Thu, Feb 03, 2011
Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) Based On DA42 Platform
Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Centaur Optionally
Piloted Aircraft (OPA) has begun its flight test program. The first
fully-configured Centaur made its first flight on Saturday, January
22 from Aurora's base at Manassas, VA.
The flight crew for the first flight was Thomas Washington,
serving as test director and pilot, and Jason Fine, serving as
flight engineer. "The first flight served mainly to validate that
all the hardware and software were working as planned," explained
Washington. "Following a careful review of the data, we conducted a
second flight on the 24th and a third flight on the 25th, during
which all the basic UAV flight modes were turned on and carefully
monitored. The initial results look fantastic."
Centaur will gradually expand its flight envelope over the next
several months, leading to fully automatic takeoffs and landings by
late spring. Centaur will then be fitted with an electro-optical
payload and a high-bandwidth data link to demonstrate intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
All of Centaur's test flights are being conducted with the
flight crew on board. Fully unmanned flights will begin later this
year, at a test range to be announced.
DA42 File Photo
Centaur is based on the highly successful Diamond DA42 NG
general aviation aircraft. The combination of advanced avionics,
efficient diesel engines and composite structure make the DA42 NG
the ideal platform for persistent ISR flights. Centaur is able to
support many commercial and military electro-optical, radar and
communication payloads in its universal nose pod and belly pod
modifications.
In June of 2009, Aurora
demonstrated autonomous take offs and landings
using a modified Cessna 337.
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