UV Online
AUVSI: USAF and USN renew UCAS links for AAR trials
In a sign of renewed cooperation between the US Air Force (USAF) and US Navy on future UAV development a number of air force personnel will begin arriving at Patuxent Naval Air Station (NAS) to observe in more detail the work being done by the Navy Unmanned Combat Air System Program Office (PMA-268).
Captain Martin Deppe told Unmanned Vehicles that in the 18 months since he had taken over responsibility for the navy's UCAS Demonstrator programme there had been a sea change in the relationship between the two services. In particular, USAF interest has been sparked by the air-to-air refuelling (AAR) demonstration that is now part of the project.
Around six to eight months ago PMA-268 signed a contract with Northrop Grumman to alter the configuration of the second of two UCAS-D aircraft being built for the project. Air Vehicle 2 (AV-2) currently being built at Northrop Grumman's facilities will be different to AV-1 in a number of ways.
'Air-to-air refuelling was always part of the technology maturation envisaged for the programme, but we decided to prioritise it and pushed it up,' states Capt Deppe. 'The two air vehicles both have the internal plumbing for aerial refuelling, but that was capped off. Rather than having to open up the aircraft at a later date we decided to go ahead and connect that up with AV-2,' he adds.
The AAR trial, which alongside the carrier landing demonstrations is expected to be completed in 2013, will demonstrate both air force boom refuelling and navy probe and drogue refuelling capabilities. 'We're collaborating very closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory [AFRL] for the trial,' states Capt Deppe. Although the funding for the work is coming from the navy the UCAS-D team will be relying on the work the AFRL is doing using a manned aircraft as a surrogate UAV to help get where it needs to. 'In effect we're providing the unmanned platform to take the trials to the next level,' he adds.
In particular, the use of precision GPS between the tanker and the UAV is key. Capt Deppe believes this will get the AV-2 pretty much all the way in terms of boom refuelling. To get to the probe and drogue stage the UAV is also likely to have a camera that will be used to identify and then position the basket for the aircraft to make the final capture.
Capt Deppe said that the AAR trial would not add too much pressure to the main carrier demonstration as AV-2 was less integral to the trials schedule. AV-1 is now complete and working up to its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).
That first flight is expected to be in around four months after which a year will be spent expanding the flight envelope of the aircraft. Once that work is completer at Edwards AFB the aircraft will return to Patuxent NAS to begin land-based trials of the carrier landing concepts before a planned first carrier landing in 2011
In further preparation for that first carrier landing, expected to be aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, the UCAS-D team is also carrying out a series of trials with manned aircraft. For the next stage of that testing the team is using a modified F-18 D Hornet that will have UCAS-D systems loaded in to its weapons bay and interfaced with the aircraft's autopilot. That aircraft is expected to start flying in the autumn and will begin carrier operations with the USS Abraham Lincoln early next year.
The second aircraft, AV-2, is expected to make its first flight in November 2010 and PMA-268 will shortly begin letting further contracts in support of the AAR trial.
By Darren Lake, Webster Field, Maryland
Email this to a friend.