16 SA Flyer Magazinein brief
FIRST
FLIGHT FOR
AIRBUS UAV
DEMONSTRATOR
Airbus Defence and Space
successfully tested their unmanned
flying-wing demonstrator, SAGITTA,
at Overberg in the Western Cape,
South Africa, on 18 July. SAGITTA
test flights will aid the development
of future Airbus unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) for series production.T
HE unmanned, jet-propelled
demonstrator flew completely
autonomously for around seven
minutes over the test site, on a
pre-programmed course. The
flight marked the successful completion of
the first test phase, which also comprised
an extensive series of ground tests.
According to Airbus, the flying-wing
construction UAV demonstrated excellent
flight characteristics.
The demonstrator is the product of
the ‘Open Innovation’/SAGITTA national
initiative launched by Airbus in 2010. The
project sees Airbus working together with
institutes from the technical universities
of Munich and Chemnitz, the University
of the Federal Armed Forces (Universität
der Bundeswehr) in Munich, the Ingolstadt
University of Applied Sciences and the
German Aerospace Centre DLR to jointly
develop advanced technologies for
unmanned flight.
The project started with a feasibility
study of the flying-wing configuration.
Criteria for the design included a high
degree of autonomy, variable mission
profiles and low levels of perceptibility.
The research vehicle was constructed to a
scale of 1:4 and measures 3 x 3 m and is
powered by two 300 N turbines. Maximum
takeoff weight is 150 kg.
The UAV’s stealth properties are
primarily a result of its shape. The airframe
is produced completely from carbon fibre
composite (CFC). With the exception of the
brakes, it is an ‘electronic flying device’ that
is controlled by electromechanical actuators
instead of hydraulic components.jSAGITTA's stealth properties
are primarily a result of its
flying-wing shape.NASA UPLOADS HUNDREDS
OF HISTORIC EXPERIMENTAL
FLIGHT VIDEOS TO YOUTUBE
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research
Center has uploaded its entire
historical archive to YouTube, making
hundreds of videos highlighting
different test flights and strange
planes from the past 70 years easily
accessible.T
HE videos date back to 1946,
when the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics
started flight tests in California’s
Mojave Desert. One of the
earliest videos published shows the Bell
X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound
barrier, undergoing test flights in 1947, withthe legendary Captain Chuck Yeager at the
controls.
Other wonderful archival footage
includes the XB-70 Valkyrie, a massive six-
engined supersonic bomber from the 1960s
capable of reaching altitudes of 70,000 ft
and speeds of 3,219 km/h; and the M2-F1,
a wingless experiment dubbed the ‘flying
bathtub’ by the media at the time.
For many years, the footage has been
available to the general public as part of the
Dryden Aircraft Movie Collection, but these
videos were generally frustrating to navigate
and access.
There are close to 600 videos on the
channel.jOne of the earliest videos published
shows the infamous Bell X-
undergoing test flights in 1947.