Taranis flies
Dimensions, Airfix; it doesn’t matter if the geometry is correct because it's a scale model. What might matter is which scale range Airfix issue it in, 1:72, 1:48, 1:32, … … or 1:1 as it is rumoured that Airfix make the exterior shell for BAe.
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Are its dimensions top secret too? How big is it?
Height: 4 metres (13 ft)
Length: 11.35 metres (37.2 ft)
Wingspan: 9.1 metres (30 ft)
Weight: 8 tonnes (18,000 lb)
Range: Intercontinental
Engine thrust: 6,480 pounds (2.94 t)
From the shadows of Taranis and whatever the chase a/c was (small trainer/fighter/whatever, looks about right.
From the MOD Intranet:
Is Bob Fraser the former Nimrod driver last seen on the MRA4 team?
First flight trials of Taranis aircraft
06/02/2014
MOD and BAE Systems have revealed that the Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle surpassed all expectations during its first flight trials.
Taranis in flight
[Picture: Chris Ryding, BAE Systems]
The most advanced aircraft ever built by British engineers made its maiden flight at an undisclosed test range on Saturday 10 August 2013 under the command of BAE Systems test pilot Bob Fraser.
MOD has today revealed that the demonstrator aircraft made a perfect take-off, rotation, ‘climb-out' and landing on its 15-minute first flight. A number of flights took place last year, of up to 1 hour in duration and at a variety of altitudes and speeds.
The Taranis demonstrator is the result of 1.5 million man-hours of work by the UK's leading scientists, aerodynamicists and systems engineers from 250 UK companies.
The aircraft has been designed to demonstrate the UK's ability to create an unmanned air system which, under the control of a human operator, is capable of undertaking sustained surveillance, marking targets, gathering intelligence, deterring adversaries and carrying out strikes in hostile territory.
The findings from the aircraft's flights prove that the UK has developed a significant lead in understanding unmanned aircraft which can strike with precision over a long range whilst remaining undetected.
Taranis taxiing at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire
[Picture: Ray Troll, BAE Systems]
The technological advances made through Taranis will also help MOD and the Royal Air Force make decisions on the future mix of manned and unmanned fast jet aircraft and how they will operate together in a safe and effective manner for the UK's defences.
Costing £185 million and funded jointly by MOD and UK industry, the Taranis demonstrator aircraft was formally unveiled in July 2010, but only a very limited number of scientists and engineers have ever been given full access to the top secret aircraft.
Initial ‘power-up' or ground testing commenced later in 2010 at BAE Systems' military aircraft factory in Warton, Lancashire, followed by a comprehensive and highly detailed programme of pre-first-flight milestones.
These included unmanned pilot training, radar cross-section measurements, ground station system integration and, in April 2013, taxi trials on the runway at Warton.
The aircraft and its ground station were then shipped from Warton to the test-range before being reassembled and undergoing systems and diagnostics checks. Taranis then made a number of high speed taxi tests in July before its maiden flight in August 2013.
Taranis taxiing at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire
[Picture: Ray Troll, BAE Systems]
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne, said:
In addition to prime contracting the project, BAE Systems led on many elements of the Taranis technology demonstrator, including the low observability, systems integration, control infrastructure and full autonomy elements (in partnership with QinetiQ).
Is Bob Fraser the former Nimrod driver last seen on the MRA4 team?
First flight trials of Taranis aircraft
06/02/2014
MOD and BAE Systems have revealed that the Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle surpassed all expectations during its first flight trials.
Taranis in flight
[Picture: Chris Ryding, BAE Systems]
The most advanced aircraft ever built by British engineers made its maiden flight at an undisclosed test range on Saturday 10 August 2013 under the command of BAE Systems test pilot Bob Fraser.
MOD has today revealed that the demonstrator aircraft made a perfect take-off, rotation, ‘climb-out' and landing on its 15-minute first flight. A number of flights took place last year, of up to 1 hour in duration and at a variety of altitudes and speeds.
The Taranis demonstrator is the result of 1.5 million man-hours of work by the UK's leading scientists, aerodynamicists and systems engineers from 250 UK companies.
The aircraft has been designed to demonstrate the UK's ability to create an unmanned air system which, under the control of a human operator, is capable of undertaking sustained surveillance, marking targets, gathering intelligence, deterring adversaries and carrying out strikes in hostile territory.
The findings from the aircraft's flights prove that the UK has developed a significant lead in understanding unmanned aircraft which can strike with precision over a long range whilst remaining undetected.
Taranis taxiing at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire
[Picture: Ray Troll, BAE Systems]
The technological advances made through Taranis will also help MOD and the Royal Air Force make decisions on the future mix of manned and unmanned fast jet aircraft and how they will operate together in a safe and effective manner for the UK's defences.
Costing £185 million and funded jointly by MOD and UK industry, the Taranis demonstrator aircraft was formally unveiled in July 2010, but only a very limited number of scientists and engineers have ever been given full access to the top secret aircraft.
Initial ‘power-up' or ground testing commenced later in 2010 at BAE Systems' military aircraft factory in Warton, Lancashire, followed by a comprehensive and highly detailed programme of pre-first-flight milestones.
These included unmanned pilot training, radar cross-section measurements, ground station system integration and, in April 2013, taxi trials on the runway at Warton.
The aircraft and its ground station were then shipped from Warton to the test-range before being reassembled and undergoing systems and diagnostics checks. Taranis then made a number of high speed taxi tests in July before its maiden flight in August 2013.
Taranis taxiing at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire
[Picture: Ray Troll, BAE Systems]
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne, said:
"Taranis is providing vital insights that will help shape future capabilities for our armed forces in coming decades. Its advanced technology is testament to the UK's world-leading engineering skills that keep Britain at the cutting-edge of defence."
