Bidders in the US Department of Defense's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) competition will be required to submit new drone designs, since no existing models can meet the required operational requirements.
Meanwhile, the US Navy UAV Programme Office is reviewing the concepts of operation for the VTOL UAV, possibly expanding the system's role beyond reconnaissance. The forthcoming VTOL UAV demonstration will include UK participation.
More than 10 bidders responded to a market survey, including Bell Helicopter and teams involving Bombardier/Raytheon Systems and Schweizer Aircraft/Northrop Grumman. The Pentagon plans to release a formal request for proposals for the UAV project in June-July as the Eagle Eye and Bombardier's Guardian UAV conduct land-based and shipboard trials.
USN Capt Lyn Whittmer, Navy UAVs programme manager, says that the responses to the request for information show that there is no off-the-shelf VTOL UAV that can satisfy the service's needs. "A tailored development is really our only choice-I don't see a system that could go operational tomorrow," he says.
The new development opens the door for Bombardier/Raytheon Systems to offer the in-development CL-427 Puma. The existing model, the CL-327 Guardian, is hard pressed to meet the VTOL UAV's threshold dash speed requirement of 135kt (250km/h).
Meanwhile, the USN is considering a variety of payload growth options for the VTOL UAV, which now features a basic day/night imagery sensor and laser designator. The USN wants to perform additional missions, including mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, signals intelligence, communications relay and target designation. A market survey is under way to assess the payload options.
Source: Flight International
