapter completes the discussion of US battlefield UAVs by describing systems that have seen relatively limited service, or are currently experimental.
* DRS Technologies builds a battlefield mini-UAV named the "Sentry" in
roughly the same class as the BAI Dragon drone. In fact, the Sentry looks
something like a Dragon with a twin-boom raised tail. It is built of carbon
composites and Kevlar, and powered by a 19.5 kW (26 HP) piston engine in a
tractor configuration.
S-TEC SENTRY:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 3.35 meters 11 feet
length 2.24 meters 8 feet
payload 27.2 kilograms 60 pounds
empty weight 59 kilograms 130 pounds
launch weight 109 kilograms 240 pounds
maximum speed 175 KPH 110 MPH / 95 KT
service ceiling 4,880 meters 16,000 feet
endurance 8 hours
launch scheme Wheeled dolly or pneumatic catapult.
recovery scheme Parasail or skid landing.
payload Day / night imager or other payload.
guidance system Programmable with radio control backup.
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
The Sentry was introduced in 1986, and has been sold in moderate quantities.
In an interesting experiment, the company fitted the BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed
Weapon (SFW) anti-armor submunition to the Sentry. After release in a target
area, the cylindrical SFW pops out a small parachute to orient itself and
then fires out four "skeet" projectiles in four directions. The skeets have
an infrared sensor to detect when they are flying over the top of an armored
vehicle, and then fire a penetrator slug straight down to punch through the
top armor.
DRST has now built a follow-on battlefield UAV, the "Sentry HP", which is a
different design with a broad wing and a vee tail. The Sentry HP is larger
than the Sentry, with greater payload capacity. It is powered by a variant
of the same engine as the Sentry. It is available with an option for fixed
landing gear to permit conventional takeoff and recovery.
S-TEC SENTRY HP:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 3.90 meters 12 feet 10 inches
length 2.57 meters 8 feet 5 inches
payload 34 kilograms 75 pounds
empty weight 81.6 kilograms 180 pounds
launch weight 147 kilograms 325 pounds
maximum speed 185 KPH 115 MPH / 100 KT
service ceiling 4,880 meters 16,000 feet
endurance 8 hours
launch scheme Pneumatic catapult or runway takeoff.
recovery scheme Parasail, skid, or runway landing.
payload Day / night imager or other payload.
guidance system Programmable with radio control backup.
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
DRST has built another follow-on to the Sentry, a mini-UAV named the
"Neptune", which has the interesting feature, as its name implies, that it
can be operated off water -- think of it as a "flying boat" UAV. The 11.2 kW
(15 HP) pusher engine is mounted high to keep it dry during takeoffs and
landings. The Neptune can also be launched off a pneumatic catapult and land
on a skid.
S-TEC SENTRY:
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spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
wingspan 2.13 meters 7 feet
length 1.83 meters 6 feet
payload 9.1 kilograms 20 pounds
launch weight 36.3 kilograms 80 pounds
maximum speed 155 KPH 100 MPH / 85 KT
service ceiling 4,880 meters 8,000 feet
endurance 4 hours
launch scheme water or pneumatic catapult.
recovery scheme water or skid landing.
payload day / night imager or other payload.
guidance system programmable with radio control backup.
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
BACK_TO_TOP
* In the 1980s, Ryan followed up on its long history of robot aircraft development with two jet-propelled UAVs for tactical reconnaissance and other roles, designated the "Model 324 Scarab" and the "Model 350 / BQM-145A".
The Scarab is a medium-range reconnaissance asset, similar in operational
concept to the old Ryan FireFly UAVs, but implemented with improved
technology. It was designed to Egyptian Air Force requirements and was first
flown in 1988. 56 were delivered and the type remains in service at last
notice. It is a neat UAV with low-midbody-mounted swept wings, a twin-fin
tail, and a rear-mounted Teledyne CAE 373-8C turbojet engine with the intake
on the rear spine of the UAV.
RYAN MODEL 324 SCARAB:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 3.35 meters 11 feet
length 6.12 meters 20 feet 1 inch
max loaded weight 1,130 kilograms 2,500 pounds
maximum speed 970 KPH 600 MPH / 520 KT
service ceiling 13,100 meters 43,000 feet
range 2,250 kilometers 1,400 MI / 1,220 NM
launch scheme RATO launch.
recovery scheme Parachute recovery.
payload Reconnaissance cameras.
guidance system Programmable with radio control backup.
