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Mantis UAV Completes 1st Phase of Trials
November 15th, 2009 | Uncategorized | Posted by Military Times Online
It may have been only five demonstration flights, but Britain’s largest fully autonomous unmanned air vehicle program has completed the first phase of trials for a machine that could replace General Atomics’ Reaper in service with the Royal Air Force.
BAE Systems officials announced Sunday at the Dubai Air Show that the twin-engined Mantis had flown for the first time and finished its initial flight test program.
Company officials said Mantis has finished a five-flight test regime, which included an initial verification of the airframe design, the autonomous flight system and the sensor package.
The trials started in October at the Woomera test flight center in Australia and finished in the past few days.
Speaking in Dubai, Andy Wilson, business development director at BAE’s Autonomous System & Future Capability, said BAE and its industry partners are in talks with the Ministry of Defence. The parties are trying to secure agreement on the scope and funding of the next step in what is hoped to be at least a three-phase spiral development of the 20-meter wingspan vehicle.
The content of the next phase of development has yet to be decided, but Wilson said industry realized that with the MoD’s budget restrictions, the package of work had to balance capability with affordability.
Wilson said the MoD and industry were keen to push ahead as quickly as possible.
Mantis was officially launched as a joint MoD/industry demonstrator program in July 2008. The aircraft was originally targeted to fly earlier this year, but work was delayed, partly because BAE refocused the bulk of its UAV resources on British requirements in Afghanistan.
Mantis was originally financed by funds from the MoD and an industry team comprising BAE, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, Selex Galileo and others.
Under the terms of the agreement, the next phase of Mantis is to be solely financed by the MoD. The fast-deteriorating financial situation of the British MoD may dictate a funding rethink, though, if the program is to remain on track.
Britain is looking to field a medium-sized UAV as part of its upcoming Dabinett ISTAR program. Mantis is a possible contender.
The RAF already operates several Reaper UAVs in the ISTAR role in Afghanistan as part of an urgent operational requirement procurement to enhance British capabilities in the fight against the Taliban.
Earlier this year, British military officials told the parliamentary defence committee they had decided against bringing the Reaper into its long-term RAF core equipment program to retain flexibility when it came to deciding on the type of UAV platform they wanted for Dabinett.
In what appeared to be an oblique reference to issues with the Reaper operation, which is closely tied in with the U.S. military, Wilson said the British were pursuing Mantis because they wanted to be in control of the platform and the intelligence gathered by it.
The MoD recently confirmed that BAE’s smaller Herti autonomous machine was being operationally tested in Afghanistan as the British stepped up the fight against the Taliban’s roadside bomb onslaught. The Hertis have been in the theater for several months under a deal negotiated between BAE and the MoD.
It’s the second time the vehicle has been evaluated in Afghanistan. A preproduction version was tested there two years ago.
Related reading: Wraps come off the Mantis (from our 2008 Farnborough Air Show coverage)
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