A USMC Brigadier General recently said this about what they want for the future:
Heckl said the Corps will need multi-mission aircraft that can conduct surveillance and carry out lethal strikes. They’ll also need UAVs that can provide over-watch for long periods and are interconnected with other drones operating in the area, which the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab is now working to develop.
“We want something that can do airborne early warning, maybe medical evacuation and oh, why don’t we have something that can do air-to-air,” he said.
Is this not very similar to what the UK should want for its carriers? Given that the USMC will look to have a system that is able to take off without catapults?
By: Jinan - 28th April 2015 at 22:15
Look up CarterCopters CC-221. The proof of concept PAV seems to fly pretty well. Interesting to see if it scales up. Perfect fit for the ESTOL support requirement.
By: mrmalaya - 22nd April 2015 at 13:29
Well it does look promising- sit somewhere between the V22 and a fixed wing. The UK isn’t going to launch its own project to support a handful of airframes so its the US or France for a collaboration or buying into an existing AW project I suppose.
By: Jonesy - 21st April 2015 at 19:42
Well I think the RN were probably thinking more along the lines of a kebab box, but the vertical element is probably true for both.
Given the budgetary pressure at the moment, no-one is looking beyond the F35 and Crowsnest, but at some point they will want to do more with the deckspace and I think the UK will have moved beyond planning for a heavyweight UCAV such as might come out of FCAS.
What ever happened to the “Novel Air Concept” I wonder?
Look up CarterCopters CC-221. The proof of concept PAV seems to fly pretty well. Interesting to see if it scales up. Perfect fit for the ESTOL support requirement.
By: mrmalaya - 21st April 2015 at 18:35
Well I think the RN were probably thinking more along the lines of a kebab box, but the vertical element is probably true for both.
Given the budgetary pressure at the moment, no-one is looking beyond the F35 and Crowsnest, but at some point they will want to do more with the deckspace and I think the UK will have moved beyond planning for a heavyweight UCAV such as might come out of FCAS.
What ever happened to the “Novel Air Concept” I wonder?
By: Rii - 21st April 2015 at 16:33
“We want something that can do airborne early warning, maybe medical evacuation and oh, why don’t we have something that can do air-to-air,” he said.
lol
It should also be able to take-off vertically, operate underwater, and fold up into the size and shape of a pizza box.
By: kev 99 - 21st April 2015 at 13:03
Yes it is, but the UK is already tied into a programme with the French that the RAF will most likely have all the UK input too. I just can’t see a requirement to launch from sea will find their way into the UCAV programme if the RAF are the service branch with the majority of input.
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April 21, 2015 at 10:59 am