DARPA AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) UAS

raptor82

ACCESS: Top Secret
Joined
13 July 2008
Messages
716
Reaction score
4,545
From another discussion, Karem looks like it may be making progress on its ANCILLARY entry: There are FAA registrations for three aircraft under the designation TR-8 that could be their ANCILLAIARY design.

The entry for N362ZK says it has a 2-cycle engine. This aircraft clearly has turboprops.

The entry also says N362ZK is designated a TR-8. Based on the TR-36 and TR-53, Karem's naming convention for tiltrotors seems to be TR-[rotor diameter in feet]. If so, TR-8 is much smaller than this design.

ETA: Interestingly, there are three aircraft designated as Karem TR-8s, all registered on November 27, 2024. Serial 00001 is N362ZK, Serial 00002 is N102KA and Serial 00003 is N477DM. Do those codes suggest anything to anyone else?


https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/MMSResult?Statetxt=CA&Mmstxt=06102I9&Countrytxt=US

My hunch is that the Karem TR-8 is their entry in the DARPA Ancillary project:

https://www.darpa.mil/news/2024/vtol-uncrewed-aerial-systems
https://imanetwork.org/karem-aircraft-design-advances-in-darpa-ancillary-drone-program/
1739466136790.png
 
DARPA’s six concepts (clockwise from lower left): Sikorsky, Karem Aircraft, Griffon Aerospace, Method Aeronautics, AeroVironment and Northrop Grumman.
 

Attachments

  • 1739674362391.png
    1739674362391.png
    2.3 MB · Views: 388
Last edited by a moderator:
It will be interessting to see if SIK/LMCO can elicit any interest in this. I am intrigued by the claim of turbine generated elecrical drive systems.
 
Northrop showcases LEIGH AEROSYSTEMS CORP UAS in an add (notice the registration nbr - and the innovative swiveling 2 strokes engine mount)

Screenshot 2025-10-22 145619.png


leigh-aerosystems-mgm-compro-reference-3.jpg



(other interesting aeronautical thingies in that add - F/A-XX?!)

View: https://youtu.be/gPNLrTPnbPs
 
Last edited:
I think that project designation qualifies as the worst attempt at a backronym I've ever seen
 
Interesting that they make the effort to fold the wings for takeoff/landing...
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20251023-025141_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20251023-025141_Chrome.jpg
    82.9 KB · Views: 40
  • Screenshot_20251023-025102_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20251023-025102_Chrome.jpg
    87.1 KB · Views: 41
Back
Top Bottom