2012年2月8日星期三
2012年2月1日星期三
2011年12月6日星期二
RQ-170 无人驾驶偵查機
Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel
The RQ-170 Sentinel is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It has been deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
RQ-170 哨兵是由洛克希德·马丁公司研制的一种主要用于对特定目标进行侦查和监视的隐形无人机，也被称作“坎大哈野兽”。它曾在持久自由行动中被部署在阿富汗境内，有消息称它也将被部署在韩国。
研发
2001年EP-3E侦察机在中美撞机事件之后在中国迫降，致使美国国防部下决心研发一种隐形无人机，以避免涉密装备和机组成员落入其他国家。RQ-170正是在这种背景下诞生的，它由洛克希德·马丁著名的臭鼬工厂设计，与之前的一些隐形无人机，如RQ-3暗星，在设计上有相似之处。采用无尾飞翼的气动设计，搭载一台涡扇发动机作为动力。据估计，RQ-170的翼展在20米左右。代号中的“RQ”意味着RQ-170是一种不携带武器的无人机，是第一种被证实承认的采用隐身设计的无人机。
部署2009年12月4日，美国空军首次证实了RQ-170的存在。持久自由行动中，RQ-170被部署在阿富汗境内。由于2007年年底在阿富汗南部坎大哈国际机场露面，它获得了“坎大哈野兽”的外号。值得注意的是，在阿富汗的塔利班武装目前既没有防空导弹，也没有雷达，所以RQ-170的隐性性能对于阿富汗战场并没有多大意义，RQ-170在阿富汗的部署很可能是针对中国。另有消息称RQ-170将被部署在韩国，以便对朝鲜进行监视。
2010年3月31日星期三
NASA Prepares 'Global Hawk' for Takeoff
NASA is gearing up Global Hawk, a remote-controlled airplane, for its first scientific flights in coming weeks. With its capacity for long-distance, high-altitude flights that can last over a day, Global Hawk presents a new chapter in Earth science for NASA.
"It's a very exciting time," said Chris Naftel, project manager for Global Hawk. "This is the very first time that Global Hawk will be used for science.
"Northrop Grumman originally manufactured the two Global Hawks now being retrofitted by NASA several years ago. These remote-controlled airplanes can fly for about 30 hours at altitudes up to 65,000 feet and were designed initially as surveillance aircraft.
The maiden voyage over the Pacific Ocean will be followed by several other jaunts into the Arctic regions to learn more about Earth's atmosphere. One day, Global Hawks might provide real-time data from the heart of hurricanes and other major storms that are far too dangerous to risk sending in manned aircraft.
Loading the payload
Over the last couple of weeks, engineers, scientists, and aviation technicians at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Base in California have been mounting equipment-from high-definition cameras to ozone sensors-onto a Global Hawk.
The craft measures 44 feet (13 meters) in length with a wingspan of 116 feet (35 meters). NASA expects to operate the Global Hawk with payloads up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).
The long wings carry the plane's fuel, and the bulbous nose is one of the craft's payload bays, which house the science instruments.
After a full test run with a dozen scientific instruments later this week or early next week, the first science flight will commence by mid-April, Naftel said.
The science run will be the first of four or five as part of the Global Hawk Pacific campaign, or GloPac for short. The robotic aircraft's instruments will sample the chemical composition of air in Earth's lower atmospheric layers as well as observe clouds and the sea below.
The primary purpose of the GloPac mission will be to check the accuracy of NASA's Aura satellite, which measures ozone, air quality, and climate data. The Global Hawk will fly underneath the orbiting satellite and collect data simultaneously to see if its data matches that of the satellite.
The sky is the limit
Another major goal of the early runs will be to figure out just what else is possible with the Global Hawk. "We want to know, 'how do you use this platform for research?'" Naftel said.
The ideas may come from beyond NASA: Dryden will soon have live feeds from the Global Hawk, including high-definition ocean snapshots that "should be really fascinating for the public to see," Naftel added.
"It's a very exciting time," said Chris Naftel, project manager for Global Hawk. "This is the very first time that Global Hawk will be used for science.
"Northrop Grumman originally manufactured the two Global Hawks now being retrofitted by NASA several years ago. These remote-controlled airplanes can fly for about 30 hours at altitudes up to 65,000 feet and were designed initially as surveillance aircraft.
The maiden voyage over the Pacific Ocean will be followed by several other jaunts into the Arctic regions to learn more about Earth's atmosphere. One day, Global Hawks might provide real-time data from the heart of hurricanes and other major storms that are far too dangerous to risk sending in manned aircraft.
Loading the payload
Over the last couple of weeks, engineers, scientists, and aviation technicians at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Base in California have been mounting equipment-from high-definition cameras to ozone sensors-onto a Global Hawk.
The craft measures 44 feet (13 meters) in length with a wingspan of 116 feet (35 meters). NASA expects to operate the Global Hawk with payloads up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).
The long wings carry the plane's fuel, and the bulbous nose is one of the craft's payload bays, which house the science instruments.
After a full test run with a dozen scientific instruments later this week or early next week, the first science flight will commence by mid-April, Naftel said.
The science run will be the first of four or five as part of the Global Hawk Pacific campaign, or GloPac for short. The robotic aircraft's instruments will sample the chemical composition of air in Earth's lower atmospheric layers as well as observe clouds and the sea below.
The primary purpose of the GloPac mission will be to check the accuracy of NASA's Aura satellite, which measures ozone, air quality, and climate data. The Global Hawk will fly underneath the orbiting satellite and collect data simultaneously to see if its data matches that of the satellite.
The sky is the limit
Another major goal of the early runs will be to figure out just what else is possible with the Global Hawk. "We want to know, 'how do you use this platform for research?'" Naftel said.
The ideas may come from beyond NASA: Dryden will soon have live feeds from the Global Hawk, including high-definition ocean snapshots that "should be really fascinating for the public to see," Naftel added.
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