Northrop Grumman Contracted for Next-Gen Seaborne VTOL UAV Beyond Current Market Capability
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office has contracted with Northrop Grumman to design an autonomous VTOL aircraft system for use in US Navy ships while underway, slated to carry a 60-lb payload for more than 20 hours of flight time. The contract illustrates the relatively empty field in that particular tactical niche, one that has been addressed through more traditionally designed, helicopter-like UAVs abroad. Naval aviation is often a difficult realm of design and operations, combining a moving takeoff and landing platform with the fueling constraints of operations beyond convenient, abundant supply lin
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