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California-based Arcturus UAV, has unveiled a new version of its Jump 20 vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle, which it intends to pitch for a major US Department of Defense requirement.
The development – Jump 20C – boasts modifications over earlier versions, including a wingspan extended by 30cm (1ft) and a maximum take-off weight of 95kg (210lb), up from 88kg. Payload and endurance are also increased, allowing a flight time of 10 hours with a payload of 15kg.
The manufacturer has also added an optimized, low-noise-signature propeller and muffler, says chief executive D’Milo Hallerberg.
He says the C suffix indicates the all-composite aircraft is convertible to a standard catapult-launched model in around 5min.
During the conversion, the wings and booms supporting the four battery-powered rotors are removed and replaced with stronger wings better able to withstand the highergforces generated by catapult launch.
These offer the additional benefit of increasing payload by 18kg and boosting fuel capacity by 6kg, adding an extra 5h of endurance.
According to Flight Global the development of the new variant has taken around three months to complete “and is flight-tested and ready to go”, he says.
SOCOM currently deploys Insitu and Textron Systems for the requirement, the solicitation notice states.
