DARPA seeks to develop aircraft
that could stay aloft for five years

March 14, 2008 - A vulture is a bird of prey, but it’s about to take on a new meaning. Flight Global reported that DARPA is close to awarding a contract to develop an unmanned aircraft capable of staying aloft for five years. That’s right — five years. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said the project, called Vulture, would allow the aircraft to perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication missions over areas of interest. "Aviation has a perfect record — we've never left one up there,” DARPA Vulture program manager Daniel Newman told Flight Global. “We will attempt to break that record. We want to completely change the paradigm of how we think of aircraft." DARPA says Vulture, in effect, is a “retaskable, persistent pseudo-satellite capability, in an aircraft package.” The project does present some challenges, however. No. 1 is how the craft will be powered. The agency has already ruled out anything radioactive or blimp-like, leaving fuel cells and solar energy as alternatives. But it faces other challenges, too. The craft will have to carry a 1,000-pound payload and maintain sufficient speed to withstand the winds at 60,000 to 90,000 feet. Plus there are reliability issues and questions how to prevent materials from degrading over their long exposure to stratospheric flight. Flight Global reports that DARPA is close to awarding contracts for the initial concept definition phase of the Vulture program. During the 12 months of Phase 1, contractors will define the objective system and design both full-scale and subscale demonstrators. Phase 2, scheduled to run until mid-2012, will involve fabricating and testing the subscale demonstrator, which will be capable of flying for three months. Phase 3 involves building and flying a full-scale aircraft capable of staying aloft for 12 months.

The Vulture is expected to draw on spacecraft design. (Credit: NASA) Vulture video animation Click here to see the DARPA video animation of Vulture posted on YouTube.

• 2008 - 08/11 - Former Young Eagles Arrive in Style
• 2008 - 08/05 - Flying around the world for a cure
• 2008 - 08/05 - Chambliss wins London Red Bull
• 2008 - 07/22 - Rotterdam Red Bull Race
• 2008 - 07/18 - DOT/FAA Partner with X Prize to Encourage Green Fuel Innovation