Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2005-2030 - Federation of ...

UAS ROADMAP 2005
2.1.13 Extended Range/Multipurpose (ER/MP) UA
User Service: Army
Manufacturer: TBD
Inventory: 0 Delivered/90 Planned (Increment 2)
Background: The Army began defining requirements for a successor to its RQ-5 Hunter systems in late
2001. Called the ER/MP UAS, it is envisioned as a medium altitude, endurance UA, its preliminary
requirements closely resemble Hunter’s capabilities. Funding started in FY04 and an IOC is planned for
2007, the ER/MP acquisition approach is to procure an in-production system. The ER/MP request for
proposal (RFP) was released in September 2004. Two contractor teams successfully completed the
System Concept Demonstration in March 2005. A Milestone B decision was made on April 20, 2005,
with a single contractor award expected in May 2005. A key requirement is that the ER/MP UA must be
controllable from the RQ-7 Shadow ground station. Five systems (12 aircraft each) are planned for
Increment 1, with each system increasing to 18 aircraft in Increment 2.
2.2 CONCEPT EXPLORATION UAS
2.2.1
X-50 Dragonfly Canard Rotor/Wing (CRW)
User Service: DARPA
Manufacturer: Boeing
Inventory: 2 Delivered/2 Planned
Background: The CRW concept combines the VTOL
capability of a helicopter with the high-subsonic cruise speed (as
high as 400 kt) of a fixed-wing aircraft. CRW intends to achieve
this by stopping and locking the rotor and using it as a wing to
achieve high speed forward flight; the canard and tail provide additional lifting and control surfaces. For
both rotary and fixed-wing flight modes, the CRW is powered by a conventional turbofan engine. The X-
50 is a technology demonstrator designed to assess and validate the CRW concept. Hover tests were
conducted in December 2003 and March 2004, but a hard landing resulted in significant damage to the
first air vehicle. The second X-50 is now being readied to continue the flight testing, planned for summer
2005. http://www.darpa.mil/tto/programs/crw.html.
Characteristics:
X-50 X-50
Length 17.7 ft Rotorspan 12 ft
Gross Weight 1,485 lb Payload Capacity none
Fuel Capacity 160 gal Fuel Type Jet-A, JP-8
Engine Make Williams F115 Power 700 lbf
Performance:
Endurance 1/2 hr Max/Loiter Speeds 220/0 kt
Ceiling 20,000 ft Radius 30 nm
Takeoff Means Hover Landing Means Hover
SECTION 2 - CURRENT UA PROGRAMS
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