EADS, With the successful first flight of the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Sharc, EADS Defence & Security (DS) has launched the flight test campaign for this innovative unmanned helicopter. During the first flight, the unmanned coaxial dual-rotor 200 kg class helicopter – which is being tested by the Military Air Systems unit of DS – demonstrated stability and impressive flight characteristics.
Through this UAV demonstrator – roughly 250 cm long, 70 cm wide and 120 cm high – EADS has extended its range of high-performance UAVs. With a maximum take-off weight of 190 kg, the system can accommodate 60 kg of mission equipment in its payload compartments. Sharc is equipped with a redundant flight control unit, a laser altimeter and also control and data links. Sharc has been designed as an unmanned aerial vehicle without hydraulic components, the rotors being controlled by means of electrical actuators.
“The innovativeness of this demonstrator in all its details provides emphatic evidence of the leading position that EADS Defence & Security occupies in the field of high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles within Europe,” stated Stefan Zoller, member of the EADS Executive Committee for Defence & Security, in reaction to the successful first flight.
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The modular design of the avionics facilitates the integration of a whole range of different mission equipment. Tests on electro-optical and infrared sensors are part of the overall flight campaign. In addition, Sharc can also accommodate a compact synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system.
“The Sharc demonstrator is a step on the way to a product that is precisely tailored to our customers' needs. With its ability to land autonomously on deck, large payload capacity and excellent, stable flight characteristics, Sharc not only meets the navies' military requirements for unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance as well as aerial target designation and damage control missions, but is also suitable for industrial monitoring,” explained Johann Heitzmann, CEO of Military Air Systems.
Thanks to its flight characteristics and the planned sensor equipment, Sharc already meets all the basic requirements in its pre-development stage before series production. The unmanned helicopter will be capable of autonomous take-off and landing – despite heavy seas – from a ship's landing.
Its unique design makes Sharc especially suitable for ship-based missions. The dual rotor configuration provides thirty percent more lift at equal weight when compared to conventional helicopter with tail boom designs. This allows for a heavier sensor payload with comparable flight performance. The dual-rotor design provides greater attitude stability. This makes it easier to compensate for the rolling movement of the ship – a prerequisite for autonomous deck landings.
The mutually torque-compensating counterrotating rotors make a compensating tail rotor superfluous. This, in turn, has a favourable effect on the overall dimensions of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The innovative overall design of the vehicle allows for the first time a number of technical possibilities – for example the integration of antennas in the outer skin.
Military Air Systems is an integrated Business Unit of EADS Defence & Security (DS). DS is a systems solutions provider combining military air systems, missile systems, communications and intelligence systems, global security solutions, sensor and avionics systems, as well as test and support solutions into a single effective network. In 2006, DS – with its around 23,000 employees – achieved revenues of EUR 5.9 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of EUR 39.4 billion and employs a workforce of about 116,000.
