Cassidian used the opening day of the Dubai air show to detail its plans to in 2015 fly a sub-scale demonstrator intended to prove future unmanned air system technologies.
A collaborative effort being performed with universities and research institutes, the Sagitta project is now advancing to include the assembly of a one quarter-scale demonstrator of the 12m (39ft) wingspan design, following windtunnel testing.
Cassidian
“The first parts of the extremely light-weight carbon fibre structure are now in production,” says the EADS company, which is performing the work at its Manching site near Munich, Germany. The aircraft will be complete in late 2014. Flight testing to be performed from the following year will prove “the validity and feasibility of the theoretical research results”, it adds.
“Sagitta is a perfect example of a successful cooperation between industry, research institutes and universities,” says Aimo Bülte, Cassidian’s head of research and technology. Study activities performed during the already two-year initiative have included aerodynamics, control systems, autonomous flight and air-to-air refuelling, the company says.
Source: Flight Daily News
