Navy Design Unveiled
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Northrop Grumman researchers have revealed an unmanned strike and reconnaissance aircraft concept--designed to fly from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers--with what appears to be about double the wingspan of a demonstrator that flew six weeks ago.
Barring the Navy's release of requirements for its unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), however, nobody knows for sure what the aircraft's dimensions, payload, range or powerplant will be.
The X-47A Pegasus demonstrator, a diamond-shaped "cranked kite" planform, is 27.9 ft. long with a 27.8-ft. wingspan. It flew in late February at a top speed of 150 kt. The concept for an operational variant has retained the basic shape as a center body and added trapezoidal extensions from the tip of each wing. An artist's rendering indicates a wingspan of more than 50 ft. if extrapolated from the Pegasus. However, program officials say the size is scalable to the services' requirements which are yet to be defined. The aircraft are to be operational by 2010 and are expected to be about the size of an F/A-18 and weigh around 30,000-40,000 lb.
WHILE MUCH OF the program is undefined, the next phase conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is expected to call for competitors to build two UCAV demonstrator systems. The illustrations released by Northrop Grumman show a UCAV operational concept as it might look in service with the fleet. The wing extensions would improve low-speed handling for carrier landing and boost the ability to carry heavier payloads.
Some of the questions might soon be resolved. This week the Pentagon is expected to make decisions about establishing a UCAV joint program office (JPO), possibly in October, and whether Darpa or the services will lead it. Meanwhile, the interim UCAV-N program will go forward with a request for proposals this month with responses due in mid-May and amendments by June. The JPO, once functioning, is to define system requirements.
"The change in design--the wing extensions--is based on a couple of things," said Kenneth Linn, director of business and strategy development for the air combat systems unit of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems. Pegasus was focused on a lot of development we had done in other areas. We knew, because of the complexity of the low-observable design, that if we could make [Pegasus] carrier compatible, with good low-speed flying qualities, we could do it with anything. Now that the requirements for the Navy UCAV are becoming more defined in terms of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, they're looking for increased range, endurance and payload . . . and those wing extensions give you that."
Initially, both the Air Force and Navy had focused on suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and strike as the UCAV's primary role, but the Navy has shifted its main focus to long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
The sea service's only recommendations, so far, are that the aircraft cost be one-third that of a Joint Strike Fighter and the operational expense be half that of an F/A-18 squadron. The Navy also provided a set of scenarios to work through which further defined what the system should look like. For example, the UCAV would have to loiter over a high-threat portion of the battlefield and track targets for a set period of time. Moreover, the system has to integrate seamlessly with existing Navy shipboard and command and control architecture projected for 2010.
To meet these vagaries, the design is scalable within limits.
"It's obviously within the bounds in size and weight of a carrier aircraft," Linn said. "What's too large for a carrier deck and too small for the arresting and catapult system won't work. But within that box, the design is scalable. [In addition,] we believe the same type of vehicle would meet the requirements of the Navy and the Air Force."
http://aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/04143news.xml -
looks like the smaller brother of the B2.... the design looks similar
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UCAV-N Design Could Fulfill USAF Requirements, NG Says
By Jefferson Morris
Northrop Grumman's newly released design for an operational Naval Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N) probably also could fulfill the Air Force's UCAV requirements as they stand today, according to a company official.
Kenny Linn, director of business and strategy development for the air combat systems unit of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, unveiled the company's design for an operational UCAV-N at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Washington April 15.
"Based on what we know now, today, we believe there's a very strong overlap between the Navy and the Air Force missions," Linn said. "I can't speak for the government ... but it would make sense to me to have this type of system also demonstrate capabilities for the Air Force mission set."
The UCAV-N is designed to fly surveillance, strike, and suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions from an aircraft carrier. The program is managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which also manages the ongoing development of the Air Force's Boeing-built UCAV.
The services and DARPA were scheduled to deliver a plan for a proposed joint UCAV program office to Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. "Pete" Aldridge, Jr. by April 15, in anticipation of standing up the office by the end of the year (DAILY, March 27). The proposed office is part of a DOD-led push to promote competition between the Air Force and Navy UCAV programs, and eventually could mandate a single airframe be developed for both services (DAILY, Feb. 14).
New design
Northrop Grumman's new design scales up the diamond-shaped "cranked kite" platform of the company's X-47A Pegasus demonstrator while adding wing extensions, or "winglets," to provide greater aerodynamic efficiency and range. The winglets would fold for storage on the carrier.
