DARPA Launches ANCILLARY Tailsitter Drone Development
General view of the UAV ANCILLARY
Advanced Development Agency DARPA continues to develop the direction of unmanned aviation complexes. This time in the interests of the ground forces and fleet it is proposed to develop a multi-purpose UAV with special flight capabilities. The ANCILLARY product will belong to the class of tailsitters. The drone will be made to look like an airplane and will be able to fly horizontally, but it is proposed to take off and land vertically, incl. on sites of minimum size.
New program
The DARPA agency announced the launch of the new program on September 7th. The official press release mentions the main requirements and wishes for a promising UAV. A possible appearance of such a product is also shown - so far in the form of a three-dimensional model. In addition, an animated video has been published demonstrating some of the possibilities of such drone.
The program was called "Advanced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY" - "Advanced aircraft that does not need infrastructure for takeoff and landing." A long and complex name is shortened to ANCILLARY (literally "Auxiliary").
The goal of the program is to create an aircraft-type UAV with vertical takeoff and landing. Such a device must take off and land from any available platform of limited size. Takeoff and landing must be done without the use of any support equipment such as launchers.
Drone assembly
UAVs of this kind can be used on warships or support vessels. In addition, it will be able to find wide application in ground units. It is noted that a promising unmanned complex will be able to solve a wide range of tasks, but at the same time it will be possible to reduce the necessary personnel, reduce the cost of production and operation, and also reduce risks in real work.
The ANCILLARY program is currently in the process of accepting applications. In the near future, DARPA plans to collect technical proposals from potential program participants and select the most interesting ones, which will be developed at the stage of competitive development. On September 20, a "day of proposals" is scheduled - hearings and an exhibition of technologies from potential participants in the program will take place.
The agency suggests that the ANCILLARY program may be of interest to a variety of contractors. Applications are expected both from the leaders of the defense industry and from companies that do not have much experience in fulfilling military orders. However, the list of potential members of ANCILLARY has not yet been announced.
Possible appearance
DARPA has already proposed its version of the appearance of a promising UAV and showed it in animated form. Apparently, it has not yet been worked out in all details, however, in this case, all the main wishes and views of the customer are shown. Probably, certain features and features of the drawn drone will fall into real projects.
Externally, the ANCILLARY product looks like an airplane. A pronounced fuselage with a streamlined shape and a variable cross section is used. In the bow there is a spherical optical-electronic observation and reconnaissance station. In the central part of the fuselage, between other units, an internal cargo compartment is provided.
Product in flight
On the fuselage is a medium-sized straight wing of high elongation. The center section and consoles are connected by a hinge; consoles can be folded back in flight. Three propellers are radially mounted behind the wing in annular channels. The tail unit is Y-shaped and consists of three planes.
The design of the UAV can be made collapsible. So, in the demo video, the device is delivered to the ship disassembled in a wooden closure. Assembly and preparation for flights are carried out by the calculation forces and, probably, do not require much time.
Due to the need for vertical takeoff and landing, the UAV is a so-called. tailsitter. On the ground, the device must be in an upright position and literally stand on its tail. At the same time, the propellers create vertical thrust and allow the drone to take off. Having risen to a certain height, he will have to open the wing, pick up speed and go into horizontal flight “like an airplane”. Landing is proposed to be carried out in the reverse order.
The ANCILLARY power plant will consist of three electric motors directly connected to the propellers. The type of power system has not yet been determined. Depending on the technical capabilities, the UAV can receive batteries of the required capacity, fuel cells or a hybrid installation based on an internal combustion engine. The optimal energy option will be chosen at the project development stage.
Tailsitter needs a developed control system. It must work effectively in different flight modes, as well as provide a transition between them. At the same time, the load on the operator should be minimal, and the control process should be simplified as much as possible. So, in the demo video, the operator controls the UAV from a tablet computer, giving commands with separate touches.
Landing on the deck of the ship
The exact dimensions and weight characteristics of ANCILLARY are not named, but there are certain hints. So, the video shows the operation of the UAV on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. One of the aft hangars for a helicopter fits at least 6-8 drones in a vertical position. A denser arrangement and / or the use of a second hangar allows you to increase the air group of the ship.
Desired features
DARPA expects that due to the specific design and various features, the promising ANCILLARY UAV will be able to solve a wide range of different tasks, and with increased efficiency. In a number of situations, it will have advantages over drones of more common architectures.
The main advantages will be provided by the "tailsitter" scheme, which will allow take-off and landing on the minimum size platforms. This will give certain advantages over aircraft-type UAVs. In addition, the possibility of level flight will remain, and in terms of speed or economy, ANCILLARY will surpass unmanned helicopters.
The proposed UAV from DARPA will be able to carry reconnaissance equipment and will receive an internal cargo compartment. Thanks to this, he will be able to patrol, search for various objects and issue target designation. It can also be used to transport small light loads. It cannot be ruled out that the cargo bay will become a bomb bay, and ANCILLARY will receive shock functions.
It should be noted that the ANCILLARY program is interesting not only for its future result in the form of a multi-purpose UAV. To create such an aircraft, contractors will have to find and work out a number of different technologies and solutions. It is necessary to determine the optimal materials of construction, the most efficient version of the power plant and engines, and also to create a new control system.
Payload placement
All these developments will be tested and refined as part of the ANCILLARY project, and then they can be used to create other types of unmanned systems. This means that the successful completion of the current project will allow the active development of the whole direction to begin. Until recently, tailsitters have received some attention, but it has not been possible to realize all their advantages. Now the situation may change.
However, the future of a promising direction depends on the project, which is still at a very early stage. DARPA only expressed its wishes, and there are no specific ideas and proposals yet. In addition, it is not clear whether they can be fully implemented and whether all the desired results can be achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
Expectations and difficulties
Thus, in the indefinite future, a new multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle with specific characteristics and capabilities may appear at the disposal of the Pentagon. Real work on the ANCILLARY program will begin in the near future, and over the next few years, their first results may appear.
However, the success of the new program is not yet guaranteed. She faces quite complex tasks, the solution of which will require time and effort. Whether it will be possible to cope with them, and how successful these works will be, will become clear later. In the meantime, the main task of DARPA is to search for contractors and launch a full-fledged development of the project.
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