A FanWing Ltd Fanwing unmanned air vehicle has demonstrated that it can rotate at 1m (3ft). The Fanwing aircraft uses a bladed rotor turning on a horizontal axis, which acts as a thick wing.
Above: The short take off Fanwing flies during an April trial
This very short take off version is designed for urban operations where runway space would be very limited. The UAV, made from composite materials, has a 2kg (4.4lb) payload capability, combined wing/rotor span of 2.4m, a dry weight of 5.5kg, a 12kg maximum take off weight, a 1.2kW engine and a flight speed of 15.5kt (28.8km/h).
Its development goal is an 80min autonomous flight capability.
The England-based FanWing was set up in 1999 to develop blade wing technologies.
Zephyr ultra-endurance air vehicle developer AALTO has secured a $100 million investment from a Japanese consortium including mobile services provider NTT DOCOMO.
Following its purchase by BAE Systems earlier this year, UK unmanned air vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Malloy Aeronautics is significantly boosting output and targeting continued growth.
UK drone manufacturer Marble Aerospace is considering the adoption of an innovative metallic 3D-printing process to produce the complete airframe of its MRB5 platform to drive performance enhancements.