The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Honeywell (Hall 5, Stand B11) to develop an Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) prototype for the US Army's future combat system. The OAV will allow the army to gather information from a "micro" flying air vehicle, which uses remote sensors and a ground station to perform autonomous flights. The prototype demonstrator, which has been built and successfully flown, stands 22in (56cm) tall, 14in wide, and weighs 5lb (2.3kg).
In Phase I, which ends in December 2001, the aircraft will demonstrate the basic required flight capabilities for OAV missions such as vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), stable hover and high-speed horizontal flight as well as autonomous pre-programmed, or waypoint, navigation capability. Next generation avionics and future designs will also be researched, designed and tested. Honeywell's Defense and Space group expects to have a vehicle design available for the US Army in December 2002. This OAV will complement the Future Combat Systems development programme, sponsored by DARPA and the US Army.
Source: Flight Daily News