Northrop Grumman Demonstrates KillerBee Capabilities for U.S. Air Force UAV Battlelab Officials



Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued March 14, 2006)
   
SAN DIEGO --- Northrop Grumman Corporation has demonstrated its KillerBee low-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the U.S. Air Force, highlighting its ability to provide real-time streaming video and precision targeting information to warfighters.  

KillerBee, under development as a multi-mission, joint-service family of scalable UAVs, was designed to provide surveillance and force protection for military bases, shipping lanes, borders or convoys. The version demonstrated for the Air Force has a 9-foot wingspan and carries electro-optical and infrared sensors.  

The demonstration took place at the Air Force's UAV Battlelab at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and was supported by the 98th Range Wing at the Nevada Test and Training Range.  

“The most impressive part of the demonstration was the flight of the UAV,'' said Lt. Col. Douglas Larson, chief of the Combat Applications Division at the UAV Battlelab. “It was amazing how quickly it climbed to altitude. It was very evident this bird could carry a lot more payload. Couple this with its inherent low-observable design, and I think we have a platform that could be used for several Air Force missions.''  

“The two-day demonstration illustrated the value KillerBee will bring to the fight,'' said Bill Walker, Northrop Grumman's director of business development for the KillerBee program. “We demonstrated our ability to launch and recover the aircraft without a runway, provided real-time video, displayed low-altitude flight and the potential for autonomous long-endurance operations.''  

The network-capable KillerBee UAV will ultimately offer users the option of operating numerous aircraft to relay voice and data across great distances, in addition to the intelligence gathering mission. This concept will provide unprecedented situational awareness as multiple KillerBees work together to form a robust, tactical UAV system.  

Northrop Grumman and Swift Engineering, its principal teammate, are developing the KillerBee to meet a broad range of needs in the needs of the Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps., U.S. Navy and the Department of Homeland Security.  

Do you have a link to the source? I'd like to reference this in a research paper I've got to write.

Quoted: Do you have a link to the source? I'd like to reference this in a research paper I've got to write.

www.northropgrumman.com/

bump

Interesting.

So does it carry weapons? Why don't we have more UAV's that carry weapons? Dumb bomds, smart bombs.

Some more info from the website.....

KillerBee Technology

The KillerBee features an ultra-efficient blended-wing configuration. The blended-wing merges the body and wing to reduce weight and drag. The shape also lends itself to simplified manufacture. The production KillerBee will have only 3 airframe parts. All systems are accessible from a single panel. This patented Swift concept will reduce manufacturing costs to a minimum.


Another advantage of blending the body and wing is stiffness. Most of the wing is quite thick. This allows the KillerBee to fly at speeds far greater than its cruise speed. Why is this advantageous? This allows the KillerBee to be released from fast-flying aircraft. Other small aircraft need to be folded to avoid the stresses of high speed flight. The KillerBee doesn’t need the expensive folding mechanism.

KillerBee Capabilities

The KB2 variant has a wingspan of 6.5ft. This allows it to be transported on or behind a HumVee without folding. The same holds for an SUV or van in commercial applications. The KillerBee is launched from a box that contains all equipment needed to deploy and recover the airplane. No piloting skills are required. The KillerBee is fully autonomous. Data from the KillerBee payload is transmitted to a ground control station (laptop or PDA). Later this year, the KillerBee will demonstrate an advanced engine that will provide 30hours endurance with a 7pound payload, or 8hours with a 20pound payload.


A unique feature of the KillerBee’s geometry is that it can be stacked. Numerous planes can be stored in a small space. This, plus the ability to air-deploy the KillerBee at high speeds, means an airplane can release a single KillerBee for a close look at a dangerous target, or it can release a swarm of KillerBees to overwhelm the defenses of a target.

link

Skynet is coming.