Citation
(2009), "Test proves KillerBee can be recovered at sea", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 81 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2009.12781eab.032
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Test proves KillerBee can be recovered at sea
Article Type: News and views From: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, Volume 81, Issue 5
Raytheon Company's KillerBee unmanned aircraft system recently demonstrated that it can be recovered from a net on a moving platform, simulating an at-sea recovery.
The KillerBee UAS features a blended-wing aircraft body design. It also has systems for land or sea launch, recovery and ground control. The design of KillerBee enables growth for future payloads and additional mission capabilities.
During the land-based test, KillerBee was recovered in a net mounted on a rapidly moving truck, demonstrating that the guidance system enables aircraft recovery from platforms moving at speeds similar to a naval vessel.
KillerBee is designed to provide the US Navy and Marine Corps with a UAS for their respective Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Tier II missions, which require UAS launch and recovery aboard a ship. KillerBee is ideally suited for force protection in an expeditionary environment and represents a major upgrade to today's embedded airborne surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition capability.