Aviones sin piloto (RPAS, UAS, UCAS, drones)

[Tachikoma]

Os pongo un enlace hacia un artí­culo sobre UAVs israelí­es. No cuenta nada que no sepamos, aunque destacarí­a un par de párrafos:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internac ... iint_7/Tes

"Un grupo de técnicos españoles asiste a la disección de las tripas de un avión no tripulado en un hangar de la Industria Aeroespacial Israelí­ (IAI), la empresa pública que lidera el mercado europeo de la guerra teledirigida. Estudian el cableado del Searcher".

"Israel no confirma ni desmiente, pero admite la fabricación de los Harop, que autoexplotan en lugar de lanzar misiles; es el llamado drone suicida".

No conocí­a esta última versión de drones-bomba, que por otro lado no sé como serán de rentables...

[alfavega]

Video del Harop, despegue y ataque a objetivo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xdaCF8Fwe0

Se ha comentado en algunas web aeronáuticas que podrí­a estar dedicado a misiones SEAD (supresión de defensas antiaéreas)

[Tachikoma]

Parece un armatoste de la leche... No lo veo muy claro...

- Están atacando defensas antiaéreas con un avión (que además no parece moverse muy rápido que digamos... No he encontrado ningún dato sobre su velocidad).
- Hace un ruido como si a la vez de volar te estuviera cortando el césped.
- ¡Para colmo de males cuesta 10 millone$! (In September 2009, the Indian Air Force announced that it will be inducting the 10 Harop systems purchased for US$100 Million. De la Wiki)

No sé... El Taurus (según la Wiki) le cuesta a Alemania menos de un millón de €ureles la unidad y un Tomi sale entre medio millonte de $ (según Wiki) y los tres millones por los que nos salí­an a nosotros cada uno de los 25 primeros que Á­bamos a comprar. Al final este drone sólo añade una cámara y mayor maniobrabilidad, pero si se lo compran los ingleses, los indios, los turcos y los israelí­es por algo será...

[Orel]

Zephyr aterriza después de un récord de dos semanas de vuelo

El UAV Zephyr, propulsado por energí­a solar fotovoltaica, desarrollado por la compañí­a británica Qinetiq, aterrizó el pasado 22 de julio después de 14 dí­as de vuelo continuo. La FAI todaví­a no ha anunciado oficialmente el récord de vuelo continuo de un UAV, que previamente ostentaba oficialmente el Global Hawk con 31 horas de vuelo en el 2001, y el de vuelo continuo sin repostar que ostentaba el avión tripulado Voyager, que se mantuvo en vuelo durante más de nueve dí­as.

[Jean Luc]

El handicap para estos "aparatos" es el peso.
Son tremendamente livianos, aprovechan el planeo y puedes tenerle muuuuuucho tiempo en el aire, pero no le pidas maniobras.

La carga de pago es un gran problema.
Podemos tener un cacharito de estos volando con ciertas prestaciones durante el dí­a, con buena radiación, pero si no dispone de baterí­as, una simple nubecilla te tira por tierra el rendimiento y si el chisme no tiene una excelente capacidad de planeo (lo que implica una superficie alar enorme, también necesaria para emplazar las células fotovoltaicas) nos vamos al suelo.

Vale, pues le ponemos baterí­as... estupendo, pero hay un problema... pesan, y pesan bastante. (iónes de Li, NICd, pilas... y no hablemos de Pb-Acido)
Acumular energí­a de forma eficiente en CC es algo que no termina de cuajar. Mucho nos queda por avanzar en ese campo.

Por eso estos aviones no dejan de ser prototipos de demostración... curiosidades, pero queda muy lejos de su aplicación práctica.

[Orel]

Por supuesto, Jean Luc, pero por algo hay que empezar. Los demostradores tecnológicos son el primer paso

[champi]

Se estrella un A160T en un aeropuerto de California: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... rport.html

By Stephen Trimble

US authorities are investigating what caused an unmanned Boeing A160T Hummingbird to crash on 28 July at the airport in Victorville, California.

The Pratt & Whitney PW207D-powered long-endurance helicopter auto-rotated to the ground and rolled onto its side about 13:30 PDT, Boeing says.

