DARPA/ONR Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN) UAS

Certainly looks like a tailsitter to me. See the gear?
 
_Del_ said:
...See the gear?

.. and the object on thje landing deck of the LCS ?
 

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I think probably the same vehicle actually in flight in front of the LCS. It's banking heavily so that vertical line is actually the port upper wing.
 
flateric said:
some new LM ADP UCAV shape noticed along Polecat configuration at Skink Works chief Al Romig presentation on January, 11
obviously, VARIOUS
 
TomS said:
I think probably the same vehicle actually in flight in front of the LCS. It's banking heavily so that vertical line is actually the port upper wing.
exactly http://www.darpa.mil/ddm_gallery/TernPhase2ConceptImage.jpg
 

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Also an article here:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Tern_Continues_Progress_toward_Enabling_Small_Ships_to_Host_Their_Own_Unmanned_Air_Systems_999.html
 
What it says on the tin.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/northrop-grumman-wins-darpa-tern-programme-420385/

On 11 December, Northrop revealed a model of the company’s secretive design to a handful of journalists touring the company’s El Segundo, California, research and manufacturing facilities. The model showed Northrop had selected a flying-wing tailsitter design with a nose-mounted counter-rotating propeller system.

The 12.2m (40ft)-span vehicle appeared reminiscent of the tail-sitting Lockheed XFV-1 and Convair XFY-1 Pogo fighters research projects of the 1950s. But Northrop’s TERN differed in design with the absence of a fuselage and a much larger set of counter-rotating propellers that measured as much as one-third of the wingspan.

The model also showed that Northrop envisioned mounting weapons and other stores externally on hard points under the wing.

DARPA launched the TERN programme to solve a capability problem for the US Navy. The service regularly operates small, tactical unmanned air systems, such as the Boeing/Insitu Integrator from frigate-class ships, using a catapult to launch the aircraft and a crane to recover it. But carrying payloads larger than about 30kg required using an unmanned helicopter, such as the Northrop MQ-8C Fire Scout, which can carry heavier loads but lacks the range and endurance of a General Atomics Aeronautics Systems MQ-9.

The TERN attempts to bridge that gap with a vehicle that can carry a 272kg payload on missions up to 900nm (1,670km).
 
So, it's Northrop Grumman's turn - again. Never underestimate the underdog. -SP
 
Artists impression in this story:

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/2015/12/29/darpa-onr-northrop-tern-pogo-vtol/78034916/

Edit: Removed attachment because there is a better version later in the thread.
 
http://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2015-12-28
 

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Probably not significant, but I believe the ship in the foreground here is a Japanese Murasame-class destroyer, not a USN ship.
 
TomS said:
Probably not significant, but I believe the ship in the foreground here is a Japanese Murasame-class destroyer, not a USN ship.

I believe the MSDF are interested in this program.
 
So Lockheed and NG both bid tailsitters

In the first phase of the TERN program AeroVironment and Northrop Grumman experts studied designs for an operational TERN UAV, and began planning for a prototype flight demonstration in 2017. The other three DARPA TERN Phase I contractors are Carter Aviation Technologies LLC in Wichita Falls, Texas; Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. in Manassas, Va.; and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC) in Baltimore.

Aurora bid a fixed wing, non VTOL aircraft with a ship mounted recovery device, and Carter obvioulsy bid a gyroplane. Does anyone know what the AV and MAPC bids looked like?
It is interesting to note that AV had tested a tailsitter back in the day as well, Sky Tote IIRC.

The tailsitter configuration makes a lot of sense in terms of simplicity. OTOH the disadvantages include:
- Relatively high installed power, much higher than required for a platform that should feature long endurance.
- the barn-door sized wing makes recovery in cross winds VERY challenging. This is particularly true in the wake of a destroyer's superstructure. Maybe they're limited to a certain sea state, like < 4?
- related to the previous, stability of the configuration upon landing on a pitching and heaving deck. The wheel spacing (wheel base?) is limited and the vehicle could easily tip over. OTOH, maybe they managed to lower the CG quite a bit.
- I am puzzled by the weapons installation far out on the wing. I understand that they can only be there because of the large diameter props, but in the worst case scenario you could have something like 200 lbs still hanging on one side and 200 lbs gone on the opposite side (those missiles look like Hellfires). That's a lot of weight at a long moment arm to have to counter using cyclic control on the props (presumably).

anyway, good for NG for snatching the contract. I hope they don't run into funding/technical problems and we get to see a prototype.
 
