Pilots are optional in
Firebird
Northrop Grumman, the parent
company for Scaled Composites since 2007, has named the surveillance aircraft
Firebird. It can carry two pilots, or not.
A Garmin G3000 avionics suite
with three 14-inch displays can be removed, the canopy replaced by a satellite
antenna (if operating beyond line of sight), and flown as an unmanned aircraft,
staying aloft 24 to 40 hours with a single Lycoming TEO-540E engine. After its
mission, the avionics can be slid back into the panel, the canopy attached, and
flown by pilots to the next mission site.
The production model entered
testing with a first flight on Nov. 11. It has 72-foot wings, rather than the
65-foot wings used on earlier prototypes since 2010, and can carry 1,240 pounds
of surveillance or radar equipment. If needed, surveillance missions can be
flown with a pilot and a systems operator. During a military exercise the craft
provided cellphone service to the battlefield. It can operate as high as 32,000
feet at 200 knots true airspeed, and has a takeoff weight of 6,650 pounds.
It was built for an undisclosed
customer. Plans are to build 10 of the aircraft. In an interview with Aviation
Week, company officials said they intend to build them for $10 million each
including avionics and a sensor suite. The aircraft means competition for the
Hawker Beechcraft King Air and Cessna Caravan, company officials told the
magazine, since it has greater endurance and versatility. The huge wings and
twin fuselage booms provide lots of attach points for systems.
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.