Images of the UK’s first unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, Corax, developed by BAE Systems, have just been unveiled to the public. Corax features several characteristics reminiscent of the retired American military reconnaissance aircraft, DarkStar.
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The Corax. (BBC) |
Bill Sweetman, editor of technical and aerospace matters at International Defence Review, noted that Corax represents a member of a family of reconnaissance aircraft with similar fuselage structures but utilizing different wing configurations, optimized for specialized missions.
“When looking at the shape of the Corax, it evokes designs intended for high-altitude, slow flight with good endurance. It resembles a typical reconnaissance aircraft that one might encounter,” he stated.
“However, if you replace the long wings with shorter ones, you would have a much faster aircraft designed for more than just surprise infiltration.”
The Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force believe that these unmanned aerial vehicles will play an increasingly vital role in 21st-century warfare.
The UK is collaborating with the US on the “Churchill Project,” an initiative aimed at integrating ideas of control and command into a type of unmanned combat aircraft expected to debut after 2015. The Corax prototype has been developed to test the stability, control capabilities, and performance of this design.
T. An
