Futuristic: DARPA’s Vertical Takeoff ‘X-Plane’ Contract Goes to Aurora

[mike2000 is back]

DARPA’s Vertical Takeoff ‘X-Plane’ Contract Goes to Aurora
Lara Seligman, Defense News8:44 a.m. EST March 4, 2016

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Aurora Flight Science's Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft(Photo: Aurora Flight Science)


WASHINGTON – The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build the so-called “X-Plane,” an unmanned aircraft that will take off and land vertically.

DARPA awarded Aurora the prime contract for phase two of the agency’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane, or VTOL X-Plane, program, the company announced March 3.

The Aurora team’s design, named LightningStrike, is an unmanned aircraft that features a Rolls-Royce AE 1107C turboshaft engine that will power three Honeywell generators, according to a company statement.

Under the agreement, Aurora will develop a technology demonstrator that can fly 50 percent faster than existing VTOL aircraft, the statement reads. Aurora will conduct the first flight tests of the technology demonstrator sometime around 2018.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/de...akeoff-x-plane-contract-goes-aurora/81309356/

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Hmm...seems they figured out how to make something incredibly complicated out of something that should be simple.

 

[vizier]

Looks noisy and with all those rotating blades and fat outlook having the highest rcs record among other uavs.

Tail sitters especially the ones below in my opinion is more promising. Insteaad of the one mentioned Russia should invest in developing uav version of these for survaillance and strike missions in Syria without the need of a large airfield.