MAPC has a concept for a tethered parafoil as an elevated sensor platform (TALONS). DARPA has spun it out from TERN into its own initiative:

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2015/05/drones-at-sea-here-s-the-latest-from-one-of-darpa.html
http://www.mapcorp.com/darpa-releases-new-talons-video-and-press-release/

So I'd guess their Phase 1 concept involved a parafoil or similar design.
 
flateric said:
http://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2015-12-28
seems a jokish corporate welfare program . A rail launch, small space-hard landing/able, advanced turbofan airfoil would be a beginning of thought process. material science would support and there would be some performance, maneuver, stealth, payload etc. Real UAS capability and comms worlds may not mix well so even the name needs a second look.
 
jsport said:
A rail launch, small space-hard landing/able,
The Navy does not want to give up concurrent conventional SH-60 operations. Whatever you do cannot take up a whole lot of deck space, or has to be quickly moved back into the hangar. The weight envisioned for TERN's mission is such that you're at the upper end of what UAV hydraulic launchers can do, and even then they tend to be large, and need to be stored in one of the two hangars as well as the air vehicle itself, plus whatever separate recovery device is chosen.

jsport said:
advanced turbofan airfoil would be a beginning of thought process.

I can't remember the exact speed requirements (if there were any), but a fixed wing with anything above 200 kts is already a vast improvement over Firescout. Turboprops and Diesels are fine in that speed regime, and give better endurance (which is the main attribute of an ISR/comms relay platform. If you want a strike platform it's a different story).

jsport said:
the name needs a second look.
I believe DARPA first finds a cool acronym and then builds RFPs around it...
 
AeroFranz said:
So Lockheed and NG both bid tailsitters


- the barn-door sized wing makes recovery in cross winds VERY challenging. This is particularly true in the wake of a destroyer's superstructure. Maybe they're limited to a certain sea state, like < 4?

"Up to Sea State 5" is the recovery req.
 
liken a hovering helicopter hovering on the deck w/ winds which support a SS 5..feeling this program ::)
 
AeroFranz said:
So Lockheed and NG both bid tailsitters

In the first phase of the TERN program AeroVironment and Northrop Grumman experts studied designs for an operational TERN UAV, and began planning for a prototype flight demonstration in 2017. The other three DARPA TERN Phase I contractors are Carter Aviation Technologies LLC in Wichita Falls, Texas; Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. in Manassas, Va.; and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC) in Baltimore.

Aurora bid a fixed wing, non VTOL aircraft with a ship mounted recovery device, and Carter obvioulsy bid a gyroplane. Does anyone know what the AV and MAPC bids looked like?
It is interesting to note that AV had tested a tailsitter back in the day as well, Sky Tote IIRC.

The tailsitter configuration makes a lot of sense in terms of simplicity. OTOH the disadvantages include:
- Relatively high installed power, much higher than required for a platform that should feature long endurance.
- the barn-door sized wing makes recovery in cross winds VERY challenging. This is particularly true in the wake of a destroyer's superstructure. Maybe they're limited to a certain sea state, like < 4?
- related to the previous, stability of the configuration upon landing on a pitching and heaving deck. The wheel spacing (wheel base?) is limited and the vehicle could easily tip over. OTOH, maybe they managed to lower the CG quite a bit.
- I am puzzled by the weapons installation far out on the wing. I understand that they can only be there because of the large diameter props, but in the worst case scenario you could have something like 200 lbs still hanging on one side and 200 lbs gone on the opposite side (those missiles look like Hellfires). That's a lot of weight at a long moment arm to have to counter using cyclic control on the props (presumably).

anyway, good for NG for snatching the contract. I hope they don't run into funding/technical problems and we get to see a prototype.

Wouldn't make a configuration with side by side rotors more sense? Think Boeing Heliwing.
 

