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Lockheed Martin and Piasecki Aircraft are in Phase III of a Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop a prototype of what could be the next generation of unmanned military air cargo transportation, the Transformer. Lockheed is showcased a small scale development model of the system at Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI’s) Unmanned Systems 2013.
The Transformer is a high-speed, self-contained flight vehicle with turbo-shaft engines to power its propellers, allowing it to perform a variety of different missions by attaching to transport vehicles. Within its front section, the Transformer has vehicle management system computers that communicate with the ground control station to control its path of flight. Lockheed, along with Piasacki Aircraft, is working on a prototype of the system that is expected to be complete its first flight in mid-2015. The first prototype Transformer will be controlled from a ground control station though the first production system will feature more software and be more autonomous.
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