Northrop Grumman confirmed yesterday it has launched windtunnel tests for a new cargo unmanned aircraft system concept called the Mover.
The Wild Thing is a vertical take-off UAS designed principally for ship-based operations, but it could be adapted for the land cargo mission, says Gene Fraser, Northrop's vice-president and deputy for strike and surveillance systems.
An image of the aircraft was displayed in a wider briefing about Northrop's UAS portfolio of products, which also includes the RQ-4 Global Hawk and Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, and the blended-wing Bat family of aircraft.
Featuring a twin-boomed tail assembly and a fan-in-wing propulsion system, the Mover is among the more exotic concepts yet to emerge for the emerging role for unmanned airlift.
In the US military market, Army aviation officials remain sceptical about the value of UAS-delivered resupply, but not other services.
The US Marine Corps currently plans to acquire an "immediate cargo UAS" by February to deploy to Afghanistan, where it must be able to haul up to 20,000lb (9,000kg) over a 24h period.
The known contenders for the USMC requirement include the Lockheed Martin/Kaman K-Max, Urban Aeronautics Mule, Boeing YMQ-18A (formerly A160) Hummingbird and Northrop Grumman RQ-8B Fire Scout.
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Source: Flight Daily News