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Well, Lockheed/Sikorsky's had wing mounted props. They called their configuration "Rotor Blown Wing", IIRC.
I (think) it was a fancy way of saying they were using the aerodynamic surfaces, blown by the props, for control in hover. Remains to be seen if they would get sufficient control authority that way, maybe avoid having to use cyclic on the props? Just speculation on my part.
 
AeroFranz said:
Well, Lockheed/Sikorsky's had wing mounted props. They called their configuration "Rotor Blown Wing", IIRC.
I (think) it was a fancy way of saying they were using the aerodynamic surfaces, blown by the props, for control in hover. Remains to be seen if they would get sufficient control authority that way, maybe avoid having to use cyclic on the props? Just speculation on my part.

The Heliwing had collective and cyclic pitch control. Unfortunately, as far as I remember, the prototype didn't survive the first flight. I think the "blown wing" concept is especially troublesome during vertical descent.
 

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I'm aware of a similar air vehicle to the 'Heliwing' and it was only in the [hovering] yaw axis that the 'blown wing' actually worked tolerably well. This particular UAV never troubled transitional flight....
 
REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Jan. 5, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research have awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) the third phase of the Tern unmanned systems program. Phase three plans to include final design, fabrication and a full-scale, at-sea demonstration of the system.

Tern seeks to develop an autonomous, unmanned, long-range, global, persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and strike system intended to safely and dependably deploy and recover from small-deck naval vessels with minimal ship modifications. Designed to operate in harsh maritime environments, Tern aims to enable greater mission capability and flexibility for surface combat vessels without the need for establishing fixed land bases or requiring scarce aircraft carrier resources.

"We intend to highly leverage our Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence to develop and demonstrate this type of demanding unmanned systems capability to advance the Navy's mission," said Chris Hernandez, vice president, research, technology and advanced design, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We believe our unique ship-based unmanned systems experience, expertise, and lessons learned from programs including our MQ-8B/C Fire Scout, MQ-4C Triton, X-47A Pegasus and X-47B UCAS, is critical to the success of the Tern."

The Northrop Grumman Tern team includes its wholly owned subsidiary Scaled Composites, as well as General Electric (GE) Aviation, AVX Aircraft Company and Moog. Northrop Grumman's Tern solution seeks to provide an innovative system that integrates mature and advanced technologies, including a distinctive propulsion solution designed to help expand global persistent ISR/strike capabilities for small-deck naval surface vessels.

"Using an innovative design that integrates vertical take-off and landing transitioning to an efficient flying-wing for cruise, our team is creating a system that we believe would achieve Tern's revolutionary performance objectives in support of our combatant commanders," said Ralph Starace, director, advanced design, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Our full-scale demonstrator system is highly traceable to our operational concept to burn down risk, resulting in a compelling step forward for this game-changing, multi-mission capability," said Bob August, Tern program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsarchive/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=10158874
 

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AeroFranz said:
So Lockheed and NG both bid tailsitters

In the first phase of the TERN program AeroVironment and Northrop Grumman experts studied designs for an operational TERN UAV, and began planning for a prototype flight demonstration in 2017. The other three DARPA TERN Phase I contractors are Carter Aviation Technologies LLC in Wichita Falls, Texas; Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. in Manassas, Va.; and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC) in Baltimore.

Aurora bid a fixed wing, non VTOL aircraft with a ship mounted recovery device, and Carter obvioulsy bid a gyroplane. Does anyone know what the AV and MAPC bids looked like?
It is interesting to note that AV had tested a tailsitter back in the day as well, Sky Tote IIRC.

The tailsitter configuration makes a lot of sense in terms of simplicity. OTOH the disadvantages include:
- Relatively high installed power, much higher than required for a platform that should feature long endurance.
- the barn-door sized wing makes recovery in cross winds VERY challenging. This is particularly true in the wake of a destroyer's superstructure. Maybe they're limited to a certain sea state, like < 4?
- related to the previous, stability of the configuration upon landing on a pitching and heaving deck. The wheel spacing (wheel base?) is limited and the vehicle could easily tip over. OTOH, maybe they managed to lower the CG quite a bit.
- I am puzzled by the weapons installation far out on the wing. I understand that they can only be there because of the large diameter props, but in the worst case scenario you could have something like 200 lbs still hanging on one side and 200 lbs gone on the opposite side (those missiles look like Hellfires). That's a lot of weight at a long moment arm to have to counter using cyclic control on the props (presumably).

anyway, good for NG for snatching the contract. I hope they don't run into funding/technical problems and we get to see a prototype.
requoting how contractor comics continue. If you "burn down risk resulting in a compelling step forward" you will find your foot pushing ashes off the deck into the ocean.

