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Northrop Grumman Bat

2006 MODERN AIRCRAFT DRONE TECHNOLOGY

History of the Northrop-Grumman Bat

The drone field is definitely overcrowded. For its part, legendary aviation group Northrop Grumman has been developing multiple reusable drone types for a variety of combat and non-combat roles.

One of the company's products is "Fledermaus," a medium-altitude, tactical-grade, multi-mission unmanned aerial system (UAS) suitable for both wartime and peacetime reconnaissance missions. Bat systems have proven themselves in combat environments such as Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) to support intelligence gathering operations.

Bat is the UAS product originally supplied by Swift Engineering, which owns the rights to use the aircraft, which was purchased by Northrop Grumman and renamed "Bat" in April 2009.

The bat has a hybrid "wing body" design that makes it almost a flying wing - the only vertical plane is at the end of each main plane. The wings blend elegantly into the fuselage, which tapers toward the nose to provide greater aerodynamic efficiency while increasing range.

The optics/sensor suite is mounted under the 'chin' part of the body, giving an unobstructed view of what's going on below. The rear of the aircraft is its powerplant, a single Hirth brand motor used to drive a five-bladed propeller unit in a "propeller" fashion.

Power from the engines enables the aircraft to reach speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and fly at altitudes of 17,000 feet for up to 18 hours.

The overall length of the drone reaches 12 feet, while its wingspan is 14 feet. Gross weight is 350 lbs. Payload is limited to 125 lbs.

Due to its compactness, the drone can be carried in the belly of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor and traditional medium lift/intermediate helicopters, or Ground for HUMVEE vehicles or similar vehicles.

The multi-mission aspect of this UAS is its ability to rapidly equip various roles such as Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Warfare (EW), Communications Relay (COMMREL), Maritime Surveillance and Search and Rescue (SAR). ). This inherent modularity creates tactical flexibility for each operator. Bats can operate completely autonomously. For convenience, it is ejected via a mobile launcher (which can sit on a vehicle) - so no need to be ready to run away.

Recovery is done through the established network, which allows the system to be fully recovered and reused.