Covers come off UK spy plane

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Images of the UK's first prototype stealth surveillance aircraft have been unveiled.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which has been built by BAE Systems, is known as the Corax, or as the Raven.

The Corax bears some resemblances to a cancelled US military spy plane called DarkStar, analysts have said.

Jane's International Defence Review said the unmanned aircraft "indicated a new direction in combat vehicles for the UK's armed forces".

The magazine reports that the UK has terminated plans for a future manned combat aircraft and is working closely with the US on "Project Churchill".

This effort is focused on the joint, airborne command and control of pilotless combat air vehicles from 2015 onwards.

The Corax prototype has been built to investigate the stability, control and performance of the design, which is said to maximise all-round stealth.

Stealth technology refers to a variety of techniques used to render aircraft, ships and missiles less visible - and ideally invisible - to radar.

The prototype Corax was first flown in 2004 after a 10-month development programme.

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Opinion

UAv's seem to be all the rage at the moment, it kinda gets you thinking,
After the development of the Raptor and Typhoon, i recon that all future fighter / bomber development will be completly pilotless.

Both the Raptor and Typhoon have pushed the limits of the human body, and afik, the Typhoon can fly sustained manovers at over 8g. This is an important fact, because the human body cannot take much more than 9g.
(according to sources)

The future capability and development of advanced aircraft seem to require the removal of the pilot, as it is holding back the performance.

Do you think the Raptor and Typhoon will be the last of the era of manned fighter/bomber / recon aircraft ?

Do you think the Raptor and Typhoon will be the last of the era of manned fighter/bomber / recon aircraft ?

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Well, there is the F-35, J-XX, and PAK FA all still to come. But I suppose after the 5th generation (all those mentioned above) the sixth generation of fighter/attack aircraft will most likely be UCAVs. I don't expect to see any such dedicated UCAVs operational for another 25 years, though, not counting systems like predator of course, which is remotely piloted.

here is the latest on the USAF UCAV program:

Just as the Europeans are starting
Aviation Week & Space Technology
01/16/2006, page 411



Just as the Europeans are starting to get serious about unmanned strike aircraft, the U.S. is abandoning its effort. The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System "is dead as far as the U.S. Air Force is concerned, which is now focused on long-range strike," says a top aerospace industry intelligence specialist. That appears to reflect an underlying need "to shape a new strategy for collection of intelligence," he says. "Stop gathering data. We can't process what we have now. We need to start hunting for intelligence, which implies a more focused effort to only collect what is important."

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so anyone who was expecting the see the X-45 turn into an operational system anytime soon shouldn't hold their breath. The Neuron system in Europe could lead to something operational in about 15-20 years at best, but I doubt it. Who knows what China or Russia have in the works, but I assume we will first see their manned 5th gen aircraft before a true UCAV design is ever operational. I don't expect either of those to be operational sooner than 2015.