Pending the Navy's delivery of its final requirements for the UCAV-N, the precise dimensions of Northrop Grumman's design won't be known, according to Linn. However, the company's current design is within the 30,000-40,000 pound class, he said.
"We're working very hard with the Navy to get us to the point where we get this UCAV out to the [carrier]" for testing, Linn said. "We'd like to see this happen in the '06 timeframe, and we're pretty confident that we can get there."
Competing contractors Northrop Grumman and Boeing are poised to enter Phase IIB of the UCAV-N program, in which each team will be funded to build two demonstrator aircraft. Northrop Grumman's Phase IIB demonstrator probably will closely resemble its design for the operational UCAV-N, according to Linn.
"It would make the most sense to have as much fidelity between the demonstrator and the operational system design [as possible], but funding is going to dictate how much fidelity is really there," Linn said. "I'd certainly much rather build it the same size."
Both companies have been waiting to enter Phase IIB for about a year while DOD sorts out its UCAV acquisition strategy. Linn doesn't expect the teams will have to wait for the joint office to be formally established before Phase IIB agreements are signed. Those agreements could be in place by June, he said.
The company-funded Pegasus demonstrator, which had its first and only flight to date in February (DAILY, Feb. 25), also could participate in Phase IIB, possibly flying cooperatively with the newer demonstrators, Linn said.
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Boeing to Develop New X-45C UCAV for Air Force and Navy Demonstrations
CHICAGO, April 29, 2003 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has asked it to modify its current X-45B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) design to cost effectively meet both the Air Force’s evolving need for greater range and loiter capability and the Navy’s objectives in their DARPA-led UCAV-N demonstration program.
The DARPA decision reflects the realization that BoeingÂ’s X-45B design for the Air Force (a larger, more capable version of the current X-45A) could be further evolved into a system capable of meeting the objectives of both services. Boeing is proposing that their modified concept be called the X-45C.
“An important objective of spiral development is to meet the evolving needs of war fighters much more quickly than we have in the past,” said Darryl Davis, UCAV program director for the Boeing Phantom Works. “Recent conflicts have indicated a need for greater range and persistence over the battlefield than originally planned, and we were able to quickly respond to our customer’s needs.”
The DARPA/USAF/Boeing UCAV program is pioneering the DoDÂ’s new spiral development process, which allows for the introduction of changes in a concept under development to better meet evolving customer needs. Under Spiral 0 development, the Boeing Phantom Works has already built and is currently demonstrating the X-45A UCAV system. The current UCAV Spiral 1 agreement, under which Boeing was developing the X-45B, has been modified to replace the X-45B concept with the X-45C concept.
Under this modification, the X-45C also becomes BoeingÂ’s solution for UCAV-N demonstrations. Boeing Phantom Works has been involved in the concept definition phase of the UCAV-N program since it inception in July 2000.
“We will be able to leverage the lessons we’ve learned from the X-45A demonstration program and a significant amount of our X-45B design effort into the new X-45C concept,” Davis said. “This will allow us to more quickly and affordably provide both the Air Force and Navy with more robust, capable and operationally representative concepts than would have been possible under our previously separate development programs.”
The X-45C Air Force design will be based on the subsystems and center body of BoeingÂ’s current X-45B design, but it will incorporate a revised planform that carries more fuel and provides better aerodynamic performance.
With its increased fuel volume, the X-45C will have a combat radius more than three times the X-45B carrying the same payload. Efforts to incorporate air-refueling capabilities under the Air ForceÂ’s Automated Aerial Refueling program, also conducted by Boeing Phantom Works, will provide even greater UCAV range and loiter capability. The X-45C will also have a larger payload capability, including the ability to carry two 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).
The X-45C design for the Navy will be based on the Air Force X-45C air vehicle, but it will include changes required to assess potential carrier suitability and other Navy-unique needs. These changes relate to structure, landing gear, a tail hook mechanism and advanced avionics required to demonstrate precision approach and landing.
The first flight of the X-45C air vehicle is scheduled for early 2006.
The X-45A technology demonstrators are currently verifying the core functionality of the software necessary for these and related missions. The X-45C concept for the Air Force and Navy will demonstrate the military utility and operational value of the UCAV system.
The X-45 UCAV system is being developed by the Boeing Phantom Works, which is the advanced R&D unit and catalyst of innovation for the enterprise. By working with the company's business units, it provides advanced solutions and innovative, breakthrough technologies that reduce cycle time and cost while improving the quality and performance of aerospace products and services.
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2003/q2/nr_030429a.html