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
The Model 350 / BQM-145A was developed in the early 1990s for a joint US Navy
/ Marine Corps and Air Force "Medium Range UAV" program, with the Navy
developing the airframe and the Air Force providing the payload. The
BQM-145A was designed to precede air strike packages into a target area and
relay reconnaissance information in real time.
Production BQM-145As were to have a metal airframe, but the initial two prototypes were built with plastic composites, with initial flight in May 1992. The program then collapsed in 1993 due to technical difficulties and funding cutbacks. However, six BQM-145As with plastic-composite airframes then under construction were completed, with first flight of a composite BQM-145A in 1997.
Apparently Northrop Grumman continued to use them for other experiments. Some sources claim they have been evaluated for unmanned strike missions, and paintings have been circulated showing a BQM-145A fitted with a "high-power microwave (HPM)" generator in the nose to fry adversary electronic equipment. It has been confirmed that BQM-145As have been flown in the US on test flights carrying HPM payloads.
The BQM-145A has some broad similarities to the Scarab, with a similar
configuration except that it has twin air intakes on either side of the
fuselage, forward of the wing roots. Like the Scarab, it has no landing
gear. It is powered by a Teledyne CAE 382-10C (F408-CA-400) turbojet engine,
with 4.4 kN (455 kgp / 1000 lbf) thrust. It can be air-launched from a
standard fighter such as the F-16 Falcon or the F/A-18 Hornet.
RYAN BQM-145A:
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spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
wingspan 3.2 meters 10 feet 6 inches
length 5.6 meters 18 feet 4 inches
payload weight 135 kilograms 300 pounds
launch weight 900 kilograms 2,000 pounds
speed 1,115 KPH 690 MPH / 600 KT
ceiling 12,200 meters 40,000 feet
range 1,300 kilometers 810 MI / 705 NMI
launch scheme RATO or aircraft launch.
recovery scheme Parachute or parafoil.
payload Reconnaissance or other payload.
guidance system Programmable with GPS-INS & radio control.
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
BACK_TO_TOP
* In the late 1980s, Sikorsky Aircraft flew a small UAV named "Cypher", with coaxial rotors inside a doughnut-shaped airframe. The doughnut-shaped shroud not only improved safety in handling the machine, it also helped increase lift. The first proof-of-concept Cypher was 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) in diameter and 55 centimeters (1 foot 10 inches) tall, weighed 20 kilograms (43 pounds), and was first flown in the summer of 1988. This design was powered by a four-stroke, 2.85 kW (3.8 HP) engine and had to be mounted on a truck for forward-flight tests.
It led to a true flight prototype Cypher that weighed 110 kilograms (240 pounds), had a diameter of 1.9 meters (6 feet 2 inches) and was powered by a compact, 40 kW (53 HP) rotary engine. After an initial free flight in 1993, the Cypher prototype was used in flight tests and demonstrations through most of the 1990s, ultimately leading to a next-generation design, the Cypher II, which was a competitor in the US Navy VT-UAV competition.
Two Cypher II prototypes were built for the US Marine Corps, which called the UAV "Dragon Warrior". The Cypher II was similar in size to its predecessor, but had a pusher propeller along with its rotor and could be fitted with wings for long-range reconnaissance missions. In its winged configuration, the Cypher II had a range of over 185 kilometers (115 miles) and a top speed of 230 KPH (145 MPH). The Cypher II was not put into production.
* In 2003, Aurora Flight Sciences, which has built a number of research UAVs for NASA that are discussed in a later chapter, unveiled the "Goldeneye", a ducted-fan UAV in roughly the same class as the Cypher II. This UAV was built under a DARPA contract and is apparently focused on covert or special forces operations.
The Goldeneye is a "tailsitter" or "pogo" machine that takes off and lands straight up. It is a stumpy-looking machine with four tailfins, each with landing gear on the fintip, and a wing that pivots, allowing it to be aligned with the aircraft centerline in cruise flight and at a right angle to the centerline in hover flight.
The Goldeneye is built of graphite and fiberglass composites, and has low
radar, infrared, and acoustic signatures. It is powered by a 28 KW (38 HP)
Wankel rotary engine from UAV Engines LTD in the UK. The Goldeneye has an
autonomous flight control system with GPS-INS navigation.
