Abu Dhabi-based Adcom Military Industries has unveiled a new pusher configuration tactical unmanned air vehicle, which is being used as a risk-reduction platform for the firm¹s ongoing development of a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) system.
Adcom also confirms that it last year flew a coaxial rotor vertical take-off and landing UAV demonstrator, but is now working on a revised design based on a traditional helicopter configuration which will be unveiled by the company during the Dubai air show in November.
The new Yabhon RX-6 tactical UAV is the first fixed-wing configuration from Adcom to shift away from the firm¹s traditional canard and blended-wing body designs. The UAV has a 6m (19.7ft) span with a horizontal stabiliser linking twin tail booms. Adcom chairman Ali Al Dhaheri says the shift to the new configuration is intended to facilitate improved air vehicle control at high-altitude for the MALE variant. The first flights of the new RX-6 design took place in September 2006, he says.
The Yabhon's payload is horizontally mounted on the UAV's nose, rather than suspended from it, with this intended to leverage the aircraft¹s forward motion for image stabilisation purposes and also protect the sensor during landing. The UAV undercarriage comprises a single wheel, derived from a glider, mounted in a conformal belly housing.
The Yabhon RX-18 MALE derivative is in development and will be in the 1.2-1.3t class with an 18m span, says Al Dhaheri. The project is the successor to initial plans for a 16m span system announced at the Dubai air show in 2005.
Adcom also unveiled a new jet-powered, high-speed diving target drone at IDEX, designated the "Yabhon HMD". The target system is intended to replicate tactical ballistic missile threats such as Scud-series surface-to-surface weapons, Al Dhaheri says.
|
|---|
The Yabhon RX-6 UAV has a horizontal stabiliser linking two booms |
Source: Flight International
