A prototype lightweight vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle has made its first hover flights at developer Cyber Aerospace. The Cyber Scout, with a 3.6kg (8lb) empty weight and cruise speed goal of 100kt (185km/h), is designed to be hand-carried. It is powered by three ducted-fan piston engines, one mounted vertically in the forward fuselage and two at the rear in swivelling nacelles.
In vertical flight mode, the aft nacelles are tilted down and all three engines are running, says Cyber president Jim Alman. In forward flight, the nacelles would be horizontal and all but one of the rear engines would be shut down. The private-venture Cyber Scout is designed to carry interchangeable payloads in a conformal pod under the fuselage. Payload capacity is in the 0.45-0.9kg class and endurance is expected to be around 2h. "But customers want 4h," Alman says. "It will depend on the engines."
GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