AURORA GOLDENEYE:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 3.0 meters 10 feet
height 1.7 meters 5 feet 6 inches
duct diameter 90 centimeters 3 feet
empty weight 48 kilograms 105 pounds
max loaded weight 68 kilograms 150 pounds
maximum speed 295 KPH 185 MPH / 160 KT
hover endurance 1 hour
cruise endurance 4 hours
cruise range 1,000 kilometers 620 MI / 540 NMI
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
The Goldeneye can carry a small electo-optic sensor turret or other payload
and features a radio datalink. Apparently the DARPA specification
mysteriously required that it be able to carry "two coke-can size payloads"
for which no details were released. Aurora is working on a half-scale
version of the Goldeneye for commercial sales.
* AeroVironment INC of Monrovia, California, manufacturer of solar-powered endurance UAVs described in a later chapter, is also developing a pogo UAV named the "SkyTote" under an Air Force contract. It is described as a demonstrator for a vehicle intended for the precision delivery and pickup of "cargoes", a description that covers an extremely wide range of actual applications. Details are unclear, but illustrations of the SkyTote show it to be another pogo-type tailsitter, with a surprising resemblance to the pogo fighters of the 1950s. It is powered by a Wankel rotary engine.
BAE Systems is working on yet another UAV similar to the Goldeneye, named the "AirWolf", to be used to deliver "Wolfpack" battlefield sensors and other payloads. The first Airwolf prototype performed its initial flights in the spring of 2005. Although details are unclear, the design is scalable and expected to lead to a family of UAVs.
* There seems to be quite a bit of interest in using small UAVs to deliver cargoes to front-line troops these days. In 2003, the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) obtained five "SnowGoose" cargo-delivery UAVs from a Canadian firm named "Mist Mobility Integrated Systems Technology (MMIST)" for evaluation.
The SnowGoose, which was given the designation "CQ-10A", consists of a cargo / propulsion / control module with a pusher piston engine, with the module flying under a parafoil and landing on skids. It can carry a payload of up 270 kilograms (600 pounds), including fuel, and can fly autonomously using a GPS-based navigation system. It can be launched from an aircraft or from a Hummer truck; it can drop its payload without landing and then return to its base.
* An interesting tactical UAV was developed by a company associated with the University of Maryland, Freewing Aerial Robotics Corporation. Working with well-known small-aircraft designer Burt Rutan, Freewing designed a series of piston-powered short-takeoff-and-landing UAVs, based on a design where the fuselage pivots relative to the wing surfaces. The "freewing" design also allows the UAV to operate as a stable observation platform during turbulent conditions.
FREEWING SCORPION:
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spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ ___________________
wingspan 4.9 meters 16 feet
length 3.60 meters 11 feet 10 inches
payload weight 23 kilograms 50 pounds
maximum speed 235 KPH 146 MPH / 130 KT
service ceiling 4,570 meters 15,000 feet
endurance 5 hours
_____________________ _________________ ___________________
The Scorpion is being proposed by Matra of France for use on French navy
frigates and patrol boats. The Matra version is named "Marvel" and will
carry a Matra-designed electro-optical day-night camera system initially, but
the French navy has expressed interest in extending the payload to include
communications relay, electronic warfare, and antisubmarine warfare
equipment. Freewing is also offering the similar but smaller "Scorpiette",
with a payload of up to 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) for commercial, third-world
military, and law enforcement organizations.
* After failing to sell their BRAVE series of tactical UAVs, Boeing developed a twin-prop pogo UAV named the "Heliwing" that took off and landed standing on its tail. The prototype crashed on its sixth flight in 1995, and the project was abandoned.
Boeing then developed two "X-50A Dragonfly" demonstrators, with funding from a three-year DARPA contract awarded in late 1998. The Dragonfly featured a "canard-rotor wing (CRW)" configuration, with a slender fuselage, a wide twin-fin canard wing in back, canard fins up front, and a "rotor wing" on top. On takeoff and landings, the rotor wing would spin using jet exhausts in the wingtips, but once in flight the rotor wing was fixed in place to act as an auxiliary wing. The demonstrators were powered by a Williams Research F-112 small turbofan and had a weight of about 660 kilograms (1,460 pounds).
Initial flight of the first demonstrator was in late 2003; it crashed the following spring and was written off. The second demonstrator took to the air in the fall of 2005, only to be lost in another crash in the spring of 2006, effectively killing the program.
That did not drive Boeing out of the tactical UAV business. In the spring of 2004, Boeing bought out Frontier Systems of Irvine, California, where a team under Frontier Systems boss Abraham Karem was working on demonstrator for a helicopter UAV designated the "A160" for DARPA. Karem stayed with the program as a consultant.
