Video: Excalibur, the Unmanned Vertical-Takeoff Aircraft, Makes Its First Flight

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 07.22.2009 at 11:03 am 14 Comments

Hover Drone The Excalibur unmanned aircraft can fly at speeds of 460 mph, or hover. Aviation Week

A new unmanned combat aircraft could soon wing its way to the battlefield and land with the precision of a helicopter. The Excalibur recently completed its first flight to demonstrate those abilities using a hybrid turbine-electric propulsion system.

The unmanned aerial system (UAS) could pack a 400-pound payload of four Hellfire missiles, and also deliver weapons or other supplies to warfighters deep in rough territory. Its design allows it to have a maximum speed of 460 mph, but also have the ability to loiter overhead at just 115 mph.

"It was a flawless first flight with a crisp takeoff and perfect landing," reported John Langford, president of Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation. "In flight, the hover stability and heading control performance were excellent."

The company has been developing Excalibur for the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate and the Office of Naval Research, and it's not hard to see why those armed services would be excited for a hover UAS. Excalibur's vertical takeoff and landing ability comes from a tilting turbojet with a 700-pound thrust, along with three battery-powered lift fans.

As Aurora announced the flight of the half-scale demonstrator this week, Aviation Week covered the sneak-preview test flight that took place on June 24 at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

Excalibur represents a new type of tactical UAS that could join the growing swarm of unmanned aircraft already on the battlefield. Wired notes that the U.S. Air Force recently released a report that contemplates a future without any human pilots, and the Air Force Academy recently introduced the first basic course on flying unmanned vehicles to cadets.

Such robotic aircraft have also found growing use in civilian life, ranging from city law enforcement to scientists wanting to hunt down Burmese pythons from the air. But for now, check out what the next generation of drone can do.

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14 Comments

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seatellite

07/22/09 at 2:48 pm

The future of warfare. Wont it be awesome when we can fight wars without loosing a single human life.

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seatellite

07/22/09 at 2:59 pm

Something else I just now thought of...

It can go from Zero to 460 MPH, it can take off, land, and hover quite beautifully, it can carry up to 400 pound...

...why isn't this a vehicle?

Not for combat... for just personal use... Isn't this the flying car we all want? I mean it's a little bigger than a hummer right? so why can't we be engineering a personal model?

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podboq

07/22/09 at 4:16 pm

the cost of a personal model might be prohibitive. We certainly wouldn't have to worry about sky congestion since millions of people wouldn't buy them.

we also have to consider the mobility it might offer those who have only mayhem on their minds... like flying one on auto-mode full speed into a giant petroleum tank in Texas City.... or the White House.... or...

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johnt007871

07/22/09 at 4:48 pm

Read the article on research submarines and youll understand why this is unmanned only. The cost of making something safe for humans is too high, financially and weight/materials-wise.

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pheonix1012

07/22/09 at 6:21 pm

The era of Skynet is upon us. No one can repent from the wrath of the machines. Get ready to stand and fight or sit and die. Judgement Day is upon us.

lol

"Welcome! to the Federation Starship SS Buttcrack!!!"

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quasi44

07/22/09 at 11:24 pm

I like your energy, but I go a different way, knowing that a machine isn't gonna have a true leap of logic for a while yet. Why can't we form partnership with machines, for their upkeep, updating needs? They would necessarily need to be substantively more durable, longer lasting than common tech today, but I believe the tech is here now. Household robots are plenty sophisticated, and it is only money separating the good from the useless. A true partnership would have it earn it's way, and our efforts throughout the rest of our days also be for our robotic friend's benefit. This ROV is no surprise. A surprise would be if the pilot were in an attack chopper.

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pheonix1012

07/23/09 at 8:14 am

@quasi44

A robot is meant for nothing more than an extension of the physical human capability. They are meant to perform tasks that are physically difficult or hazardous to us. They may even be used to help us multi-task better.

However, I do not believe humanity should waist effort trying to replicate life in the form of a machine just for whim, or the satisfaction to fulfill some science-fiction prediction of the future.

We are not ready to play god. That's the point of stories like Terminator. The moment we get ahead of ourselves by trying to create sentient life at a level that revivals or surpasses our own we will meet our demise at the hands of our own creation.

I'm not saying that sentient robots can not or will not be the future (because they obviously are). I'm saying that they should not be the near future as they may only cause humanity to slip into a mindset that uses robots to supplement the human experience in life.

The best practical application for creating a system capable of storing and processing terabytes of information would be prolonging the human life by downloading our essence from our physical mind into the CPU of a system capable of sustaning our lives (after we are physically incapable of living; also should be very far off).

"Welcome! to the Federation Starship SS Buttcrack!!!"

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rustyspring

07/23/09 at 12:08 pm

In response to the first posting...

seatellite, this is a weapon system and will be used against people. It'll just be like any other method of delivering an ordinance or providing ISR to other assets. Our troops will face similar systems. Hopefully things like this won’t be used against civilians – or at least "our" civilians.

I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.
-- Thomas Edison, speaking to Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone (1931)

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highdobb

07/27/09 at 3:09 am

pheonix1012: I agree. Man created god and I destroyed him. So why not man made machines that destroy man? Lol ;-)

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pheonix1012

07/28/09 at 9:23 am

@highdobb

I think that's the ultimate irony that Dr. Malcolm covered with the genetically created dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

But hey robots, dinosaurs, reality TV, they all have the same net outcome.

"Welcome! to the Federation Starship SS Buttcrack!!!"

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ultimatenerd22

07/28/09 at 2:59 pm

that looks awesome, when can i get one and where.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEUWrj7SyPk

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rpenri

07/29/09 at 10:42 pm

@ podboq

Private planes and personal helicopters have been available for years. They all still need to obey all air traffic laws and regulations...such as the zone around Washington, D.C., lest they be shot down by F-16s...I'm betting a couple of Secret Service agents are equipped with Stinger surface-to-air missiles to deter any would-be kamikaze flights as well.

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GKopel

07/30/09 at 8:50 pm

Even through all the arguments about the ethics of machines killing people, one has to admit that thing is pretty darn cool.

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Kashtin

09/18/09 at 5:15 pm

This reminds me of the Verti-bird off of Fallout 3. I can't wait until this is commissioned, if ever.