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  • From: Tvoivozhd <tvoivozd AT infionline.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Homestead] Whirl spyplane can hover16 miles high, for four days.
  • Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:41:01 -0700

NewScientist.com

*Spinning spy plane could hover for days*

17:36 09 September 04
NewScientist.com news service

An unmanned spinning spy plane that could hover above a location for days gathering intelligence has been developed by US researchers.

The prototype vehicle, known as "the Whirl", was constructed by researchers at US defence and aerospace company Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona.

The aircraft has four fixed wings, each measuring three metres long and emanating from a central hub. Each wing has its own propeller on top and is spaced at 90° to its neighbour. Everything works together to make the entire craft revolve.

The wings also have an upturned manoeuvrable aerofoil at each tip, enabling the craft to maintain a stable hover - fulfilling a similar function to a helicopter's rear rotor - and to direct its movement.

Raytheon researcher, John Liebsch, described it as a "cross between a ceiling fan and a sailboat", and says the design should be more stable and power-efficient than a conventional helicopter.


*Anti-aircraft missiles*

He believes that the Whirl could ascend to an altitude of up to 16 km - high enough to avoid anti-aircraft missiles - and hover there for up to four days. The US military's Global Hawk drone can stay aloft for 36 hours at an altitude of up to 20 km.

Independent experts describe the prototype as a unique proposition. "There seem to be more new design approaches to uncrewed vehicles these days than you can shake a stick at," says Ken Munson, editor of the UK-based military publication Jane's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Targets. "It’s certainly an innovative design."

But Munson suggests that the vehicle will have to undergo more testing before it proves its worth. "The real test will come out of doors, I suspect," he told *New Scientist*.

Its creators say that the Whirl should be ideally suited to tracking moving objects on the ground, as it can linger in one position in the air. A non-hovering drone, by comparison, has to adjust for its own trajectory before it can accurately track another moving target.

So far the Whirl has only been tested inside a hanger, but preparations are underway for open-air tests. A full version of the drone should cost around $1 million to develop, and Raytheon has asked the Pentagon to provide this funding.

A spokesperson for Raytheon refused to provide any further information about the prototype at this time.

Will Knight

Return to news story <http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996380>

© Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.





  • [Homestead] Whirl spyplane can hover16 miles high, for four days., Tvoivozhd, 09/13/2004

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