The A160 is intended to have range, endurance, and altitude capabilities unprecedented in the history of helicopter design. The A160 has a conventional main-tail rotor helicopter configuration, but the conventional appearance is misleading. A contemporary helicopter features lightweight flexible rotors that are connected to the rotor hub through articulated joints. Such rotors are designed to provide smooth flight operation with little vibration and good control authority. However, they can only do so within a limited range of speeds, normally at as high an RPM as possible below that where the rotor tips break the sound barrier, and so the helicopter's rotor RPM is roughly constant while the aircraft is in flight. This is inefficient, particularly when the helicopter is flying below maximum speed or with a non-optimal load.
The A160's carbon-fiber composite rotor blades are tapered, and their cross-section varies from root to tip. They are light but stiff to avoid vibration, and their stiffness also varies from root to tip. The rotor system is rigid and hingeless, and features a larger diameter and lower disk loading than that of a conventional helicopter with the same lift capacity. The A160 rotor can be spun from 140 to 350 RPM. Mating the advanced rotor system with a fuel-efficient piston engine results in a helicopter that not only has unbelievable fuel efficiency, but good speed, unprecedented altitude capability, and is very silent.
The A160 project began in early 1998, with Frontier Systems modifying a light commercial Robinson R22 helicopter to a UAV configuration, named the "Maverick", to test flight-control systems. The R22 was lost in an accident in early 2000, but not before it had flown for 215 hours under autonomous control. Program officials believe the A160's advanced flight control system will allow it to operate in weather that would ground most other helicopters.
The A160 demonstrator, named the "Hummingbird", performed its first flight on 29 January 2002. The machine weighed about 1,800 kilograms (4,000 pounds), had three rotor blades 5.2 meters (17 feet) long, and featured retractable landing gear. The demonstrator was powered by a commercial automobile engine providing over 225 kW (300 HP), and had a payload capacity of more than 135 kilograms (300 pounds). Two more demonstrators were built, with these machines featuring four-blade rotors of the same diameter as the original rotor. The third crashed in October 2003, forcing a flight halt for a year. The program resumed, with Boeing's Phantom Works building five more demonstrators. One crashed in the summer of 2005, imposing another delay on the program. However, by the fall of 2007, Hummingbirds were performing endurance flights in excess of 12 hours.
The objective of the effort is to build a long-endurance helicopter with a top speed of 260 KPH (160 MPH), more than 24 hours endurance, 4,625 kilometer (2,875 mile) range, and a flight ceiling of 9,150 meters (30,000 feet). These specifications are well beyond the capability of the current demonstrators, which are simply intended for technology evaluation and which are not suitable for operational use. The general design concept envisions a UAV that could deploy itself from the US to a combat area, or perform deep penetrations into hostile territory. Possible payloads for a production machine include EO/IR imaging and SAR sensors. Apparently there is work being done on integrating SAR receiving antennas into the rotors themselves, though the transmit antenna will be mounted on the fuselage.
The US Army and SOCOM are interested in the project, with the SOCOM considering uses such as extracting troops trapped behind enemy lines. Other uses under consideration are typical UAV applications such as reconnaissance, targeting, and communications relay. The DARPA program will run into 2007, and at that time it may be picked up by the Army, leading to service introduction as early as 2009.
* In another advanced technology UAV effort, DARPA has been working with a company named NextGen Aeronautics of Torrance, California, to develop a "morphing-wing" UAV. An initial demonstrator, the 45 kilogram (100 pound), piston-powered "MFX-1", was flown in the summer of 2006. The morphing wing could not only change its sweep -- nothing new there -- but could shift fore and aft along the wingroot, and adjust its chord. At the moment, it appears to be a pure technology-development exercise, with no particular operational use in mind.
* DARPA conducted a program with the Army on development of prototypes for an "Uninhabited Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR)", originally given the snappy name of "Robotic Rotary Wingman". A requirement was issued in the spring of 2002, specifying a robot rotorcraft to be armed with missiles, unguided rockets, guns, and nonlethal directed energy weapons, and with the capability of attacking masked targets. The UCAR was to cost $4 million to $8 million USD, and have operating costs 10% to 40% of those of an AH-64 Apache. Operational cost reductions were expected to be achieved at least in part by reducing the number of personnel required to maintain and operate the machine.
