The risk reduction prototype of Bell's Eagle Eye HV-911 tiltrotor unmanned air vehicle (UAV) will fly for the first time this autumn and has completed design, fabrication and assembly, the Eagle Eye team said at the show yesterday.
"We will be expanding the envelope early next year," said Bell's Doug Wolfe, "then we'll be integrating the AAI ground control system.
"All the forward avionics are complete, the engine is installed and we're preparing to install the vertical fins and landing gear."
Ground runs on the aircraft are due to start next month at Bell's system integration laboratory at Dempsey Field close to Fort Worth.
Bell has fully funded the Eagle Eye prototype, which uses the technology developed for the Bell/Agusta BA609 and the Bell Boeing V-22 to create a vertical take-off and landing UAV.
Selected
The aircraft has been selected as part of the United States Coastguard's (USCG) Deepwater programme and Bell and its partners are under contract to provide 45 aircraft to the USCG between 2007 and 2020.
"The first three engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) aircraft will be delivered in 2007," says Jon Rudy, Bell's director of unmanned business development. "The reason we decided to fund and fly a prototype in this way was firstly to reduce the risk to the Deepwater programme and also to assess future concept developments."
The aircraft will be capable of 200kt (370km/h) in forward flight, with an operational ceiling of 20,000ft (6,100m) and an endurance of 5-6h. The mission requirement is for the Eagle Eye to take off automatically, fly out to a range of 110nm (200km), remain on station for 3h and then return to station to auto-land.
"The system is designed to minimise the workload for the ground operator," says Rudy. "The operator files a mission plan and can then basically leave the Eagle Eye to complete that mission unaided. "
"We will be expanding the envelope early next year," said Bell's Doug Wolfe, "then we'll be integrating the AAI ground control system.
"All the forward avionics are complete, the engine is installed and we're preparing to install the vertical fins and landing gear."
Ground runs on the aircraft are due to start next month at Bell's system integration laboratory at Dempsey Field close to Fort Worth.
Bell has fully funded the Eagle Eye prototype, which uses the technology developed for the Bell/Agusta BA609 and the Bell Boeing V-22 to create a vertical take-off and landing UAV.
Selected
The aircraft has been selected as part of the United States Coastguard's (USCG) Deepwater programme and Bell and its partners are under contract to provide 45 aircraft to the USCG between 2007 and 2020.
"The first three engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) aircraft will be delivered in 2007," says Jon Rudy, Bell's director of unmanned business development. "The reason we decided to fund and fly a prototype in this way was firstly to reduce the risk to the Deepwater programme and also to assess future concept developments."
The aircraft will be capable of 200kt (370km/h) in forward flight, with an operational ceiling of 20,000ft (6,100m) and an endurance of 5-6h. The mission requirement is for the Eagle Eye to take off automatically, fly out to a range of 110nm (200km), remain on station for 3h and then return to station to auto-land.
"The system is designed to minimise the workload for the ground operator," says Rudy. "The operator files a mission plan and can then basically leave the Eagle Eye to complete that mission unaided. "
Source: Flight Daily News
