New Boeing Phantom Works UAV unveiled

This should be interesting. Launch a few of them towards the target, launch a few more for around the boat and then launch your strike package. The strikers can carry more ordinance since they can launch with less fuel. They re-fuel near the ship and then just outside the target. They attack the target and head home. Some of the near target tankers are able to help strikers that may be leaking fuel from damage. The tankers that were kept near the ship have landed, refueled and are re-launched to fuel the strikers on their way back to the ship. Cyclic Ops at its finest. About 10-12 of these would be perfect.

By getting rid of the pilot and the pilot's support systems (ejection seat, OOBOGS & communications) there would be a weight and space savings that would allow more fuel to be carried.

www.thedrive.com...

Looks like there have been changes to the uclass drone. Is that a shark gill inlet?!

Someone can post the vid. I'm in DMV hell right now.

a reply to: anzha

It would be interesting if it's a ram air inlet. Put a variable door just in front of where the visible inlet is, the more power, the more the door opens.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That's an interesting thought.

I really want to see the wings and overhead bauplan.

a reply to: anzha

Barring them having cracked the boundary layer inlet problem, I don't see any other possibility. That tiny inlet would be useless at high power settings, especially needed for takeoff.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That might be fantasy territory, but if they did break that barrier problem...holy mother of Pete...

a reply to: anzha

I'd be shocked as hell if they have. That's one of the biggest problems around, and it's going to be a bitch and a half to solve.

I actually like the idea of this being a flush, dorsal intake. The small slot could allow enough air to get into the intake and be routed to draw the outer laminar flow down into the intake, or something along those lines.

Could be a stretch getting enough flow jumping off a carrier deck.maybe it has a shroud that can lift at low speed to draw more air, but that sounds like additional complexity and weight.

Guess we will see soon enough.

a reply to: Badgermole42

They've been working on boundary layer flow for engine inlets for years. It's extremely difficult to pull off because of how turbulent it gets. If they can pull it off, then it would do wonders for inlet design, but they have to learn to control it first.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Badgermole42

They've been working on boundary layer flow for engine inlets for years. It's extremely difficult to pull off because of how turbulent it gets. If they can pull it off, then it would do wonders for inlet design, but they have to learn to control it first.

Is it something like this?

www1.grc.nasa.gov...

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Badgermole42

They've been working on boundary layer flow for engine inlets for years. It's extremely difficult to pull off because of how turbulent it gets. If they can pull it off, then it would do wonders for inlet design, but they have to learn to control it first.

In what circumstances does the boundary layer flow get turbulent? I thought you always wanted to keep that laminar?

a reply to: mbkennel

Wanting to, and doing are not the same thing. The boundary layer around the inlet is not as smooth as it is on other portions of the aircraft, especially on an inlet like this one.

crazy unsubstantiated bassplyr speculation here.

I think the intake is actually on the top of the fuselage near where the wing roots are just in front of the rear landing gear. way back behind the slit near the front. maybe taking advantage of air rolling along the dorsal surface of the fuselage. a simple door that drops down inward like a ramp downward opening up the intake which could be shut in this video.

makes me wonder what the slit intake at the front dorsal area is for. running the aircraft at low power like when taxing? a second source of air for some odd bypass or turbine componant?

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Cooling for electronics?

As for that dorsal intake idea of yours, this thing's planform is already such a blatant ripoff of Tacit Blue that it'd make sense for them to copy the intake location as well. Furthermore, the wing being set so far back makes it clear that the engine(s) are carried well aft as well.

Here is your Boeing MQ-25 planform.



Dorsal intake, long nose, and V-tail. It looks like they shrunk the Tacit Blue design, took off the cockpit, tapered the nose and navalized the under carriage.

It is officially N234MQ in the FAA database.

a reply to: Sammamishman

It even has the same basic chined fuselage and triangular nose! I guess imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...

a reply to: Sammamishman

Maybe. There was another bird I thought it looked like. I also thought that bird was public, but I am coming up empty for the pictures.

The gap between the tail and the wings is far shorter than the Tacit Blue on this bird. The nose looked a lot like the B's MQ here, too.

Gonna bug me til I find it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

For others than us, Zaph:

www.flightglobal.com...


I still can't find the link where the Navy said initially it would buy only 4. FG states the Navy plans 72.

Assuming that actually happens, how many per carrier? What would the availability actually be? I can't see the Navy being willing to put 12 on a deck...that might take away space from their precious fighters!

a reply to: anzha

The program is 72, the EMD is 4. There will probably be up to 4 per carrier. That leaves them training aircraft, as well as attrition and maintenance spares.