Flapless drone gets airborne

To make an aircraft fly and manoeuvre safely without the use of conventional control surfaces is an achievement in itself; to do that while at the same time bringing together new construction techniques and new control mechanisms could be said to be over-ambitious —but a British team of researchers has precisely done that. An unmanned air vehicle (UAV) showcasing a wide range of new technologies has successfully demonstrated ‘flapless flight’ in the UK.
The UAV, called Demon, made the historic flight from an airfield at Walney Island in Cumbria recently. Developed by Cranfield University, BAE Systems, and nine other UK universities, Demon represents the first alternative to the moving flap technology used since the early days of aviation, in which moving mechanical elevators and ailerons control the aircraft’s flight. Conventional control surfaces’ many moving parts require frequent, costly repairs and account for a significant percentage of an aircraft’s noise output.
BAE Systems has offered to work with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies to help India develop its autonomous UAV technology.
08/11/10 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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Categories: Foreign Nov 2010, New Nov 2010