Successful UAV test flight première by NRL and CybAero

CybAero participated in the first test flight recently conducted by the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for the unmanned helicopter platform called Vantage.

The Vantage flew on a restricted range near NRL's Washington DC facility in the USA. The flight included various speed tests to assess flight control performance, hovering in medium-strong wind and vertical take off and landing. Successful low-speed flight demonstration of Vantage was conducted when the vehicle autonomously maneuvered over a pre-programmed flight course.

The Vantage is a HMMWV-transportable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned helicopter. With fully autonomous flight operation and differential GPS navigation, Vantage will be capable of performing missions such as: pipeline monitoring, power line monitoring, border patrol, remote sensing, forest inspection, communication relay, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition.

Rotary engine
The vehicle is powered by a custom UEL 801 42-HP heavy-fuel (JP5, JP8, Jet A) rotary engine. To save weight and mechanical complexity, the ducted tail rotor is electrically driven with power from an onboard starter/generator. Overall body length is 112 inches with a rotor diameter of 109 inches. With a gross weight of 380 lb and a payload capacity of 25–35 lb, Vantage has an estimated endurance of 3–5 hours, a dash speed of 100 kts, and a service ceiling of 8,000 feet.

Originated by US Naval Research Laboratory, the Vantage now continues as a collaborative development project between NRL and CybAero.

CybAero is a designer and manufacturer of vertical take-off-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). NRL has in-depth experience in designing and developing both fixed and rotary UAV prototypes of many sizes and capabilities. NRL has been conducting research in unmanned systems technologies since the mid 1970s.

CybAero is involved in UAV development programmes in the USA and Sweden, as well as in the United Arab Emirates, making the company one of the more internationally experienced in the industry. During 2008 CybAero together with United States Naval Research Laboratory will be continuing the development and commercialization of the Vantage.