Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Jet-powered Kingfisher II intended to challenge Fire Scout for LCS support role

'Vought Aircraft Industries is studying the feasibility of launching its first all-new aircraft in decades, proposing a seaplane unmanned air vehicle concept to the US Navy called the Kingfisher II.

Vought seeks to enter the UAV market with a design that offers an alternative to the USN’s plans to support the future Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) with helicopter UAVs – namely, the Northrop Grumman RQ-8B Fire Scout.

“We want to support ships, too, but don’t want to take off vertically,” says Chris Wilt, Vought’s business development director for research, development and technology programmes.

An infant technology programme, backed by a small grant from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is seeking tools for makingautonomous take-offs and landings on the water, which the company believes would be a breakthrough capability in the UAV field.'

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Posted by Darren at March 30, 2005 06:05 PM | More from UAV News | | TrackBack