Creative New

Via darpa.mil

The VULTURE Air Vehicle Program will research and develop technologies and systems which will enable the Military to deliver and maintain a 1000 lb, 5 kW airborne payload for an uninterrupted period exceeding 5 years with a 99+% on station probability. The architectures selected and the specific approaches taken by the Offerors will determine the range of technical areas that are developed, including, but not limited to, environmental energy collection, high specific energy storage, extremely efficient propulsion systems, precision robotic refueling, autonomous materiel transfer, extremely efficient vehicle structural design, and mitigation of environmentally-induced loads.

The key technology development objectives include: 1) identification of robust system architectures that meet the program goals; 2) identification of efficient systems that allow the program vision to be achieved; and 3) identification and reduction of both major and minor system and subsystem technology risks.

It is anticipated the program will be divided into three phases: 1) conceptual system definition with a supporting formal reliability and mission success analysis, exiting with a System Readiness Review and an option for continuation task; 2) risk reduction development and testing phase to include a Preliminary and Critical Design of a prototype ending with the flight test of a scaled version of the system; and 3) fabrication, assembly and flight test evaluation encompassing an operational demonstration using the design payload.