[EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re covering the Air Force Association convention this week in DC and we’ll keep bringing you updates of cool tech from the show. I thought you’d be interested in the V-22 story, but I can see from the lack of comments it was ho-hum.
Here’s another story from Bryant on a cool as heck drone the makers hope can be used to medivac or insert troops under fire. Sooo Alien 2…I love it. But I doubt we’re at a point where a special operator would be willing to hitch a ride with a robot plane…]
Firm Building Man-carrying VTOL Drone
A Virginia-based company is hoping to test-fly a vertical take-off and landing drone before the end of this year that, ultimately, could do triple duty as strike vehicle, medevac or special ops insertion/extraction plane.
The Excalibur is currently being developed as an armed, tactical unmanned aerial vehicle by Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, Va., capable of carrying Hellfire anti-tank missiles and Viper Strike missiles. The Hellfire is currently mounted on Predator UAVs, while Viper Strike missiles are used for strikes on the Army’s RQ-5B Hunter UAV, both fixed wing aircraft requiring traditional runway take-offs and landings.
Excalibur anticipates giving the Army — if it chooses to follow through in developing the weapons system — a way of delivering strikes with a VTOL-capable UAV, according to Tim Dawson-Townsend, Excalibur program manager.
The plane uses a turbine-electric hybrid propulsion system for VTOL capability and a turbine engine for horizontal flight, according to Excalibur’s specs. Because the plane’s flight control system would operate with a high level of autonomy, it would not be remotely controlled. The focus of the operators would be on mission planning, locating and engaging targets, the company says.
But with modifications, said Dawson-Townsend, the aircraft could carry a man. Ground forces could such a UAV to move an injured or wounded Soldier, while special operators could be dropped into our extracted from a location without the need of a pilot or even flying the vehicle themselves, he said.
According to the specs, the plane is also capable of traditional short take-offs and landings.
Patricia Woodside, public relations director for Aurora, said the Excalibur is under contract to the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate. Current funding calls for a one-hour “proof of principal” flight before the end of 2008.
The Excalibur would be heavier than the Predator — 2,900 lbs empty versus 1,130 — but would be smaller. The final version, expected in 2012 if funding is appropriated, would have a wingspan of 21 feet, be 23 feet long and seven feet high. The Predator has a wingspan of 27 feet, is 27 feet long and just under seven feet high.
The version to be tested by the end of the year — pictured above — is smaller, weighing in empty at just 620 lbs, with a 10-foot wingspan, a length of 13 feet and just five feet high, according to the specs.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Will we see something like VTOL Hunter Killers from Terminator in the near future? Looks like James Cameron is/was a damn visionary
Don’t or won’t they already have a VTOL Uav in the form of the FCS Class IV UAV, the Firescout?
By the way, Bryant since you’re doing techscouting at the AFA, can you check to see if there’s any new airship transport ideas? Something like LM’s P-791?
I like it being used in cases as a MEDEVAC because in some situations it might be too risky for regular bird to come into the LZ and with no pilot or crew on this, it could get into a small LZ without risking an aircrew. As for dropping of Special Ops folks in…unless it can carry more than one, I’m not so sure on its usefulness. Yes Spec Ops folks can operate as a one-man force, but they work best as small teams and unless this guy is being brought in at night when there is less chance of getting shot down, it would be incredibly risky using this as a platform for Spec Ops insertions IMO.
Problem with MEDEVAC UAS is that you have to build it to manned aircraft standards (i.e. $$) and by law a MEDEVAC aircraft has to have a medical attendant. So… might as well have a pilot to deal with errant “O’s and 1′s” as well.
have to say as far as carring me it sounds stupid but as an attack drone sounds awsome….hmmm navy should get some for there LCS
hmmm would be cool to be able to land them somewhere they could wait for a little bit and pop out and do there missions without giving away missions by coming in from long range
Yeah, it would need to be able to carry more than one soldier to be an effective transport.
But, what if they put recon type robots on it and flew them into an area of operations? I mean, depending on how loud the thing is,you could put a few recon bots on them and have the plane insert them. Then the recon bots could scout out buildings, etc, before the ground troops even get there.
Project Apps:
Search Rescue
Logistics
Fire survey
Relay
Gunship
MedEvac with Medic onboard to aid wounded.
Evac.
USCG Use.
Border Patrol.
Armed Escort.
Personnel
Carry 70 troops (fullsize models).
& the Commercial market:
700 for VTOL or VSTOL
from Burbank CA to Lake Arrowhead CA or
LA to Mammoth Ski Resort CA.
Denver to Aspen
Tokyo to Mt Fuji etc.
To remote mtn locales & by beaches, jungles etc.
I’ll give it a “hmm… interesting concept” for now. I’m asking the next medic I see whether a one-littler medevac would be worthwhile, though. I’m also intrigued by the idea of one of these dropping off ammo and water to a fireteam or something. Yes, interesting. But I’m not going to pretend I know enough about this stuff to make a valid observation.
OB-1 and Yoda will be leading the charge, as they send the Clones into battle…in the not too distant future.
Is the military running out identifires. Isn’t Excalibur a intelligent arty round from Picatinny
Maybe it’s just me, but if you squint, it kind of looks like an RHIB w/ wings
Awesome(if it works)for resupply and UCAV overwatch. You could imagine it to have a dropable central cargo containtner that could be then switched out quickly with a weapons fit.
The CIA and MI6 has been using vehicles like these for at least 12 years; but like anything else, the army needs to build it 10 years too late, 500% over budget, and operational at 60% its spec’d technical requirements.
I used to bullseye Womp Rats with one of those on Tatooine.
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