The Ultimate UAV!!!

[Tex_Hill]

Pentagon's Unmanned, Stratospheric Aircraft Would Fly 5 Years Non-Stop

What's got a 500-foot wingspan, flies at 90,000 feet and stays up in the air for five years without ever touching the ground?

If you think that the Air Force guys that are filling the current UAV billets are bitchin' now, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

I'm guessing this thing would mean that the U-2 would be out of a job? Have you heard anything about this thing Huggy ?

 

[a_m]

Because it wouldn't need any maintenance or upkeep after 5 years, right?

 

[Rasczak]

of course not. it was designed for the AF...

 

[whalepelt]

...I'm guessing this thing would mean that the U-2 would be out of a job? Have you heard anything about this thing Huggy ?

The 24/7 thing can and has been done, but keeping a payload on par with the U-2 up continuously on solar power would impress me nearly as much as being able to fly for 5 years without maintenance.

 

[eddie]

If it plays that music when it flies over me, I am GOING to find a way to shoot it down.

 

[Beans]

Not only does it fly forever, but it slays the evil dragon of spiraling development costs with the shining sword of rock! Now why didn't we think of that earlier?


But seriously - Aurora's got some good people working for them - this can definitely work.

 

[Tex_Hill]

The 24/7 thing can and has been done, but keeping a payload on par with the U-2 up continuously on solar power would impress me nearly as much as being able to fly for 5 years without maintenance.

Aurora unveils Odysseus to break aviation's infinite endurance barrier

The Vulture programme aims to demonstrate a prototype aircraft that can remain on-station for more than 44,000h, or five years, while generating 5kW to power a 450kg (1,000lb) payload

I wonder what Northrop Grumman's rejected proposal was like?

 

[whalepelt]

1000lbs is (to me at least) surprisingly close to the U-2's official payload of 5000lbs, but the current design already has a wingspan of 500 feet! How much can you reasonably scale that?

It's pretty darn cool, but I have a feeling Huggy and the blue Camaros will be in business for a while yet.

 

[navy_or_bust]

In the end I think it is more or less like a satellite, but probably a heck of a lot easier to shoot down. Also I am no aeronautical engineer but it would seem that the forces on something that large at that altitude would probably tear the whole thing apart.

 

[Schnugg]

The link to the video on FOX's web page was funny...

video of what the Vulture might look like in action, complete with an '80s triumphal-metal soundtrack.

 

[jollygreen07]

So, what % gets massive unlimited endurance UAV's?

Sorry, had to do it.

 

[RedFive]

In the end I think it is more or less like a satellite, but probably a heck of a lot easier to shoot down. Also I am no aeronautical engineer but it would seem that the forces on something that large at that altitude would probably tear the whole thing apart.

I don't doubt that the structure could take it...but...5 years does sound awful long. So...like...what's the point of this aircraft, does anybody know? Does it do something we can't already do...?

 

[navy_or_bust]

I thought nasa was working on this stuff with hopes of using it for communication systems or research but it would seem the military benefit would be nill

 

[HAL Pilot]

So, what % gets massive unlimited endurance UAV's?

Sorry, had to do it.

-1 Sorry, had to do it.

 

[Beans]

it would seem the military benefit would be nill

Why do you say that? A satellite is either really really far away in geo-stationary orbit (not as nice for photos), or it is only overhead each orbit. You can't just move satellites around like they do in 24. The Global Hawk is useful because it can stay in place for over a day - what if it could stay on station indefinitely? That'd be pretty swell, I think. And then, of course, there's the epic rock.