Whirl-a-Drone Begins to Spin

"Right now, it looks a lot like a Frisbee with four wings," the Wall Street Journal says. But, one day, this early prototype could become "an unmanned aircraft capable of hovering in the same spot for days at a time."

The craft, known as the Whirl, is being designed at the "Bike Shop" -- a small, secretive development shop tucked away in a corner of Raytheon, the giant defense contractor.

"What makes the Whirl radical is the guidance system," the paper says. "Slow-speed propellers keep the aircraft spinning, and rudder-like airfoils at the tip of each wing generate thrust. They do that by acting as sails, adjusting to the wind so the Whirl can either fly downwind or tack into it. The wingtip sails and the electronic brains that operate wing flaps to keep the Whirl stable in high winds are innovations included in a U.S. patent application Raytheon filed in July."

So far, a 20-foot wingspan model of the ship has hovered near the ceiling of a Raytheon hangar. But soon, the Whirl will be ready for open-air tests. "Then," the Journal notes, "the company will ask the Pentagon to finance the development of Whirls with enough fuel capacity to fly for four days."




www.defensetech.org...

Could these be armed like the predator drones with hellfires or other future guided weapons. Imagine these being able to hover over Najaf etc providing blanket coverage of the battlefield.
I wonder what sort of payload they'll be able to carry ?

[edit on 8-9-2004 by mad scientist]

Mod Edit: Fixed All-Caps title

[edit on 9-9-2004 by Spectre]

nice!
I also see a use for it as a border guarding tool.. Drug traffic control and so on..