FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1999
1999 - 1709.PDF
0PARIS99 The NATO air war over Yugoslavia marked the first real-world test for the US Military's Hunter is a key element of NATO Project Group 35's trilateral international technology demonstra tor project. It has been upgraded with extended range flight guidance software, a hybrid naviga tion system from Honeywell and an Allison 250 C20 engine. Flight testing of the UAV, which is destined for use on the German navy's new Kl 30 corvette in 2005, will begin in September. The Belgian Government, which selected the IAI Hunter to replace the army's Epervier UAV, used for battlefield surveillance, is in pre liminary talks with the US DoD to buy the Raytheon Tactical Control Station. The B-Hunter will be built in Belgium as part of the $71 million contract won over bids from France's SAGEM and Thomson. The order is for three systems, each with six aircraft. Initial deliveries are set for August next year. Early this year, the US Air Force's UAV Battlelab, at Eglin AFB, Florida, sponsored a demonstration to fuse radar and imagery target information on board a Joint STARS aircraft to better identify targets being tracked by the Northrop Grumman E-8C airborne ground surveillance system. The flight test, involving Predator at Nellis AFB, Nevada, was deemed a success. Meanwhile, under a $1.2 million contract with the Boeing Phantom Works, the US Army is equipping a Hunter and two AH-64D Apache Longbows with command, control and com munications equipment to allow control from the helicopters. The Airborne Manned/Un manned System Technology Demonstration will culminate in 2003 with field trials to see whether Hunter can spot ground targets for the gunships. Work is ongoing to develop a small synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication pay- load for the US Army's future Tactical UAV (TUAV) based on the Northrop Grumman Tactical Endurance Synthetic Aperture Radar, which is Predator's adverse weather sensor. The company is working under a $7.3 million US Army contract that could reach a total value of $12.4 million for the three-year development programme. The TUAV payload will weigh 31kg (681b), 45kg less than its predecessor. Northrop Grumman will deliver two units for flight tests beginning in 2 000. Contract options allow for fabrication of five more sensors. General Atomics and Sandia National Lab oratories, meanwhile, have co-developed the LYNX synthetic aperture radar and test flown it on the I-Gnat drone. The 52kg SAR will be soon be ready for production. A lighter version is being developed for the Prowler II TUAV Using internal funds, General Atomics is devel oping the more capable Predator B drone which will fly for the first time early next year. The Predator B will be powered by an AlliedSignal TPE331 turboprop engine, which burns jet fuel. The firm hopes to interest the US AF in the improved drone. Predator B could also be used for telecommunications relay and provide a broad band tactical communications alternative to satellites. US military interest in MAVs is well estab lished, but the German Army plans to conduct its own experiments in 2000. Using company funds, Dasa is test flying 3 Ocm-wingspan MAV prototypes designed for military applications. Powered by lithium batteries, its video camera payload weighs only 8g. The firm hopes to soon be on contract with the government for "a spe cial German army programme". The US Navy is developing an autonomous, j electric-powered MAV to suppress enemy air defences. As envisioned, a swarm of the bird- sized drones would be launched to knock out radar-guided surface-to-air missile batteries. Dubbed the Micro Tactical Expendable, it will have a wingspan of 15-20cm. With a 15g pay- load, itwould fly for at least 20min. The radar jammer, with a mass (including batteries) of less than 15g, is in development. Object recognition will provide terminal hom ing, and a collision avoidance sensor is being developed, based on optical flow techniques similar to those used by insects. The USN plans to award a motor development contract later this year for development of a 6g electric motor. The MAV is to be demonstrated in 2 002. Development of heavy fuel-burning engines for TUAVs is ongoing by the UK's UAV Engines (UEL), Germany's Wankel Rotary and the USA's General Atomics. UEL has worked over the past decade to adapt its line of 22kW (30hp) to 75kW gasoline-fed engines to burn various jet fuels, and it has been able to convert the AR-801R engine to burn jet fuel because of recent availability of refined electronic fuel injection components. The engine has run only lOh and durability runs are required. General Atomics seeks USAF support for a j Predator HFE in-house development that is ready to undergo flight testing. The company's HFE for Prowler II, which will fly in the next two months, is developed from a marine powerplant. The Wankel Rotary heavy-fuel VLDE 407 SDT engine should achieve 32kW. A more powerful (67kW) turbocharged twin-rotor version would follow, and a third model for manned aircraft applications is in development. • A version of the LYNX radar weighing 52kg is being developed for the Prowler II 122 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9 - 15 June 1999
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
