American Dynamics AD-150 VTOL UAS in flight The DARPA Tactical Technology Office is soliciting proposals on the design, development an...
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| American Dynamics AD-150 VTOL UAS in flight |
The purpose of the program is to champion the design and development of sub-system technologies and integrated air vehicle configurations that will enable radical improvements in VTOL flight.
The program will demonstrate an aircraft capable of sustained flight at high speeds, improved hover and cruise efficiencies that are significantly greater than contemporary rotary-wing aircraft, and increased useful load fractions and aircraft functionality.
Specifications call for an aircraft capable of more than 300kt (555km/h) maximum airspeed; higher than conventional helicopters can achieve, and the ability to hover with greater efficiency than current rotorcraft.
The programme, budgeted at $150 million, will have three distinct phases: a first will involve maturing necessary technologies, while phases two and three will involve hardware proving and flight testing.
Further details, including whether the aircraftwill be manned or unmanned, were purposely left vague, which Bagai says is to allow bidders the most creative freedom in designing solutions.
The versatility of helicopters and other vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft make them ideal for a host of military operations. Currently, only helicopters can maneuver in tight areas, land in unprepared areas, move in all directions, and hover in midair while holding a position. This versatility often makes rotary-wing and other VTOL aircraft the right aerial platform for transporting troops, surveillance operations, special operations and search-and-rescue missions.
Compared to fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters are slower-leaving them more vulnerable to damage from enemy weapons. Special operations that rely on lightning-quick strikes and medical units that transport patients to care facilities need enhanced speed to shorten mission times, increase mission range, reduce the number of refueling events and, most important, reduce exposure to the adversary.
By their very design, rotary-wing aircraft that take off and land vertically have a disadvantage achieving speeds comparable to fixed-wing aircraft. Since its invention, engineers have attempted to overcome this design barrier but have encountered lower fuel efficiency and less lift capacity, controllability, simplicity, and reliability of design. While engineers have improved the speed of fixed-wing aircraft-achieving two and three times the speeds of jets designed since the 1960s-attempts to increase efficient VTOL aircraft speed have stalled.
Higher speeds, increased efficiency, elegant designs are the focus of new VTOL X-Plane.