The mishap occurred within airport traffic airspace and within about 1.5mi of the aircraft's planned landing point, the company adds.

Boeing declined to release details about the circumstances of the incident pending the investigation. The crashed aircraft - designated A007 - is owned by the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD), which is using the aircraft for envelope expansion tests.

It was not immediately clear if the mishap could affect other A160T flights. US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) was checking on the status of its fleet of eight A160Ts as this article was posted online. Two SOCOM-owned A160Ts were expected to be deployed currently to South America.

Two versions of the A160 have been in flight test for about a decade and have accumulated a series of mishaps. The gas-powered version crashed three times in 36 flights. A turbine-powered A160T aircraft A008 crashed in December 2007, which was blamed on a software error.

Por donde podrí­a ir el futuro según EEUU: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... -futu.html

[champi]

Nortrhop Grumman presenta 2 nuevos UAVs: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... two-n.html

By
Stephen Trimble on August 19, 2010 12:53

The inadvertent revealing of two new aircraft design concepts offers proof Northrop Grumman is plotting an aggressive new push deeper into the UAV market.



These images of MQ-X and MUVR appeared on a 10-month-old presentation by a Northrop executive to aerospace suppliers in California. The briefing is posted online (see slide 4).

The designs show that Northrop is reaching into its past even as it looks to the future of UAV technology. The MQ-X aircraft's nose and fuselage bears an at least passing resemblance to the Global Hawk family, although the wings and tail are designed for a medium-altitude, multi-purpose mission.

MUVR, meanwhile, borrows the fan-in-wing concept for vertical takeoff thrust that was pioneered by the short-lived Ryan XV-5 Vertiplane (see video below). Northrop actually first revealed a blurry image of MUVR at the 2009 Paris Air Show, but this is the first clear image of the aircraft design.

Both concepts are proof that Northrop's 18-month-old advanced technologies shop -- led by former KC-X executive Paul Meyer (also, a former Skunk Works employee -- has been busy.

Y de Lockheed Martin Skunk Works nos llega el VARIOUS: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... hes-v.html

By Stephen Trimble on August 19, 2010 8:04

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has posted a new marketing video featuring the VARIOUS (acronym alert: VTOL advanced reconnaissance insertion organic unmanned system). The video appears on YouTube on the eve of the AUVSI convention in Denver next week, where we expect to see the major UAV manufacturers address the US Navy's emerging requirement for a stealthy, carrier-based surveillance and strike aircraft called UCLASS.

VARIOUS is not a new concept. The fan-in-wing/jet-powered hybrid was originally described as a next generation Fire Scout for the US Marine Corps. The USMC, however, is rethinking whether it needs vertical takeoff capability for a "Group 4"-level UAS. Lockheed may seek to re-apply VARIOUS to the UCLASS program.

Tras el salto teneis también un ví­deo.

[champi]

Un montón de novedades desde AUSVI. La Navy estadounidense quiere un UCLASS antes de 2018: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... aster.html

By Stephen Trimble
on August 25, 2010 5:46 PM

A strategy unveiled by the US Navy three months ago to install a stealthy unmanned aircraft system (UAS) aboard aircraft carriers by 2018 may seem ambitious, but the service's top officer wants the capability to arrive even faster.

Más de Skunk Works: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... tes-o.html

By Stephen Trimble
on August 25, 2010 12:19 PM
...
The multi-purpose long-endurance (MPLE=pronounced "maple") was identified on this blog on Monday, but only by acronym. The artist's concept of the twin-boomed UAV with a high-aspect ratio wing hinted at the aircraft's mission, which Lockheed has now confirmed.

http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/0000012a ... P-MPLE.png

MPLE will challenge the Aurora Flight Sciences' Orion vehicle for a new Air Force Research Laboratory contract to demonstrate a medium-altitude surveillance aircraft that can remain airborne for five days, says Bob Ruszkowski, a Skunk Works systems engineer. Ruszkowski declined to clarify MPLE's propulsion system, although he ruled out a hydrogen-fueled aircraft. MPLE is actually a scaled-down version of a much larger concept design developed by Skunk Works, he adds.

