The Ares drone lands like a chopper, so it can enter and exit a dangerous spot quickly.
As
early as next year, the Department of Defense will test-fly an
entirely new type of combat drone. The craft is called Ares, for Aerial
Reconfigurable Embedded System, and it’s designed to take off and land
vertically. Unlike airplane-esque drones, which are cumbersome to launch
and land, Ares could drop into a tight spot, unload supplies or rescue
soldiers, and then zip up and away.
The remote-controlled prototype, now under construction by helicopter manufacturer Piasecki Aircraft and defense giant Lockheed Martin, relies on two massive, articulating ducted fans for lift and forward thrust in flight, much like the tilt-rotor Osprey used by the Marines. If all goes as planned, a fully autonomous production version is next, capable of carrying up to 3,000 pounds and forever changing the art of warfare.
The Ares. Courtesy Lockheed Martin.
Payload: 3,000 lbs.
Wingspan: 42 feet
Range: 250 nautical miles
Top speed: 230 mph
Clay Dillow. Issue of Popular Science.
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The remote-controlled prototype, now under construction by helicopter manufacturer Piasecki Aircraft and defense giant Lockheed Martin, relies on two massive, articulating ducted fans for lift and forward thrust in flight, much like the tilt-rotor Osprey used by the Marines. If all goes as planned, a fully autonomous production version is next, capable of carrying up to 3,000 pounds and forever changing the art of warfare.
Ares Combat Drone
Weight: about 7,000 lbs.Payload: 3,000 lbs.
Wingspan: 42 feet
Range: 250 nautical miles
Top speed: 230 mph
Clay Dillow. Issue of Popular Science.
A400M new generation airlifter
Russian Air Force Marks 102th Anniversary
WW 2 era RAF Lancaster Bombers fly for first time in 50 years
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