Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 37)

AIR OPERATIONS TACTICAL VERTICAL INTEGRATION Niche missions lift interest in UAVs with VTOL capability BILL SWEETMAN•MINNEAPOLIS SIKORSKY CONCEPT Sikorsky plans to adapt its X2 technology to meet the ambitious vertical unmanned air system requirement for a multipurpose, high-speed UAV. aunch and recovery issues are why the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) business has bifurcated, with most of the action at the high end—long-endurance aircraft, operating from main bases and using range to provide cover over distant battleﬁelds—or at the low end, with small hand-launched vehicles that can land softly in a deep stall. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs are different, capable of landing under control in a small space, even one surrounded by obstacles, even under difﬁcult weather conditions. The disadvantage is that, pound for pound of vehicle and dollar for dollar of purchase and upkeep cost, they compare unfavorably with ﬁxed-wing vehicles. The result is VTOL systems are seeking and ﬁnding missions in the UAV world that can’t be performed effectively by small handlaunched aircraft or by Predator-class systems. Meanwhile, several companies—Boeing in the lead—are pursuing radical technologies that blend VTOL with ﬁxed-wing-like performance. Clear niches for VTOL include shipboard operations: Apart from small UAVs like the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle with its “skyhook” recovery system, helicopters are the only UAVs to have operated successfully from ships. The best-established VTOL UAV is Northrop Grumman’s www.aviationweek.com/dti L MQ-8 Fire Scout. Northrop Grumman received Navy approval to start low-rate initial production (LRIP) for the MQ-8B, the operational version of the Fire Scout, in June. The MQ-8B made its ﬁrst ﬂight in December 2006. Compared with the original MQ-8A, the MQ-8B is much improved, with three times the maximum payload. With a constant payload, either the operational radius or the time on station can be doubled. This has been achieved by adding a fourth blade to the rotor, upgrading the transmission and increasing fuel capacity in a larger pylon. Fire Scout has already become the ﬁrst modern helicopter UAV to operate successfully and autonomously from a moving ship (in early 2006), and the Government Accountability Ofﬁce in a May 2007 report commended the Army and Navy for collaborating on the project. The bad news is not about Fire Scout but about the programs with which it is associated. In Navy service, the role of the MQ-8B is to provide eyes in the sky for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Following delays and the Navy’s decision to cancel the second of two Lockheed Martin-built ships, the Navy plans to pick a single LCS design in 2010, which means that full-rate deliveries—two for JULY/AUGUST 2007 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 37 http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Parallax Ghost Ship Low Visibility Red Tape Sub Catcher Boom Time Broad Access Fight or Flight Cut Loose Loud and Clear Drone On Postmortem The Net Cutting Edge On the Record In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - July 2007

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