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Subject:
BAE Systems Nightjar UCAV
RM-Nod
6/16/2005 9:30:45 AM
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| Since no one elses is posting it...
Aviation Week & Space Technology
Secret Stealthy UCAV Project in U.K.
06/13/2005 11:25:26 AM
By Douglas Barrie
U.K. UCAV
BAE Systems is working on a classified low-radar-observable UCAV project, dubbed Nightjar, for the British Defense Ministry.
The sensitive program has been underway for several years, and an airframe may already have been built. The unmanned combat air vehicle program follows on from the company's Testbed low-observable-aircraft work, which saw a full-scale airframe built and tested on the company's radar cross-section range.
Nightjar incorporates low-observable features, with the design also including an internal weapons bay. Alongside funding the BAE work, the Defense Ministry is also looking at engine requirements for this class of UCAV. A number of work packages, or tasks, are underway for the ministry. Systems and subsystems work has included testing on BAE's RCS range. Work packages on the program include design, aerodynamics and in-service performance.
The activity is being undertaken at BAE's Warton site in the north of England, with a similar level of secrecy to that of the Testbed/Replica program. The latter effort ended in 1999. BAE has shown a number of notional UCAV illustrations, with a blended wing-body airframe. Wind tunnel work has also been carried out examining low-observable UCAV designs, with particular interest in internal weapons carriage and deployment.
The effort is also drawing on other stealth research carried out by BAE on behalf of the Defense Ministry. This includes work into both visual and infrared signature reduction, covered in part by the company's Chameleon program. This project included fitting a Hawk jet trainer with light-emitting diodes in an attempt to diminish the contrast between the aircraft and the background against which it was being flown. Infrared engine suppression technology has also been flown, at least on a Hawk.
The Nightjar program, suggest industry sources, has a twofold purpose. The first is to ensure the technology base for the development of a low-observable UCAV; the second is to provide leverage should the U.K. decide to participate in any comparable U.S. effort. Testbed was used in attempting to influence U.S. thinking in providing access to sensitive technology on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Access, however, remains a considerable issue. Britain is the only level-one partner on the F-35.
The ministry is looking at a UCAV as a potential element of its future long-range strike capability. Initially enshrined in Air Staff (Target) 425, this requirement's latest guise is the Future Offensive Air Capability. This has looked at a force mix of crewed aircraft, UCAVs and cruise missiles, to be introduced around 2015-20. What remains in doubt, however, is just how much funding there is to meet the requirement, and the pace at which it will be made available.
EARLIER THIS YEAR the British Defense Ministry joined the Pentagon's Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems program. Work from Nightjar will inevitably inform the U.K. participation. While the ministry remains publicly noncommittal as to whether it will pursue a European or a U.S. path in any eventual acquisition of a UCAV, all indications are that U.S. route is far more likely.
The joint work will conclude with "live and virtual manned and unmanned assets from both nations operating in a networked coalition warfare scenario." It's possible that a Nightjar UCAV could take part in the exercise in 2009.
A UCAV demonstrator effort was also proposed by the government and industry's Aerospace and Innovation Growth Team report. It suggested an "Autonomous Systems Technology Demonstrator" as one of six themed demonstrator programs. But it remains to be seen whether--should this program go ahead--it would succeed Nightjar, be run in parallel or be based on BAE's work so far. |
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