The Northrop Grumman Bat is a medium-altitude unmanned air vehicle originally developed for use by the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

. Designed primarily as an intelligence " ISR" gathering tool, the Bat features payload capacity that is unmatched in a wing span. Northrop Grumman received design and marketing rights from

Swift Engineering Swift Engineering Inc. is an American spacecraft engineering firm that builds autonomous systems, helicopters, submarines, spacecraft, ground vehicles, robotics, and composite parts. Swift used to produce racing cars for open-wheel racing series ...

to the Killer Bee, renamed the Bat in April 2009.Airforce Technolog
"Bat Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), United States of America"
retrieved on August 15, 2014 The Bat UAS was redeveloped to increase payload carrying capacity and extend range. The latest variant has a wing span of and can carry up to of payload. The Bat "14" UAS has a maximum altitude of above sea level and a maximum endurance of 18 hours.Defense Revie

retrieved on August 15, 2014 On August 12, 2011, Northrop Grumman won a $26m contract for Sand Dragon B Tier II UAVs able to detect IEDs and roadside bombs.

Characteristics

* The Bat UAS System is packaged for transport into two major assemblies: Launch/Recovery and Air Vehicle/GCS. * Transportable on MV-22,

HUMVEE The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ...

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

and by helicopter * Bat UAVs incorporate COTS payloads for reduced costs and ease of maintenance. * Automatic Recovery is programmed and controlled via autonomous computer and

differential GPS Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPSs) supplement and enhance the positional data available from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). A DGPS for GPS can increase accuracy by about a thousandfold, from approximately to . DGPSs c ...

using a portable net system. * Catapult launcher functions are controlled and monitored by GCS software.Defense Revie
"Northrop Grumman Bat 12 UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System): Catapult-Launched Tactical Low-Observable/Stealth Drone Aircraft with Blended Wing-Body for Electronic Warfare (EW)/Attack Ops (Video!)"
retrieved on August 15, 2014 The

blended wing A blended wing body (BWB), also known as blended body or hybrid wing body (HWB), is a fixed-wing aircraft having no clear dividing line between the wings and the main body of the craft. The aircraft has distinct wing and body structures, which ar ...

s merge with the fuselage into a single airfoil to reduce aerodynamic drag, improve fuel economy and increase flight endurance. Made largely of composites, including epoxy/

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

and

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, the airfoil is rigid, providing a structural efficiency which reduces materials and manufacturing costs. With net hooks in the nose and a rear pusher propeller, the craft lands in a mobile retrieval net. The current Hirth engine with its five-bladed propeller provides a flight time of up to 18 hours. The Bat is designed to have a lower than average visual and radar cross-section profile. A heavy-fuel engine version is also available. The payload capabilities include still image and real-time video cameras, EO/IR and SAR sensors, Kestrel MTI, laser range finders, laser designators, infrared cameras, communication relays, IED detection, radar jamming EW, chemical and biological detection systems, psy ops, and flare dispensers.

Uses

The Bat UAS can carry numerous types of payloads for collecting intelligence, including still image and real time video cameras, EO/IR and SAR sensors, laser range finders, laser designators, Infra-Red cameras, communications relay equipment, chemical, biological, and IED detection systems and flare dispensers. The Bat series is offered for surveillance of civil disturbances, borders, pipe- and power-lines, as well as

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

. retrieved on March 17, 2007

Specifications (Bat UAS)

References

External links

{{Grumman aircraft

Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

2000s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States Single-engined pusher aircraft Flying wings Aircraft first flown in 2006

Characteristics

Uses

Specifications (Bat UAS)

See also

References

External links