Commenting on behalf of the industry team, Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director of BAE Systems, added: "The first flight of Taranis represents a major landmark for UK aviation. The demonstrator is the most advanced air system ever conceived, designed and built in the UK.
"It truly represents an evolution of everything that has come before it. This milestone confirms the UK's leading position as a centre for engineering excellence and innovation."
About the size of a BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, Taranis has been designed and built by BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, the systems division of GE Aviation (formerly Smiths Aerospace) and QinetiQ, working alongside MOD military staff and scientists. "It truly represents an evolution of everything that has come before it. This milestone confirms the UK's leading position as a centre for engineering excellence and innovation."
In addition to prime contracting the project, BAE Systems led on many elements of the Taranis technology demonstrator, including the low observability, systems integration, control infrastructure and full autonomy elements (in partnership with QinetiQ).
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There is little doubt that Taranis and its predecessors were responsible for the outbreak of Black Triangle UFO hysteria during the late 90s , early 2K across NW UK.
Sometimes refered to as "The Package" these things were seen by many and its known that the large RC models were flown from the Lancs hillsides causing quite a stir
Interestingly during this period there was a rash of microwave video
activity from Special Projects , thought to have been from Hawk or Tornado a/c....
Bearing in mind at least one sighting reported a "triangle" between two fast jets one wonders if the microwave front end video may have come from a UAV on trial.
Fact is always stranger than fiction.
Sometimes refered to as "The Package" these things were seen by many and its known that the large RC models were flown from the Lancs hillsides causing quite a stir
Interestingly during this period there was a rash of microwave video
activity from Special Projects , thought to have been from Hawk or Tornado a/c....
Bearing in mind at least one sighting reported a "triangle" between two fast jets one wonders if the microwave front end video may have come from a UAV on trial.
Fact is always stranger than fiction.
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Sorry , should have attached sample microwave image...as below circa 2000 , Hawk ... Jaguar ... Tornado...or ??????
http://satcomuk.yolasite.com/resources/WTN.jpg
http://satcomuk.yolasite.com/resources/WTN.jpg
Last edited by uksatcomuk; 7th Feb 2014 at 16:00.
BAE Systems' Taranis unmanned combat air system demonstrator is designed to defeat new counter-stealth radars, and may use thrust vectoring as a primary means of flight control and an innovative high-precision, passive navigation and guidance system, an AW&ST analysis indicates.
Taranis is a blended wing-body shape with no tail surfaces, like most UCAS designs for wide-band, all-aspect stealth. It has a triangular top-mounted inlet and 2-D V-shaped exhaust nozzle. The underside is flat, with visible outlines representing weapon-bay doors. Panels under the leading edge point to provision for a dual-antenna radar like a smaller version of that fitted to the B-2 bomber. The demonstrator may be designed so that functional weapon bays and sensors can be installed for a follow-on program.
The Rolls-Royce Adour engine is mounted low in the center fuselage, behind a serpentine duct. Two small doors are visible on either side of the raised centerbody, and are likely to be auxiliary inlets used at low speeds. The weapon-bay outlines are on either side of the engine and the forward-retracting main landing gears are outboard of the weapon bays. The demonstrator's gear comes from the Saab Gripen.
The wing leading edges are highly swept to reduce head-on radar cross-section at all wavelengths. The double-V trailing edge is swept more acutely than on most blended wing-body UCAS designs. Unlike the Northrop Grumman X-47B or the Dassault-led Neuron, there are no short-chord wing sections or short edges: The shortest edge is more than 11 ft. long.
.....
Taranis is a blended wing-body shape with no tail surfaces, like most UCAS designs for wide-band, all-aspect stealth. It has a triangular top-mounted inlet and 2-D V-shaped exhaust nozzle. The underside is flat, with visible outlines representing weapon-bay doors. Panels under the leading edge point to provision for a dual-antenna radar like a smaller version of that fitted to the B-2 bomber. The demonstrator may be designed so that functional weapon bays and sensors can be installed for a follow-on program.
The Rolls-Royce Adour engine is mounted low in the center fuselage, behind a serpentine duct. Two small doors are visible on either side of the raised centerbody, and are likely to be auxiliary inlets used at low speeds. The weapon-bay outlines are on either side of the engine and the forward-retracting main landing gears are outboard of the weapon bays. The demonstrator's gear comes from the Saab Gripen.
The wing leading edges are highly swept to reduce head-on radar cross-section at all wavelengths. The double-V trailing edge is swept more acutely than on most blended wing-body UCAS designs. Unlike the Northrop Grumman X-47B or the Dassault-led Neuron, there are no short-chord wing sections or short edges: The shortest edge is more than 11 ft. long.
.....
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Interesting report here on the RAeS website with interview with Taranis Project Pilot/Mission Commander Bob Fraser...
Royal Aeronautical Society | Insight Blog | Taranis unmasked
Royal Aeronautical Society | Insight Blog | Taranis unmasked
Uksatcomuk
What utter hoop! There is every doubt. I watched Taranis being put together around 2008-11! The other aircraft were flown at Woomera - look at the colour of the ground, it's a big giveaway. The early development aircraft are tiny - no more than large scale models that could not be mistaken for what was 'Black Triangle UFO hysteria'.
Go back to wearing your tin-foil hat my friend!
LJ
There is little doubt that Taranis and its predecessors were responsible for the outbreak of Black Triangle UFO hysteria during the late 90s , early 2K across NW UK.
Go back to wearing your tin-foil hat my friend!
LJ
