UK to fly UCAV Surrogate

Sorry, nothing more than that. It was just listed as a news story on the AWST site...

www.aviationnow.com...

Anyone know any more?

Cheers

Mike

Thats hard to tell from only that title. The UK is working on several U(C)AV's at the moment. I guess we'll have to wait on an official statement.

Presumably another technology demonstrater. My hunch is that it means the UCAV demonstrator which follows the Raven will NOT have a weapons way. Another interpretation could be that they are going to run the software on a manned aircraft or UAV? Maybe a Hawk which simulates the UCAV...

[edit on 15-5-2006 by planeman]

Well, one, it's done work on a few UCAV related vehicles and demonstrators but the only real UCAV will be the one announced in the DIS last year.

At the minute BAE's currently working on a UCAV related risk reduction contract for the MoD, I think that's what this work is to do with.

Edit - Planeman, I agree, I think they'll just be validating a few technologies on a Hawk. I doubt a new vehicle will be built before the main UCAV TDP.

[edit on 15-5-2006 by Mike_A]

Mike, I guess you already know this but BAE Systems' website has nothing new on the UAV front.

Nothing major no.

In the past the term "surrogate UCAV" has been associated with a T-33 used in the X-45 program. from Globalsecurity:

The program is also supported by a T-33 aircraft that acts as a surrogate UCAV. A Boeing corporate asset on loan to the program, the T-33 has been modified to carry the same avionics suite as the X-45. The X-45A assets will be upgraded after demonstration Block 3 to continue multi-ship demonstrations with the X-45B vehicles.

Aircraft with similar general flight performance to a UCAV would obviously point at the Hawk or maybe a Jet Provost, Tucano or even an HS-125.

Yeah it's safe to say it'll probably be a Hawk. The real question is whether this is part of the on going risk reduction work or the main UCAV TDP. Given Farnborough is so close it's not hard to believe that work has already begun but they're waiting to announce it at Farnborough.

So does anyone have a subscription to AW?