Posted on 04/24/2007 8:36:34 AM PDT by Freeport
Unmanned air vehicle specialist Aurora Flight Sciences is to compete with Lockheed Martin to build an all-composite cargo X-plane for the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
The demonstrator is planned to fly within 18 months under the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA) programme, to prove structural design and manufacturing technologies that would reduce the cost and weight of a future short take-off and landing transport.
ACCA will support the Advanced Joint Air Combat System (AJACS) now being defined by USAF Air Mobility Command as a possible future replacement for the Lockheed Martin C-130 tactical transport.
AFRL has awarded Aurora a $47 million contract and signed a $49 million co-operative agreement with Lockheed. Each has received an initial $2 million to begin design of their competing demonstrators.
One of the companies is expected to be selected later this year to build and fly a single X-plane demonstrator by the end of next year.
In its call for proposals, the AFRL outlined a notional advanced STOL light transport capable of 400kt (740km/h), pressurised and carrying three cargo pallets, 20 troops or a light wheeled vehicle.
While not representative of the AJACS, the notional flight profile and cargo volume "require the demonstrator to be built like a transport", says AFRL.
This thread is worthless without pics.
Lockheeds entry....
Bump for later read.
I’d say interesting. Wonder what a loose fan or compressor section, would do up in the area for the engines, didn’t catch how many engines.
A bit small, isn't it?
The project is for a light cargo craft, so yes.
My money is on Lockheed. They have better lobbyists. Dick Cheney's son in law for instance.
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2007/02/exposing-dept-of-job-security-who-is.html
[snip]After Bush became president, Perry moved from being a junior partner at the DC law firm Latham & Watkins to holding the position of Associate-Attorney General for the Department of Justice. He then moved to the Office of Management and Budget as General Counsel, where he had a hand in drafting plans for DHS. In 2003, he returned to Latham & Watkins as a member of their Homeland Security practice group and lobbied on behalf of Lockheed Martin and other companies.
To no surprise, Perry’s “revolving door” habits haven’t ended with his position at DHS. Secretary Chertoff announced on Jan. 23 that Perry would be resigning from DHS by Feb. 6, presumably to rejoin his old law firm.
Hrm...it looks as if they’re using lessons learned from the F-22 to design it. It looks like they’re trying to make it stealthy. Although I have to wonder if they really need that much vertical stab area. I can see that design evolving with a single vertical stab.
It’s hard to see what it’s going to be able to do that an Osprey can’t, except it will be pressurized and will fly a little faster. They talk about it as a replacement for the C-130, but it is going to be too small for that role.
Missippi Ping. Aurora is located out by the GTR Airport in Columbus.
No doubt that Lockheed has the same tech but our Mississippi competitor, Aurora, specializes in composite construction. I believe that the idea is indeed to try to make something stealthy. Well, as stealthy as you can make a transport. But then, how many radars have seen that big bird they call the B-2?
The dual stabilizers help mask the IR signature. They can also be canted to reduce the radar signature.
This program looks like a billion dollar solution for a million dollar question.
Lockheed has been kicking around designs for this for quite a while. It looked about the same when I saw concepts of this there ten years ago. There are some variations but they are on the common theme.
Those are two important things. Also it'll probably have a longer range, less radar visibility and be easier to maintain.
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