UAVs

A FanWing Ltd Fanwing unmanned air vehicle has demonstrated that it can rotate at 1m (3ft). The Fanwing aircraft uses a bladed rotor turning on a horizontal axis, which acts as a thick wing.

©Fanwing  Above: The short take off Fanwing flies during an April trial

This very short take off version is designed for urban operations where runway space would be very limited. The UAV, made from composite materials, has a 2kg (4.4lb) payload capability, combined wing/rotor span of 2.4m, a dry weight of 5.5kg, a 12kg maximum take off weight, a 1.2kW engine and a flight speed of  15.5kt (28.8km/h).

Its development goal is an 80min autonomous flight capability.

The England-based FanWing was set up in 1999 to develop blade wing technologies.