DARPA’s Vulture: What Goes Up, Needn’t Come Down

Initial Boeing concept(click to view full) Phase 2 contract for Boeing/ QinetiQ’s SolarEagle. (Sept 15/10) In April 2008, 3 teams received Phase 1 contracts to begin developing develop a radical new aircraft, under a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program known as “Vulture.” DARPA’s goals for Vulture are not trivial: 5 years on station with a 450kg/ 1,000lb payload, 5kW of onboard power, and sufficient loiter speed to stay on station for 99% of the time against winds encountered at 60,000-90,000 feet. So, what is the significance of a platform like that, who is competing, and what is happening now? Well, Phase 1 is done, and Phase 2 has been awarded. * The Potential, and the Process * The Designers & The Designs * Contracts and Related Events [updated] * Additional Readings The Potential, and the Process AV’s Helios(click to view full) If Vulture reaches its goals, it would become a very potent lower-cost alternative to the USA’s recently-canceled $20+ billion TSAT satellite program. The system could act as a substitute for communications relay or reconnaissance satellites, as long as the payload fit within the weight limit. Vulture would be more vulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles than a satellite, […]