Aerial Vehicle that Takes Off Vertically Tested "Live"

Revolutionary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that Takes Off Vertically Tested "Live" in University of Maryland Wind Tunnel

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WHAT
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Imagine an aircraft that takes off vertically like Ironman (with thrusters) then flies like a high-speed plane. Jessup-based American Dynamics Flight Systems Inc. is carrying out a wind tunnel test of just such a plane--its pioneering unmanned aerial vehicle, the AD-150--in the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel. Slated as a reconnaissance vehicle to run scouting missions for the MY-22 Osprey, the AD-150 is one of the few unmanned vehicles that can take off vertically and travel like an airplane at the speeds of the Osprey (about 240 miles per hour). It can carry weaponry, an array of sensors, spy gear or wounded soldiers utilizing its 500-pound payload.

The AD-150 uses High Torque Aerial Lift, ADFS' proprietary technology, which enables the plane to hover, transition to forward flight, and maintain a high forward airspeed capability.

The wind tunnel's large turbine will blow high-speed wind over a model of the AD-150 while sensors measure the resulting forces and moments from which flight behavior can be predicted. Smoke may be used to allow visualization of the flow for some cases.

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WHO
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Wayne Morse, president of American Dynamic Flight Systems and Dr. Jewel Barlow, director of the Clark School's Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel, will be available. ADFS scientists and university researchers will conduct the airflow tests.

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WHERE
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Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel, University of Maryland, College Park
Directions: http://windvane.umd.edu/about/location.html