Mystery air vehicles
- Thread starter planeman
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It's got complex aerodynamics with canards etc. Cheaper would be something with conventional airfoil so that it wouldn't crash as quickly from a kinetic launch. Unpowered targets are of extremely limted use anyway and PLAAF et al has adequate target drones anyway.swimmerXC said:It's a piece of wood painted... then probably lunch by catapult
How much cheaper do you want it
BTW, looking closely at the top picture again, you can see a fuel cap behind the "cockpit" bubble which suggests these are powered. There appears to be a tail mounted piston engine visible on the third model back (look between the two guys heads).
My artist's impression of the drone:
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Well it’s certainly isn’t UAV… It has to complex aerodynamic configuration and I don’t see any kind of surveillance equipment on it…
And for target drone; it’s possible but why would target drone had such advanced aerodynamic configuration? I joust don’t see the point…
I remember seeing documentary whit similar model plane used by US troops in Iraq as improvised UAV… Soldiers bought model at local store and equip it whit standard web cam bought at local store… It provided them limited UAV capabilities at weary low price…
Maybe PLA does something similar for training of UAV operators?
And for target drone; it’s possible but why would target drone had such advanced aerodynamic configuration? I joust don’t see the point…
I remember seeing documentary whit similar model plane used by US troops in Iraq as improvised UAV… Soldiers bought model at local store and equip it whit standard web cam bought at local store… It provided them limited UAV capabilities at weary low price…
Maybe PLA does something similar for training of UAV operators?
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Is it possible that they've brought "off the shelf" RC planes designed to look like the Rafale to uses as targets? not that Rafale particularly makes sense in itself, but there are RC planes designed to look like various aircraft, Rafale included:
This is another hobbiest RC Rafale, this time with a pusher prop:
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This is another hobbiest RC Rafale, this time with a pusher prop:
?
planeman said:
Possibility exists but I doubt that they would do it… "Off the shelf" model planes would not have too much use as target drones because most of them has limited range and speed (and besides China already has designated target drones)… And there is no use buying commercial model planes and then heavily invests in there modernization only to shot them down…
I really don’t see any other use then UAV operator training…
Those planes are not for flying as you can see the aerodynamic dimenssion for smal plane like that are not able to fly at low speed, this kind of plain need a minimum speed about 700 kms per hours and for that they need a rocket engine which is to heavy. I am expert in UAV, and I have design and built several UAV systems for targets and long range and altitude.
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Gollevainen
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Gollevainen
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Maybe I should elaborate why I said what I did about microwave's post.
1. This aircraft would need to fly at 700 kph -implying stalling speed of about that. Even the Mirage 2000 which is a basic compound delta has a stall speed of about 173 Km/Hr. These small air vehicles have canards so the stall speed would be lower than if they had basic deltas. And as a small model like that, a piston engine is entirely possible. In fact, here's a picturte of someone's RC Rafale which is pretty close to the aircraft in the picture. Note the propeller at the back:
2. Comment about rockets being too heavy. Rockets have a positive thrust:weight ratio and can be made very compact and light as demonstrated by numerous missiles out there.
1. This aircraft would need to fly at 700 kph -implying stalling speed of about that. Even the Mirage 2000 which is a basic compound delta has a stall speed of about 173 Km/Hr. These small air vehicles have canards so the stall speed would be lower than if they had basic deltas. And as a small model like that, a piston engine is entirely possible. In fact, here's a picturte of someone's RC Rafale which is pretty close to the aircraft in the picture. Note the propeller at the back:
2. Comment about rockets being too heavy. Rockets have a positive thrust:weight ratio and can be made very compact and light as demonstrated by numerous missiles out there.