Fly Fast as a Jet, Hovering like a Helicopter

The most useful aircraft in the world is a plane that can fly as fast as a jet and take off, hovering, and landing like a helicopter. Although the V-22 Osprey aircraft made Boeing meets the criteria, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) has not been satisfied. Now it's back to the research institute VTOL aircraft project X-Plane, which aircraft take off and land vertically.

Late in February 2013, DARPA announced the plan at the same time looking for aerodynamics engineers are able to design and develop aircraft that dreams really kind of new. DARPA, the plan outlay of U.S. $ 150 million for the development of the X-Plane, even wide open how the aircraft design.

DARPA Vertical Take-Off and
Landing concept art. (Picture from:  
http://www.wired.com/)

Ashish Bagai, new program manager in DARPA's tactical technology office, said the X-Plane project was launched to challenge the defense industry, and engineers thought multipurpose aircraft development, the ability of flight, speed, and load carrying capacity.

"We are looking for combination of jet with technology owned helicopter blades," says Bagai, as quoted by the website Tech News Daily, on Monday, March 4, 2013.

Bagai said the new aircraft should be used nirawak and have wide applications, not just military aircraft. The agency expects to witness a test flight within 42 months, and a demonstration of the ability of additional aircraft in 52 months.

In addition, DARPA wants aircraft retains the basic skills a jet plane, "that is capable of flying at lightning speed with a wide range of cruising areas and fuel consumption is very efficient.

The U.S. military has been dreaming of the kind of advanced aircraft for half a century. But so far gagai engineers designing an aircraft capable of maneuvering in the narrow space, landed on the ground perfunctory, move in any direction, and hovering in the air in a fixed position. *** [LIVESCIENCE | TECHNEWSDAILY | POPSCI | WIRED | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4163]

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