Boeing's X-50A Dragonfly canard rotor/wing (CRW) unmanned experimental vehicle has been severely damaged after crashing during a test flight at the US Army proving ground in Yuma, Arizona. Boeing is forming an investigation board to look into the full circumstances of the accident, which took place three months after the flight testing began in December 2003.
The crash is a blow to the Dragonfly programme, which has already suffered significant delays in starting flight tests. These were due to begin in late 2002, but were held up by swash plate and rotor bearing issues.
These are vital to the capabilities of the X-50A, which is designed to take off like a helicopter and fly like a fixed-wing aircraft using a reaction-driven, stopped-rotor system.
Testing is expected to resume later this year, however, with a second vehicle that was built as part of the original contract with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
The damaged vehicle was expected to complete up to 11 rotary test flights before attempting the first of two crucial conversion flights planned for "much later in the year", says Boeing.
The accident occurred during a hover, although no further details were available about the rest of the flight-test circumstances or the number of test sorties completed to date as Flight International closed for press.
Guy Norris / Los Angeles
Source: Flight International