Meanwhile, Skunk Works also described its approach to the US Navy's new requirement for an unmanned, carrier-launched, airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) system. A request for information issued by the navy in May called for concepts that were "heavy on the surveillance mission, and light on the strike", Ruszkowski says. Lockheed is waiting for the navy to release a draft request for proposals in October to further clarify the requirements.
...
Lockheed's MRE concept would have been able to lift a 2,000lb sensor or weapon payload and remain airborne for 12 to 14h, Ruszkowski says.

Y otros dos conceptos de NRCC Aeronautics, el HTX-4: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/photos/p ... a1413a668b

by NRCADman
NRCC Aeronautics completed initial schematics and concpet designs of a Hypersonic UCAV.

Y el VTL-1: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/photos/p ... a1413a668b



Ví­deo del Octo-roctor X-8: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... led-a.html

Vuela por primera vez el Global Observer: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... first.html

By Stephen Trimble

AeroVironment launched flight tests of a new class of high-altitude aircraft called Global Observer on August 5 at Edwards AFB, California.

The unmanned aircraft system is designed to remain airborne for five to seven days, performing surveillance and communications missions, and with a 4h flight using battery power only.

Batteries will continue to power the Global Observer during the flight-test phase, although the aircraft was designed to burn liquid hydrogen to achieve long-endurance flight, says Steve Gitlin, vice president of investor relations.
...
The UAS is designed to stay airborne for up to seven days carrying a 172kg (380lb) payload at altitudes between 55,000ft (16,780m) and 65,000ft. From that distance, the aircraft's sensors can monitor an area spanning a diameter of about 965km (600 miles).

Hydrogen fuel is burned by a gasoline engine to drive an electrical generator powering two engines, flight controls and a 2.8kW package of mission systems.

Se prueba con éxito un sistema de autodiagnóstico en el Shadow: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/17825/

"The CBM system performed successfully in detecting and diagnosing a wide range of potential maintenance issues on the Shadow," said Dave Vos, senior director of UAS and Rockwell Collins Control Technologies. "This capability is critical in helping operators to not only maintain the Shadow and other UASs, but to help them predict future equipment failures and prevent them from happening."

Nanotubos para uso (entre otros) en futuros UAVs: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/17814/

07:41 GMT, August 25, 2010 CONCORD, N.H. | Nanocomp Technologies, Inc., a developer of energy saving performance materials and component products from carbon nanotubes (CNTs), today announced that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar Phase II contract by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) under the Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

Through this AFRL-sponsored contract, Nanocomp will continue its work to advance CNT-based materials as replacement for metal-based electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and electrostatic discharge (ESD) components on manned and unmanned aircraft. This research has been officially designated as a “critical SBIR program,”indicating its high level of importance to the government.

The Phase II award builds upon Nanocomp's successful demonstration, under its SBIR Phase I contract predecessor, that large-format CNT sheets can meet the functional requirements of EMI shielding, as well as withstand the industrial stresses involved in pre-pregging, a process that prepares the material for direct insertion into aircraft manufacturing systems. Nanocomp's Phase II program is structured to optimize its material's functional properties for shielding requirements and scale up production volume, while decreasing the cost of finished CNT-based pre-pregged products.

Editado: añado entrevista sobre el Talarion: http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/645/

Interview with Bernhard Gerwert, CEO Military Air Systems EADS DS

07:29 GMT, August 26, 2010 Under the name of Talarion, European aerospace-giant EADS is developing the next generation of a European unmanned aerial system (UAS) for Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (ISTAR) tasks of the partner countries Germany, France and Spain. Revealed during last year's Paris Air Show, the development of Talarion is now proceeding as a pre-financed programme of EADS and is awaiting orders by customers that need to meet ISTAR requirements of today's demanding military operations in a networked environment. Bernhard Gerwert, CEO Military Air Systems EADS Defence & Security, assessed the programme in details, industrial participation and negotiations with Turkey for Defence Turkey (DT), a media partner of defpro.com.


DT: Could you please describe the new Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) programme dubbed Talarion?

Gerwert: Talarion is the new European UAS programme to fulfil the operational requirements of Germany, France and Spain for future Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. Due to its specific design Talarion is able to operate over its broad flight envelope spectrum, thereby establishing persistent surveillance, precise adversary identification, localisation and real-time intelligence.

