Claims
- 1. A remotely piloted vehicle, having a center of gravity and a longitudinal axis, comprising:
- a. a fuselage having a longitudinal axis coincident with said longitudinal axis of said remotely piloted vehicle, a port side, a starboard side, an upper portion, a lower portion, a fore section with a nose, and an aft section, with said fuselage also having a transverse cross section that is essentially constant in shape;
- b. a canard comprising a first section and a symmetrical second section, with each said canard section located essentially at, and connected to, said nose of said fore section of said fuselage, and with said first canard section connected to said port side of said fuselage, and with said second canard section connected to said starboard side of said fuselage and oppositely disposed with relation to said first canard section, wherein said canard includes a first elevator section pivotally connected to said first canard section, and a symmetrical second elevator section pivotally connected to said second canard section; and wherein said first canard section and said second canard section are each simultaneously movable from zero degrees to 5 degrees upwardly in relation to said coincident longitudinal axes of said fuselage and of said remotely piloted vehicle, and wherein said first elevator section and second elevator section of said canard are each simultaneously pivotable downwardly from zero degrees to 40 degrees in relation to said coincident longitudinal axes of said fuselage and of said remotely piloted vehicle;
- c. a weapons bay located at said center of gravity of said remotely piloted vehicle and internal of, and having a closeable opening in, said upper portion of said fuselage, whereby a store releasably held within said weapons bay can be delivered by, and can be selectively released from, said remotely piloted vehicle when said vehicle is in flight in an inverted position, wherein said weapons bay includes two identical, simultaneously openable, and simultaneously closeable doors, wherein said doors are sized to completely close said opening of said weapons bay, whereby said closeable opening of said weapons bay is selectively, and remotely, closeable by an inward movement of said doors, and is openable by an outward movement of said doors; and wherein said weapons bay has a geometric center, and said center of gravity of said remotely piloted vehicle is located at said geometric center of said weapons bay;
- d. a wing comprising a first section and a symmetrical second section, with each said wing section having a trailing edge with an elevon thereat, and with each said wing section simultaneously located at and connected to said aft section and said lower portion of said fuselage, and also with said first wing section simultaneously connected to said port side of said fuselage, and also with said second wing section simultaneously connected to said starboard side of said fuselage;
- e. fuel tankage disposed within said fuselage, with said tankage also simultaneously disposed such that an equal volume of said tankage is positioned both fore, and aft, of said center of gravity of said remotely piloted vehicle, wherein said fuel tankage includes a first and a second main fuel tank, and wherein said first main fuel tank is disposed forward of said weapons bay, and also therein second main fuel tank is disposed aft of said weapons bay, and further wherein said fuel tankage further includes a fuel bay disposed under said weapons bay, and interconnecting, said first and said second main fuel tanks;
- f. and, a first inflatable landing skid and a symmetrical second inflatable landing skid disposed at, and connected to, said lower portion of said fuselage, in equal spaced-apart relationship.
- 2. A remotely piloted vehicle, as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- a. said nose of said fore section of said fuselage is made of fiberglass material;
- b. said fuselage, aft of said nose, is made of aluminum, fiberglass laminate, and honeycomb material;
- c. said wing is made of aluminum and of polyvinyl chloride foam core material;
- d. and, said inflatable landing skids are made of inelastic nomex nylon webbing impregnated with polyurethene plastic.
- 3. A remotely piloted vehicle, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said vehicle has a wing span of 8.06 feet, a length of 22.33 feet, and a height of 6.25 feet.
- 4. A remotely piloted vehicle, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said vehicle has a weight of approximately 3300 pounds.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1506122 |
Oct 1969 |
DEX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
O'Brian et al., "U.S./F.R.G. Advanced Tactical RPV Requirements As Analyzed by Boeing and Dornier", 4th Annual Symposium of the National Association of Remotely Piloted Vehicles, 6/1977, FIGS. 10 & 14. |