Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The US Army has stepped in to complete the Sikorsky Dragon Warrior flight demonstration after the US Marine Corps' interest waned because of a nagging technical problem with the close-range, tactical unmanned air vehicle (UAV).
Sikorsky was to deliver two Dragon Warriors to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) as part of a $5.5 million contract.
The prototypes were to have participated in the MCWL's Capable Warrior experiment early next year, when the USMC aimed to demonstrate a small UAV to provide tactical reconnaissance in an urban environment.
Dragon Warrior's two Herbranson engines drive a main gearbox whereas the Cypher, from which Dragon Warrior has evolved, has a single powerplant. Both designs incorporate a shrouded rotor, but Dragon Warrior is fitted with a pusher propeller and removable wings to boost speed and range.
Sikorsky shipped a Dragon Warrior to its flight test facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, in August, since when an unresolved technical problem with the drive system has kept the UAV grounded.
MCWL says Dragon Warrior will become a VTOL UAV testbed for the US Army's Night Vision and Electronics Sensors Directorate at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It adds that the USMC is still interested in the concept and holds an option to buy back a Dragon Warrior in the future. "The US Army has agreed to be the lead agency since it has greater resources," it continues.
Sikorsky says the shift is due to "a change in the USMC leadership, which has set different priorities, and the US Army's growing interest in VTOL UAVs". It says the technical setback is due to "normal integration issues with complex systems. It will fly after we work out the technical issues."
The USMC now plans to use a Dragon Eye in the Capable Warrior UAV exercise. Dragon Eye, a low-cost, hand-launched UAV being developed by the MCWL and the Naval Research Laboratory, is recovered via an autopilot-commanded deep stall descent.
The endurance goal for the UAV is 30min at 35kt (65km/h), using an electric motor. The payload will include daylight, low-light and infrared sensors and communications links.
Source: Flight International
