Airbus Sagitta
| Industry | Aerospace, Defense |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Manching , Germany |
| Products | Military aircraft, UAVs |
The Airbus Sagitta represents a jet-propelled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrator created by Airbus Defence and Space in partnership with German research institutions as part of the Open Innovation initiative.
History
The Open Innovation initiative promotes joint efforts between industry and academic entities to push forward UAV technology. Beginning in 2010, universities such as the Technical University of Chemnitz, Technical University of Munich, Bundeswehr University Munich, Technical University Ingolstadt, alongside the German Aerospace Center (DLR), collaborated on designing and constructing UAV demonstrators. The Sagitta completed its maiden flight on 5 July 2017 at South Africa’s Denel Overberg Test Range.
Development
Partner organizations were responsible for developing various subsystems, while Airbus’s military aircraft facility in Manching, Bavaria handled the final assembly and testing phases.
Design
The Sagitta has an approximate wingspan and length of 3.00 meters each, with a maximum takeoff weight near 150 kilograms. It is equipped with two BF-300F jet engines from BF Turbines, each generating 300 newtons of thrust. This platform is capable of accommodating a variety of experimental payloads.
Its flight control system uses electrically actuated surfaces for pitch, roll, and yaw (fly-by-wire) combined with electrically retractable landing gear. The avionics package includes a flight control computer, navigation components integrating differential GPS and inertial navigation systems (INS), an air data system, plus a mission computer responsible for task execution. Flight operations are conducted through a ground control station.
Communication systems utilize several data links to support fully autonomous flight modes, including automatic takeoff and landing (ATOL) capabilities.
References
- Lippisch P.13a
- NACA Research Memorandum RM No. L7F16, 1947.
- 'Low-Speed Wind-Tunnel Tests of a Number of Fin Configurations on a Flat-plate Gothic Wing of Unit Aspect Ratio'; D. H. Peckhom, Aerodynamics Dept., R.A.E., Farnborough. C.P. Nº 1076. Cranfield Repository.
Sources
- Successful first flight of UAV demonstrator SAGITTA, Airbus Press release
- SAGITTA meistert erfolgreich Erstflug, DLR Pressemeldung
- Erfolgreicher Erstflug von Sagitta, Flugrevue
- Experimental investigations on vortex flow phenomena of a diamond wing configuration, A. Hövelmann, C. Breitsamter
- Propulsion System Integration and Thrust Vectoring Aspects for Scaled Jet UAS, Bougas, L. & Hornung, M., CEAS Aeronaut J (2013) 4: 327
- Unsteady Aerodynamics of the Sagitta Flying Wing Configuration, S. Pfnür, C. Breitsamter
- Design Process and Manufacturing of an Unmanned Blended Wing-body Aircraft, B. Gramüller et al.
- Design of the general systems for the SAGITTA demonstrator UAV, A. Bierig et al., 2017 ICUAS
- Design of a retractable landing gear for the SAGITTA demonstrator UAV, F. Nikodem et al., DLRK 2017