'Transformer-Like' Propulsion System To Be 'Flown' In UMd. Wind Tunnel

The propulsion system for an unmanned aerial vehicle that takes off vertically like a Transformer robot then shifts to horizontal flight mid-air will be tested at the University of Maryland's Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel. Called the AD-150, the aircraft, developed by Jessup, MD-based American Dynamics Flight Systems, is one of the few unmanned vehicles designed to take off vertically and travel like an airplane at speeds of the Osprey ... about 240 miles per hour. It is planned for payloads that include weaponry, an array of sensors, or wounded soldiers with its 500-pound useful load.

American Dynamics Image

The AD-150 is being developed for emerging U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps requirements for high-speed, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems.

The wind tunnel's large turbine will blow high-speed wind over the propulsion system while sensors measure the resulting forces and moments from which flight behavior can be predicted. Smoke may be used to visualize airflow.

The test, made possible by a $135,000 grant from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program, will be the first in a series demonstrating the performance of the AD-150 during critical transition maneuvers between hover and forward flight. Additional testing is planned over the next four months. The test program itself will also demonstrate a set of new test procedures that can greatly influence the development of future VTOL aircraft propulsion systems and pave the way to cost-effectively scaling ducted fan propulsion systems. No firm date has been set for the testing.

FMI: www.glmwt.umd.edu/about/location.html