Main design drivers for Talarion are the requirements to get a full certification, allowing flying in non-segregated airspace, operational superiority providing large coverage at long distances, mission modularity adaptable to the operational scenarios and autonomy.

Heart of the Talarion UAS is its modular payload concept, thereby providing the possibility to extend the system's capability in many directions. The internal payload and sensor integration guarantees Talarion's operational readiness for simultaneous ground and maritime surveillance missions. The fuselage diameter allows the installation of a large SATCOM to cope with the high data rate demand and a retractable electro-optical infra-red laser designator turret to improve flight performance.

Finally, being a European development, Talarion provides all rights and possibilities for today's unlimited operational use and secures flexibility for future enhancements to always provide operational capabilities according to the needs of our customers.


DT: What is timeline of the Talarion programme?

Gerwert: In 2007, France, Germany and Spain shared their operational requirements for an Unmanned Aerial System such as Talarion. In 2009, EADS Defence & Security and partners reduced the risk of the programme with appropriate technical demonstrations and simulations. The Risk Reduction Study has been concluded with the delivery of a binding proposal covering the development and production of 15 systems. Since one system comprises three air vehicles, there is a total interest for 45 air vehicles. We will continue to pre-finance Talarion in order to secure first deliveries in 2016.

Let me also point out that we invested already more than €500 million in the development of all our unmanned aerial systems over the recent years. This investment underlines our commitment to be Europe's leading UAS provider. We have proven our technological capabilities many times, for instance with the successful operation of the Harfang by the French Air Force in Afghanistan, the first flight of the Barracuda technology demonstrator in Canada and our contributions to the EuroHawk which will be operated by the German Air Force.


DT: Can you comment on the industrial framework of this UAV programme?

Gerwert: EADS Defence & Security has all the development know-how and manufacturing skills for UAS based on the experiences of the different programmes in Germany, France and Spain. Initially, we started Talarion as a tri-national programme, however, the door for other partners such as Turkey is open.

Talarion would secure and create more than 10,000 jobs in the high technology aerospace and defence industry in Europe. And finally, being the next generation UAS to fly in civil airspace, Talarion would create significant export opportunities for the aerospace industry.

All these facts demonstrate that this unique capitalisation of operational and industrial experience build up around the Talarion programme has good chances of continued progress. In any case, it would strongly position the involved nations in the strategic competence sector of UAS, embedded in European and international cooperation.


DT: What is the status of your negotiations with the Defence Authorities in Turkey? What about a Turkish participation in this programme?

Gerwert: The Turkish Defence Authorities expressed a high interest to join this programme. We are currently assessing together with Turkish authorities and industry the possibility of Turkey entering the core development programme for Talarion. We would welcome Turkey as a new partner, knowing the technological know-how of the Turkish industry.

This programme would definitely anchor Turkey in the European aerospace industry, offering unique opportunities to participate in other major programmes. We would involve the Turkish defence industry in the development and production sector, thus generating huge increases in terms of expertise and jobs.


DT: What are your expectations for the future of Talarion?

Gerwert: There is an urgent need for independent ISTAR capabilities and the assessment of crisis situations in the European Armed Forces which will enable rapid political decision-making of its governments.

Our flexibility remains a determining key factor for the success of the Talarion programme and we are absolutely committed to realise every possible effort to satisfy the expectations of our customers.

Therefore, I expect the involved nations to decide for Talarion as the future ISTAR system for Europe. We will continue with the development because we are convinced that it is the right product with a long-term market potential.

[champi]

Contrato para el Digital Puma UAS: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/17952/

06:04 GMT, September 1, 2010 MONROVIA, Calif. | AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) (NASDAQ:AVAV) announced today that it has received a contract delivery order valued at $35,265,662 for digital Puma All Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), spares and training services. The equipment and services were procured under the existing USSOCOM All Environment Capable Variant (AECV) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. Work is scheduled to be performed within a period of several months.
...
USSOCOM selected the Puma UAS in 2008 for its AECV program after a full and open competition, the fourth U.S. Department of Defense competition for programs of record involving small UAS and the fourth such competition won by AV. Other U.S. customers also use the Puma system.

