Will Develop Ultra-Long-Endurance Aircraft Technologies
Boeing has selected QinetiQ as its key technology partner for
the $3.8 million phase one portion of the US Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Vulture air vehicle program.
QinetiQ says its knowledge in solar-electric Unmanned Air Vehicles
will play a key role in meeting DARPA's objective to create a new
category of ultra-long-endurance aircraft.
The DARPA Vulture program calls for developing technologies and
ultimately a vehicle that can deliver and maintain an airborne
payload on station for an uninterrupted period of more than five
years using heavier than air vehicles. The yearlong phase one
covers conceptual system definition, and formal reliability and
mission success analysis, concluding with a System Requirements
Review. It also requires conceptual designs for sub- and full-scale
demonstrators.
QinetiQ's role as part of the Boeing team will be to leverage
the technologies developed and demonstrated in the Zephyr
high-altitude, long-endurance UAV for the DARPA Vulture
program.
Launched by hand, Zephyr (shown below) is an ultra-lightweight
carbon-fiber aircraft. By day it flies on solar power generated by
amorphous silicon arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover
the aircraft's wings. By night it is powered by rechargeable
lithium-sulphur batteries that are recharged during the day using
solar power.
"Both QinetiQ and Boeing have worked with DARPA on a number of
innovative programs in the past and we welcome this important
opportunity to work together to create a new long-endurance
aircraft," said Simon Bennett, Managing Director of QinetiQ's
Applied Technologies business. "Through our world-leading
capabilities in solar-electric UAVs I am confident that we will
make an important contribution to the Vulture program."
The Vulture vehicle's goal is to be capable of carrying a
1,000-pound, five-kilowatt payload and have a 99 percent
probability of maintaining its on-station position. Currently the
only systems capable of providing multiple years of coverage over a
fixed area are geosynchronous satellites orbiting 22,233 miles
above Earth.
"Such a 'pseudo-satellite' system, like Vulture, could provide
compelling operational advantages in terms of persistent
intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications,"
said Pat O'Neil, program manager for Boeing High Altitude Long
Endurance Systems.