The Antares is a glider built by
Lange Aviation
Lange Aviation GmbH is a German company that manufactures gliders and develops electric power-plants for other aircraft. It was founded by its present managing director, Axel Lange, in 1996 as Lange Flugzeugbau GmbH in Zweibrücken. The company cu ...
produced with three different wingspans, 18, 20 and 23 meters. The 20 and 23 meter variants can be equipped with a 42-kW electric motor and SAFT VL 41M
lithium-ion batteries
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
.
The EM 42 is a fixed-shaft
brushless DC electric motor
A brushless DC electric motor (BLDC motor or BL motor), also known as an electronically commutated motor (ECM or EC motor) or synchronous DC motor, is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply. It uses an electronic ...
(see
Lange EA 42
The Lange EA 42 is an electrical aero engine designed for self launching gliders. It is produced in Germany by Lange Aviation for their Antares 20E
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. It has the Bayer des ...
) running at 190-288 V, and drawing up to 160 A, the 42 kW motor can deliver up to 216 N.m of torque over a speed range of 160-1600 RPM with a total efficiency of 90%. Maximum continuous power is 38.5 kW, the motor weighs 29 kg, and the weight of power electronics is 10 kg. The motor turns a two-blade fixed-pitch
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
, LF-P42, constructed of composite materials, having a diameter of two meters.
The battery system consists of two battery packs positioned in the leading edges of both inner wings (72 cells divided into 24 modules containing 3 cells each). The battery life is expected to be 3000 cycles or 20 years. The capacity of the battery is 41 Ah (specific energy 136 Wh/kg and specific peak power 794 W/kg). The batteries can deliver 13 minutes at maximum power and maximum climb speed, and can climb 3,000 meters on one battery charge; in reality, in warm climates, motor and electronics temperature limitations can limit the achievable climb height. The charger is integrated inside the fuselage so when landing elsewhere the pilot merely has to find a (16A) electric outlet socket. The glider has a modem connected to its main computer so that Lange technicians can, in theory, run diagnostics remotely. The same modem allows the pilot remote control & monitoring of the battery charging process.
The undercarriage and engine doors are electro-hydraulically operated. The tailwheel is steerable. The wing has an elliptical planform, with winglets and wing-tip wheels. The glide polar shows excellent high speed performance.
Variants
* Antares 18S - 18 meter wingspan pure glider.
* Antares 18T - 18 meter wingspan glider with
Solo 2350
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
two-stroke gasoline sustainer engine.
* Antares 20E - 20 meter wingspan with 42 kW electric self-launch capable engine.
* Antares 23E - 23 meter wingspan with 42 kW electric self-launch capable engine.
Specifications
Antares 20E
Antares 23E
See also
References
Lange Aviation websiteSAFT VL41M Data sheetE1 Antares Type-certificate data sheet
Lange EA 42 engine Type-certificate data sheetLF-P42 propeller Type-certificate data sheet
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Antares
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. It has the Bayer designation α Scorpii, which is Latinised to Alpha Scorpii. Often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion", Antares is flanked by σ Scorpii and τ S ...
2000s German sailplanes
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Motor gliders
Mid-wing aircraft
Electric aircraft
Mid-engined aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2003