Each Puma system consists of three air vehicles and two ground control systems. The air vehicle carries an integrated electro-optical and infrared gimbaled video camera, is designed for enhanced survivability in land and maritime environments, and can operate effectively in foul weather and over rugged terrain. Its quiet operation, stabilized imagery and precision landing capability make Puma systems easy to operate and recover. The Puma air vehicle weighs 13 pounds, is battery powered and has a flight endurance of two hours.

Comienza la producción del MQ-4 para la US Navy: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =AIR&s=TOP

By JOHN REED
Published: 1 Sep 2010 18:46

Northrop Grumman has begun work on the very first MQ-4 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance drone at the company's Moss Point, Miss., facility, company officials announced Sept. 1.

The aircraft is the first of roughly 40 of the high-altitude spy drones destined for service in the U.S. Navy. The UAVs are based on the U.S. Air Force's RQ-4 Global Hawk spy planes. The Navy versions are designed to work together with the service's new P-8 maritime patrol planes in scanning and even attacking targets over large swaths of the sea.

Predators patrullarán la totalidad de la frontera entre EEUU y México: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... itory.html

By Gayle Putrich

The US Department of Homeland Security will have the entire US-Mexico border under unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance as of 1 Sept., officials say.

The department's Customs and Border Protection agency has been flying Predator B drones since 1 June, with coverage extending from the eastern tip of California to the eastern side of Big Bend National Park in west Texas, in an effort to stop drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the flights, which will originate from the naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas will extend the reach of the agency's UAVs across the length of the nearly 2,000 mile border with Mexico.

"With the deployment of the Predator in Texas, we will now be able to cover the southwest border from the El Centro sector in California all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground," Napolitano says.

Under the new certification of operations, the agency will now be able to simultaneously fly two unmanned aircraft over the border, the department says, one out of Arizona and the other out of Corpus Christi. The Predator, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, can loiter on station for around 30 hours at a time.

DHS originally purchased one UAV, designated MQ-9 CBP-101, in 2005, but crashed the aircraft in the Arizona desert in April 2006 after more than 950 hours on patrol. DHS now owns and operates six Predators, four our of an operations centre in Sierra Vista, Arizona; a seventh will be delivered later this year. The border-patrol configuration aircraft is powered by a 950-horsepower turboprop engine and equipped with General Atomics' Lynx synthetic aperture radar and Raytheon's MTS-B synthetic aperture radar.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed a $600 million to fund the addition of 1,500 more border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials, as well as two more UAVs, which run about $20m per system, the agency says.

Un Reaper se estrella en California: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123220152

9/1/2010 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft crashed approximately one mile north of El Mirage Airfield, Calif., Aug. 31.
...
The crash site is in a sparsely populated area. No property damage or personal injuries have been reported at this time.

[champi]

Nuevos vuelos del Barracuda: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... ramme.html

By Craig Hoyle

EADS has completed a new series of flight tests using its Barracuda unmanned air vehicle technology demonstrator, which it says validated "advanced technologies and new procedures under realistic conditions".

Conducted from Goose Bay air base in Canada, the four-sortie campaign totalled 2h 42min, and involved the Barracuda flying "completely autonomously along pre-programmed flight profiles", says EADS Defence & Security.

Test highlights included proving the UAV's automatic taxiing mode, automatic target detection equipment and sense and avoid technologies, the company says. The latter included work to support the BWB procurement agency's Agile UAV in a network-centric environment study.

Flight operations were monitored from a ground control station for flight-safety purposes only, EADS says, with the Barracuda's Zeiss electro-optical/infrared payload steered by a ground operator.

Total use of the Barracuda has now reached 4h 15min, says EADS. "The experiences and results of this flight-test campaign will be used for future UAS programmes such as the Talarion," it says. The company is continuing to self-fund development work on the proposed multinational surveillance design, which has a 28m (91.8ft) wingspan.

[champi]

Israel muestra el Panther, un UAV "Tilrotor": http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... otor%20UAV

Sep 22, 2010
By David A. Fulghum



TEL AVIV — Israel's new Panther vertical takeoff and landing unmanned tiltrotor aircraft is one of the latest products emerging from the classified projects section of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The UAV was developed by IAI's Malat division, which has been looking at new designs to fill some of the operational gaps between the company's largest, longest-range Heron TP UAV — now in operation with the Israeli Air Force — and its smallest 0.5-kg. (1.1-lb.) Mosquito UAV with a 30-40 min. flight time.