Two finalists, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, were selected in the summer of 2003 to come up with a detailed design. Ironically, neither company had ever built a full-production rotorcraft. The Northrop Grumman design used the twin-two-blade-rotor "eggbeater" scheme usually associated with Kaman helicopters -- in fact Kaman has teamed with Northop Grumman on the project -- while the Lockheed Martin design used a four-blade rotor with a "no-tail-rotor (NOTAR)" jet exhaust in the tail to cancel torque.
Both were "stealthy" designs with weapon stores in internal bays; both eliminated the tail rotor, which is the noisiest element on a conventional helicopter. The Northrop Grumman eggbeater was to be able to fly at more than 295 KPH (160 knots) and at an altitude of up to 6,100 meters (20,000 feet), with an endurance with auxiliary fuel tanks of 10 hours and a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles). Northrop Grumman envisioned two variants: an attack variant, the baseline version, optimized for low-altitude operation and carrying a nav-attack sensor suite; and a scout variant, optimized for high-altitude operation and carrying a SAR payload and communications relay. The Lockheed Martin proposal provided similar performance but less endurance. The baseline payload configuration included a SAR.
A single contractor was to be chosen to develop two X-vehicle prototypes. It was to lead to a "B-model", closer to an operational machine, with a warload of from 225 to 450 kilograms (500 to 1,000 pounds), including nonlethal directed-energy weapons.
The Army seemed very enthusiastic about the program, but then pulled out abruptly late in 2004, citing more immediate demands on aviation funding. DARPA searched around for another service sponsor, was unable to find one, and axed the procurement of the demonstrators at the end of the year. It appears that the Army will focus on the Fire Scout as their UCAR solution. Given the Army's operational requirements, focused on fighting insurgents and not regular armies equipped with the full spectrum of modern weaponry, the Fire Scout will likely be cost-effective for the task. However, the advanced UCAR designs may resurface again in modified form in the future.
* In the meantime, the Army is also investigating use of unmanned helicopters for resupply operations under a program designated "Broad-area Unmanned Responsive Resupply Operations (BURRO)" -- the people in the acronym department were clearly getting cocky again. Tests have involved a Kaman K-MAX eggbeater "flying crane" helicopter modified as a UAV and fitted with a long-range conformal belly fuel tank that was originally designed for carrying retardant. Goals of the program are to develop a robot delivery vehicle that can carry up to 2,729 kilograms (6,000 pounds) to four field locations and then come back to base, all under autonomous operation. Trials seem to be going very well, the K-MAX being a well-proven machine, but it is unclear if there is any commitment to production of the system yet.
* In July 1998, a small long-range piston-powered UAV, named the "Aerosonde", made history by crossing the Atlantic non-stop, and they have made a number of research flights into the deep Arctic.
The Aerosonde was designed to provide a low-cost weather observation
platform. It was designed by the Aerosonde Group of Australia, now part of
Sweden's SAAB company, with design consulting by the Insitu Group of Bingen,
Washington, in collaboration with the University of Washington. It has a
high-mounted wing, twin tailbooms with a standup inverted vee tail, is
powered by a 0.75 kW (1 HP) engine, and is built from wood and composite
materials.
INSITU AEROSONDE:
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spec metric english
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
wingspan 2.9 meters 9 feet 6 inches
length 1.74 meters 5 feet 8 inches
payload weight 2 kilograms 4.4 pounds
empty weight 15 kilograms 33 pounds
maximum speed 103 KPH 64 MPH / 56 KT
service ceiling 4,880 meters 16,000 feet
range 2,500 kilometers 1,550 MI / 1,350 NMI
launch scheme Launched from cartop.
recovery scheme Belly landing.
payload Meteorological and other sensors.
guidance system Programmed with GPS & radio command backup
_____________________ _________________ _______________________
Four Aerosondes were sent on the flight from Nova Scotia to Scotland, but
only one completed the trip. It was named "Laima", after the Latvian goddess
of good luck, in tribute to University of Washington aeronautics professor
Juris Vagners, who was heavily involved with the project and is from Latvia.
These four Aerosondes appear to have been configured for extra fuel, since
the total trip distance was 3,270 kilometers (2,044 miles). The flight time
for the aircraft that made the crossing was almost 27 hours.
The Aerosonde company continues to improve and build the Aerosonde, with the latest models featuring largely composite construction and generally improved systems. During the ferocious hurricane season of 2005, NASA used an Aerosonde as a "hurricane hunter", sending one into Hurricane Ophelia to perform observations for several hours.
