On 9 June 2003 the Altair UAV, an extended-wing derivative of the military MQ-9 Predator B, made its maiden flight at El Mirage, California.
The Altair has been jointly developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Inc. (GA-ASI) and NASA, and was specifically designed for civil applications under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) programme.
The aircraft is expected to perform duties considered too difficult, dangerous or "just plain dull" for piloted aircraft, according to Glenn Hamilton, Altair project manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), Edwards, California.
Powered by a 700hp Honeywell TPE-331-10T turboprop engine, Altair is designed to fly continuously for up to 32 hours, at altitudes of up to 52,000 ft (15,860m) and has a maximum range of about 4,200 miles (6,762km).
The aircraft can carry a 750lb payload, including a range of sensors, radar, communications and imaging equipment.
ResearchFitted with triple-redundant avionics, and a fault-tolerant, dual-architecture flight control system, Altair will also feature an automated collision-avoidance system and has an air traffic control voice relay, allowing controllers to talk to ground-based Altair pilots via the aircraft.
The Altair is controlled via an 'over the horizon' satellite link, which can also be used to broadcast research data gathered by the UAV.
The aircraft is expected to be the first UAV to meet the Federal Aviation Administration requirements necessary for operation from conventional airports, alongside piloted aircraft.
Altair will initially be used to evaluate and test new collision-avoidance, control and communications technologies, and is then expected to be used for a variety of environmental missions.
Source: Flight Daily News