“In between we have something very new — a [design that] can take off and land on grass, ice or desert,”says Tommy Silberring, general manager of Malat's military aircraft group. “The idea is to take off and land without a parachute or crash cushion.”

The principal features of the aircraft are tiltrotor engines that allow pinpoint takeoffs and landings or, if desired, conventional landing and takeoff operations. It also has automatic navigation to targets of interest and day/night cameras.

An intriguing option is the Panther's ability to hover or land quietly in enemy territory, conduct surveillance like a ground sensor and then take off again. It also could be operated from ships that need a tactical UAV.

“It is all-electric and we are looking at higher-technology materials and power generation,”says Israel Shemer, assistant general manager for military projects. “We're minimizing the noise and you will not hear it at its mission altitude.”

The Panther's wingspan can vary from 2-8 meters (4.5-17.5 ft.) depending on the required mission endurance and the number of motors used. The current six-meter version has two electric motors and fuel cells that provide a 60-km. range and a top speed of 70 kt. It can carry an 8-kg. payload at an altitude of 10,000 ft. for up to 6 hr. It has a two-man, ground-based flight crew and can be assembled and operated in the field.

[Orel]

A ver si alguien puede aclararme esto:
Se compraron 4 Searcher para el ET. De ellos, dos sufrieron accidentes en Afganistán. ¿Se recuperó alguno de ellos o ambos? Creo que sí­. Y parece que ahora se ha contratado un "sistema de entrenamiento" extra. Que parece que puede significar otra estación terrestre (además de la que ya tení­amos) y entre 2-3 nuevos Searcher.
Es decir, que llegarí­amos próximamente a una cifra de unos 6-7 Searcher.

¿Alguien puede concretarlo o corregirlo?

[champi]

El DEMON británico vuela sin flaps: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/18272/

15:50 GMT, September 28, 2010 Cumbria, UK | A British designed unmanned air vehicle (UAV) which showcases a wide range of new technologies has successfully demonstrated 'flapless flight' in the UK.

The UAV, called DEMON, made the historic flight from an airfield at Walney Island in Cumbria on Friday 17 September. Developed by Cranfield University, BAE Systems, and nine other UK universities, DEMON is designed to be able to forgo the use of conventional mechanical elevators and ailerons which usually control the movement of an aircraft in favour of novel aerodynamic control devices using blown jets of air.

Such an approach offers several advantages over 'moving flap' technology which has been used since the early days of aviation, in that it means fewer moving parts, less maintenance, and a more stealthy profile for the aircraft. DEMON's trial flights were the first 'flapless flights' ever to be authorised by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

DEMON successfully demonstrated flapless flight when, for a planned portion of a test-flight, the conventional flap control system was turned off and the aircraft flew and manoeuvred using the new technology. BAE Systems is already recognised as a leader in the field of intelligent autonomy for unmanned aircraft. It promoted the development of the £6.2m FLAVIIR (Flapless Air Vehicle Integrated Industrial Research) programme which led to the DEMON demonstrator after laying down a 'Grand Challenge' to UK universities five years ago.
...
DEMON Key Facts:

• Weight: 200 lbs (90 kg); Dimensions:approximately 8-foot (2.5m) wingspan Flight speed 70 -150kts.
• It was developed by BAE Systems and Cranfield University in the UK. It incorporates fluidic flight controls developed at Cranfield and Manchester Universities and flight control algorithms developed at Leicester University and Imperial College.
• The DEMON is designed to fly with no conventional elevators or ailerons, getting its pitch and roll control from technologies which rely on blown air and so requires much fewer moving parts, therefore making it a lot easier to maintain and repair.
• DEMON can fly parts of its mission by itself but, as it is currently an experimental vehicle, is not fully autonomous unlike, for example, BAE Systems' MANTIS.
• The shape of the DEMON aircraft is referred to as a "blended wing-body" configuration.

[champi]

Otra foto del RQ-170 en Kandahar: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50271097@N04/5033149847/