The promising American unmanned aerial vehicle XQ-58A Valkyrie, which the military intends to use as a drone for manned fighters, made its third flight on October 9, 2019.
According to The Drive, the vehicle crashed during landing due to a strong surface wind and a malfunction in the landing system.
The XQ-58A flight models use a temporary landing system consisting of a parachute and airbags.
After completing the flight, the drone turns off the engine and launches a parachute.
At a certain distance from the ground, inflatable pillows are opened at the bottom of the device to cushion the impact when touching the surface.
The Kratos company, which develops the Valkyrie, said that the landing system will not be installed in ships made in series.
After the third test flight of the drone, there was a malfunction in the inflatable pillow system.
It is not specified what type of damage the drone received as a result of the forced landing.
Even so, the developers acknowledged that the drone’s direct test flight was successful: Valkyrie spent 90 minutes in the air, having completely completed the flight mission.
In addition, the flight took place at higher speeds and altitudes than during previous tests.
The development of the XQ-58A drone is part of the LCASD (Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator) program, controlled by the US Air Force Research Laboratory. UU.
It involves the creation of relatively cheap vehicles that could take on some of the missile tasks of manned aircraft.
After completing the program, the US Air Force UU.
He intends to buy several XQ-58A drone units, which will already be tested as unmanned aerial vehicles to support the fighters.
The tests under this project are expected to begin in 2021 and be completed in 2-3 years.
Until now it is known that the XQ-58A has a length of 9.1 meters and a wingspan of 8.2 meters.
The drone is capable of carrying a 272 kilogram combat load in the internal armament compartments or in the external sling and can fly at altitudes of up to 13.7 thousand meters.
Source: Nmas1