* The Aerosonde is not really a tactical UAV -- it is discussed in this chapter partly because it's hard to find any other appropriate place -- but the Insitu group has worked with Boeing on a more sophisticated UAV, the "ScanEagle", which is the centerpieces of the "SeaScan" surveillance system. The ScanEagle is a tailless machine, with long, slightly swept wings ending in fins and attached to a tubular fuselage. It is driven by a pusher propeller and has a sensor dome in front, containing visible or infrared cameras. It has a wingspan of 3.05 meters (10 feet), a length of 1.22 meters (4 feet), a weight of 18.1 kilograms (40 pounds), a maximum speed of 125 KPH (68 knots), and up to 15 hours endurance. Boeing will provide advanced sensors and avionics.
Initial flight of the ScanEagle was in June 2002. The ScanEagle can be carried on small vessels, such as coastal patrol cutters. It is launched by catapult and recovered by a Skyhook snag scheme. A SeaScan system includes two ScanEagles, as well as launch, control, and recovery gear.
In 2004, the US Marines ordered two "mobile deployment units" based on the ScanEagle, with each unit including a number of the UAVs and associated control and support gear, with Marine ScanEagles quickly seeing service in Iraq. The ScanEagle was regarded as an interim solution pending evaluation of other UAVs, but a follow-on evaluation of the MTC Technologies "XMQ-17 SpyHawk" UAV did not lead to a production order, and for the time being the Marines are still using the ScanEagle. In late 2004, the British Royal Navy also ordered the ScanEagle as part of an experimental investigation, with Thales of France fronting the deal and providing systems integration.
Boeing and Insitu are now working on a larger ScanEagle, with a more powerful engine, a weight of 45 kilograms (100 pounds), an endurance of up to 24 hours, and two payload bays for larger and more diverse payloads. An even larger version, with an endurance of more than 48 hours, is also being planned.
* Northrop Grumman is investigating an interesting tactical drone concept, in which "Killer Bee" UAVs are automatically dispensed in "swarms" of three, five, or ten vehicles from a module carried on an aircraft. Northrop has been test-flying a Killer Bee demonstrator, built with assistance from a composite assembly fabrication company named Swift Engineering of California.
The demonstrator is a smoothly-curved flying wing with twin rudderons on each wing and a span of 2 meters (6 feet 6 inches), powered by a small two-stroke piston engine driving a pusher propeller. The demonstrator can carry a payload of 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds) for 30 hours, or a 9 kilogram (20 pound) payload for 8 hours. Cruise speed is about 110 KPH (60 KT) at an altitude of 4,575 meters (15,000 feet).
The flying wing design provides high aerodynamic efficiency and plenty of storage volume. For simplicity, the Killer Bee doesn't fold up, with its flat profile allowing them to be stacked neatly in a dispenser module. The UAVs can be dispensed at a speed of hundreds of knots at high altitude; they will fall down to operating altitude. The design is very stable and the UAV will orient itself automatically after dispensing. Its stability makes it suitable for launch in high crosswinds, allowing it in principle to be deployed from a naval vessel in poor weather.
A ground-launch system is being designed for carriage on top of a Hummer truck. The launch system would deploy two telescoping poles to act as the frame for a bungee launcher, and also hold up a net for recovery. The two-meter Killer Bee demonstrator was sized specifically for the Hummer.
A production machine based on the demonstrator is expected to have a diesel engine, and will be constructed of three main composite assemblies. It will have a semi-autonomous flight control system to ease operation. The initial payload will be a small EO/IR turret, but over the long run Northrop Grumman would like to have dual EO/IR turrets that can operate simultaneously and in different directions. The sensor system will include an on-board mass memory so data can be stored and requested by users as needed. A laser target designator is another possibly payload element, and of course communications relay, jamming, ELINT, and decoy payloads are being considered.
The Killer Bee demonstrator is seen as the precursor of an entire family of UAVs. Other powerplant options include an electric engine, for missions in which silence is required; a hybrid piston-electric engine system that would provide more endurance than a pure electric engine, while retaining the ability to turn off the piston component to run silently in a target area; and small turbojet engines, along the lines of those considered for Northrop Grumman's cancelled MALD effort. The basic design is scalable. Demonstrators with spans of 46 centimeters (18 inches) and 1.5 meters (5 feet) have been flown, and Northrop Grumman envisions Killer Bees with spans of up to 9.15 meters (30 feet).
