US conducts flight tests of new vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft

News, US May 26, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. leading defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary company Sikorsky conducted flight tests of vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aerial system (VTOL/UAS) to mature the control laws and aerodynamics of the aircraft.

The flight tests aim to demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of a twin proprotor ‘rotor blown wing’ design. This configuration takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter by sitting on its tail, then transitions smoothly to horizontal forward flight, making it ideal for long-endurance missions such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting.

According to the Lockheed Martin statement, the latest flight tests support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Ancillary initiative. The AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) program aims to develop an X-plane with the critical technologies required for long endurance, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned air system (UAS) performance.

The Ancillary initiative aims to develop a Class 3 UAS VTOL X-Plane that can operate in most weather conditions from ship decks and unprepared surfaces without infrastructure. According to the release, “Sikorsky is one of several competitors down-selected to advance their UAS conceptual designs into the next development phase.”

The company statement highlighted that “The term ‘rotor blown wing’ refers to the constant airflow from the proprotor wash across the wing. Sikorsky chose the design to reduce drag on the wing in hover mode and when transitioning to forward flight, and to increase cruise efficiencies and endurance.”

^{Graphical rendering of a Sikorsky rotor blown wing VTOL UAS ready for launch from a ship’s deck. The tail sitting aircraft flies autonomously via Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ autonomy system. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}

Director of Rapid Prototyping Group of Sikorsky Innovations, Igor Cherepinsky said, “The design is just one of the many ways Sikorsky is advancing 21st Century Security® technologies and innovations.”

“Flight tests are underway to verify our tail-sitting rotor blown wing UAS can launch and land vertically with high stability, and cruise efficiently on wing. Key enablers to flight maneuverability, and future vehicle scalability, are our MATRIX autonomy flight control system, and an articulated rotor system similar to those in traditional helicopters,” Cherepinsky added.

During the flight tests, Sikorsky used a proof-of-concept vehicle powered by a battery. The company statement underscored that if Sikorsky is selected to produce an air vehicle for a future ANCILLARY phase, it plans to build a 300-pound hybrid-electric version to include a 60-pound intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance payload.

Northrop Grumman selected for Next Phase

Another U.S. defense firm Northrop Grumman has been selected by the DARPA for the next design phase of its autonomous VTOL aircraft under the ANCILLARY program.

According to the Northrop Grumman statement, there will be a 10-month period for DARPA’s ANCILLARY Phase 1b air vehicle design and system technology maturation award. It is to improve performance to increase modeling fidelity, perform critical subsystem testing, and reduce key technical risks.

During the next phase, Northrop Grumman will leverage its expertise in the development and integration of autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) systems and long-endurance aircraft to advance its ANCILLARY air vehicle design for DARPA.

^{Northrop Grumman’s autonomous vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aircraft systems. (Image Credit: Northrop Grumman)}

Program Manager of ANCILLARY at Northrop Grumman, Christopher Harris said, “Northrop Grumman’s expertise in VTOL autonomous systems is built on thousands of flight hours of ship-based operational experience with the U.S. Navy. We are pairing forward-looking and industry-leading technical capabilities to provide next-generation intelligence-gathering solutions via the ANCILLARY autonomous system.”