Retour aux nouvelles

17 septembre 2020 |

Lockheed Unveils Speed Racer UAS To Prove Digital Engineering

Steve Trimble

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division said on Sept. 16 that it is developing and will fly a new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) called Speed Racer to validate that an internal digital engineering process called StarDrive can produce sophisticated flight vehicles faster and cheaper across the full range of the company's product portfolio.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of the Air, Space and Cyber conference, where U.S. Air Force leaders unveiled the “e-series” designation for digital engineering models of weapon systems, which is aimed at dramatically shortening the development cycle and cost of new aircraft and missiles.

The Skunk Works concept for the Speed Racer follows the spirit of the e-series approach. The UAS will seek to demonstrate Lockheed's readiness to participate in the Air Force's favored new approach to weapons development, Skunk Works officials say.

They declined to provide additional details about the configuration and schedule for Speed Racer, except to note that it may be incorrect to interpret the concept's name as suggesting a high-speed or even supersonic jet.

“I'll tease that Speed Racer is an acronym. I can't share [the acronym] right now, but it does not necessarily imply fast in Mach [number],” said Joe Pokora, Lockheed's Speed Racer project manager.

Another interpretation of the acronym's meaning is the speed of development, which is historically a Skunk Works signature. The original, small team of Lockheed engineers assembled by Skunk Works founder Clarence “Kelly” Johnson in 1943 delivered the first prototype of the jet-powered XP-80 fighter—also known as “Lulu-Belle”—to testing only 143 days after the Army Air Corps signed the contract. Likewise, the first flight of the U-2 in August 1955 came less than nine months after the CIA launched the program.

But aircraft development has grown more complex, with requirements for extreme levels of stealth, advanced power and thermal management systems, modern electronics and software-enabled applications. Thus, the company developed the StarDrive process, seeking to adapt commercial-based digital engineering practices to the defense industry.

To be sure, Lockheed has used digital engineering practices in many cases before. The F-35 program even merged databases of engineering models and enterprise resource planning software to help manage the production system and supply chain, said John Clark, a Skunk Works vice president. In classified projects, the Skunk Works has also applied end-to-end digital engineering practices successfully, but those models stayed within those specific classified programs, Clark said.

By introducing the StarDrive, the Skunk Works hopes to expand such practices to new and existing products that require digital engineering across the company, he said.

https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/lockheed-unveils-speed-racer-uas-prove-digital

Sur le même sujet

  • Turkish company reveals plans to develop a supersonic drone

    14 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial

    Turkish company reveals plans to develop a supersonic drone

    By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's state-controlled aerospace powerhouse, Turkish Aerospace Industries, plans to develop the country's first supersonic drone, company executives said. TAI showcased its “Aksungur” drone (“gyrfalcon” in English) earlier this month at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul. The Aksungur is a new drone that can reportedly reach a maximum speed of 180 kph. According to Temel Kotil, TAI's chief executive official, the Goksungur (“peregrine falcon” in English) will be a supersonic version of the Aksungur. The Goksungur is set to have a maximum speed of 380 kph. Kotil said TAI developed the Aksungur, a twin-engine-powered aircraft, in 18 months. The Aksungur has a maximum payload of 750 kilograms. He said TAI manufactured two Aksungur drones for test flights and will deliver them this year to the Turkish Armed Forces. After completing the Aksungur program, TAI engineers will set out to work on the Goksungur program. TAI designed, developed and built the medium-altitude, long-endurance Anka, Turkey's first indigenous UAV. It also developed the Anka-S, a satellite-controlled version. TAI manufactures aviation components for Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, with annual exports worth $500 million. It is a partner in the U.S.-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program that builds the F-35 fighter jet. The Turkish company also produces the T129, a helicopter gunship, under license from the Italian-British company AgustaWestland. TAI expects a 2019 turnover of $2.6 billion. https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2019/05/13/turkish-company-reveals-plans-to-develop-a-supersonic-drone/

  • Thales finalise l’acquisition d’Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC)

    28 juillet 2022 | International, Naval

    Thales finalise l’acquisition d’Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC)

    TDSI, filiale de Thales, vient de finaliser l’acquisition d’AAC, la société commune partagée avec Leonardo DRS. ​

  • US Air Force issues $90M contract for counter-drone systems and support

    26 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

    US Air Force issues $90M contract for counter-drone systems and support

    Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — SRC Inc. has won a $90 million contract to support the U.S. Air Force's counter-small unmanned aerial system efforts, the service announced Aug. 24. Under the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, which is not to exceed the $90 million ceiling, the Air Force will purchase SRC's C-sUAS and related components. SRC will also provide upgrades, sustainment, installation support, and design and analysis support. Work on the sole-source acquisition is expected to be completed in August 2028. SRC will also provide sustainment for its products within the Multi-Environmental Domain Unmanned Systems Application. MEDUSA is a command-and-control system that ties together multiple C-sUAS and related components to detect and take down small drones. The comprehensive MEDUSA program was first installed at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, according to Capt. Brigitte Palacios, 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operations section officer. “The c-sUAS mission is pretty unique because it's still pretty new to the Air Force overall,” Palacios said in a March statement. “Medusa [sic] is a system of advanced technologies used to defeat small drones. The goal is to design a model system that can be rapidly deployable to areas with a significant drone threat to military personnel or resources. ADAB is the test base for this capacity, and will continue to develop the blueprint for c-sUAS operations in the future.” SRC is the company behind the Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System, one of eight interim C-sUAS approved by the U.S. Army's Joint C-sUAS Office for investment and deployment across the armed services. MEDUSA was also approved by the office for use across the joint force. And on July 23, the Army awarded the company a $426 million contract for the development, production, deployment and support of FS-LIDS. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/08/25/air-force-issues-90-million-contract-for-counter-drone-systems-and-support/

Toutes les nouvelles