Observer first

Observer first

The first flight of the Cranfield A3 Observer unmanned air vehicle took place at DERA's Shoeburyness establishment on 11 March, validating the drone's control system performance. The Observer, which is dynamically unstable in all axes, uses a development of the Gust Insensitive control system. The flight-test programme will continue with military exercise demonstrations later this year. Cranfield Aerospace won a contract in April 1998 to design and manufacture the catapult-launched A3 for DERA Farnborough's Short Range Unmanned Air Vehicle programme.

Source: Flight International