OTOH the disadvantages include:
- Relatively high installed power, much higher than required for a platform that should feature long endurance.
- the barn-door sized wing makes recovery in cross winds VERY challenging. This is particularly true in the wake of a destroyer's superstructure. Maybe they're limited to a certain sea state, like < 4?
- related to the previous, stability of the configuration upon landing on a pitching and heaving deck. The wheel spacing (wheel base?) is limited and the vehicle could easily tip over.
- I am puzzled by the weapons installation far out on the wing. I understand that they can only be there because of the large diameter props, but in the worst case scenario you could have something like 200 lbs still hanging on one side and 200 lbs gone on the opposite side (those missiles look like Hellfires). That's a lot of weight at a long moment arm to have to counter using cyclic control on the props (presumably).
 
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/26/northrop-grumman-to-expand-darpas-hush-hush-drone.aspx
 
bobbymike said:
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/26/northrop-grumman-to-expand-darpas-hush-hush-drone.aspx

"Even so, Friday's contract news conveys two crucial pieces of intelligence to Northrop Grumman investors: First, there's the fact that the funds will be used to build "a second" TERN tells us that Northrop has already successfully built a first TERN -- and presumably, that it works as intended. (Otherwise, it wouldn't be duplicating it.) The company is on track with this contract."

BS. There hasn't been enough time to build and integrate a prototype, much less to test fly it. They got permission to start building a second one because there is risk involved (as with any VTOL platform) and they know that if they have only one vehicle and it crashes, the program is effectively over. Makes sense to ask DARPA for more money for the second one.
 
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/11/darpa-ordering-second-large-ship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fadvancednano+%28nextbigfuture%29&utm_content=FaceBook
 
bobbymike said:
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/11/darpa-ordering-second-large-ship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fadvancednano+%28nextbigfuture%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Engine tests: In Phases 2 and 3, Tern has successfully tested numerous modifications to an existing General Electric engine to enable it to operate in both vertical and horizontal orientations. This type of engine was chosen because it is mature and powers multiple helicopter platforms currently in use.

T700?
 
http://breakingdefense.com/2016/12/tailsitter-drone-tern-pilot-not-included/
 
Neat video, thx for sharing. The difference between theory and practice is clearly visible ;D

Accompanying text and link: http://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2017-02-06

DARPA’s SideArm research effort seeks to create a self-contained, portable apparatus able to horizontally launch and retrieve unmanned aerial systems (UASs) of up to 900 pounds.
In December 2016, Aurora Flight Sciences successfully tested a full-scale technology demonstration system that repeatedly captured a 400-pound Lockheed Martin Fury UAS accelerated to representative flight speeds via an external catapult. The system is capable of recovering aircraft up to 1,100 pounds—exceeding DARPA’s design objectives—and furthers the project’s goal of supporting larger UASs up to 1,320 pounds.
SideArm is part of DARPA’s individual investment in Phase 1 research for Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR). Now that demonstration of the capture system is complete, DARPA is working to identify potential transition partners and exploring using SideArm with other UAS platforms.
 
NG TERN patent
 

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Nice. The patent explains that the wings fold prior to recovery, thus limiting the 'barn door' effect.
 
Sikorsky TERN patents (I guess)
 

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flateric said:
Sikorsky TERN patents (I guess)
First time I've seen the "Launch Vehicle-Mission Vehicle" architecture in the context of TERN. Interesting.
 
bobbymike said:
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/11/darpa-ordering-second-large-ship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fadvancednano+%28nextbigfuture%29&utm_content=FaceBook

"...Tern is currently scheduled to start integrated propulsion system testing in the first part of 2017, move to ground-based testing in early 2018, and culminate in a series of at-sea flight tests in late 2018."

What happened?
 
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