Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that its Centaur optionally-piloted aircraft has successfully completed its first fully automatic landings. The tests were conducted at Warrenton, Virginia. Aurora designed Centaur to fly as a normal manned aircraft, as an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), or in a “hybrid manned/unmanned” mode in which control may be transferred between an onboard crew and ground-based...
MELBOURNE, Fla. — The NASA funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) strives to transfer the knowledge and technology of the space program to small businesses. Through SATOP, the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), a SATOP Space Alliance partner, provided Computational Fluid Dynamics research assistance to Peregrine, a manufacturer of an emerging Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) derived from a...
The DA42 still has the prize for us as a proven OPV platform but this week Northrup Grumman unveiled their latest project the Firebird. Firebird offers a large internal payload bay and an ability to operate multiple intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and communications payloads simultaneously through a universal interface. The system is designed to be flown as a manned...
Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) has begun its flight test program. The first fully-configured Centaur made its first flight on Saturday, January 22, 2011 from Aurora’s base at Manassas, Virginia. The flight crew for the first flight was Thomas Washington, serving as test director and pilot, and Jason Fine, serving as flight engineer. ”The first...
Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that its “Centaur” aircraft has received a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA. The Centaur product is being developed as an Optionally-Piloted Aircraft that can safely fly as a FAA-certificated aircraft for operations inside the National Airspace System with the ability to be reconfigured for robotic, unmanned operations when extended performance is needed or...
Slightly bigger than this space should show but an idea to keep an eye on. Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that the DA42M aircraft that will serve as its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) prototype has arrived at its Manassas, Virginia facility. The DA42M is a 4-place, twin-engine general aviation aircraft produced by Diamond Aircraft in Austria. The aircraft that...
Not small, but OPV’s are a stepping stone towards sUAS in the NAS, just love using that phrase! MANASSAS, VA — (Marketwire) — 02/17/10 — Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that the DA42M aircraft that will serve as its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) prototype has arrived at its Manassas, Virginia facility. The DA42M is a 4-place, twin-engine general aviation...
Not a day seems to go by without a new abbreviation in the UAV world. This one although not strictly connected with small unmanned aerial systems has caught my eye. For a couple of months now it has been known that the Diamond DA42 a four place twin engined businessman’s modern transport of choice was being converted for UAV...
