One of the biggest challenges facing humanitarian organizations operating in active warzones is in delivering medical goods and food supplies to besieged civilians. Windhorse Aerospace of Britain has a possible solution to this need through its "Pouncer" UAV. The private-venture aircraft, a low-cost, low-risk system, could quite possibly change the humanitarian mission considerably if the project comes to fruition.
The Pounder is an unpowered, lightweight glider drone intended to be air- or catapult-launched. Its payload consists solely of medical supplies and food stuffs and the airframe is designed to break apart, after achieving a nose-up attitude and deploying a parachute, upon landing so as to not be reused by enemy elements. The body of the aircraft is also designed to be burned as a heat source while a later version may very well be constructed of extruded vegetable for direct consumption - making the Pouncer an "edible" UAV. The onboard guidance system is of a basic GPS arrangement allowing for autonomous functionality and this component is destroyed along with the airframe when crash-landed.
The Pouncer was modeled after the capabilities inherent in human "wing suits" and company engineers utilized this available data and coupled it to a delta-winged shape featuring a tubular centralized fuselage and winglets at the wingtips. No undercarriage is featured which saves on weigh, costs, and production time. The system can remain airborne for twenty miles and glide far beyond that when released from the open rear of a host ship like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport at altitudes of 25,000 feet.
Three distinct versions of the Pounder are planned as the Mk.1, Mk.2, and Mk.3. The Mk.1 and Mk.2 models are the air-launched variants differing in size (the Mk.1 is the smallest of the lot). Mk.1 will have a payload capacity of up to 44lb while Mk.2 will showcase a payload nearing 110lb. Mk.3, the largest of the group, is set to have the capacity for up to 220lb of cargo.
March 2017 - The "Pouncer" has seen a proof-of-concept model completed with plans made to finalized a flyable form before year's end. Serial production may begin soon after depending on market need.
Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer Mk.2 Expendable Aid Delivery Drone Aircraft.
None. Propulsion
25,000 ft 7,620 m | 5 miles Service Ceiling
62 miles 100 km | 54 nm Operational Range
Structure The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer Mk.2 Expendable Aid Delivery Drone Aircraft.
0 (UNMANNED) Crew
4.9 ft 1.50 m O/A Length
6.6 ft (2.00 m) O/A Width
2.5 ft (0.75 m) O/A Height
77 lb (35 kg) Empty Weight
165 lb (75 kg) MTOW
Armament Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer Expendable Aid Delivery Drone Aircraft .
None. Payload (capacity dictated by variant) to consist mainly of medical and food supplies.
Variants Notable series variants as part of the Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer family line.
Pounder - Base Series Name
Mk.1 - 44lb cargo capacity.
Mk.2 - 110lb cargo capacity; 165lb gross weight; 6.5 foot wingspan.
Mk.3 - 220lb cargo capacity; 9.8 foot wingspan.
Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.
Total Production: 1 Units Contractor(s): Windhorse Aerospace - UK
[ United Kingdom (origin) ]
1 / 1
Image from official Windhorse Aerospace marketing material.
Going Further... The Windhorse Aerospace Pouncer Expendable Aid Delivery Drone Aircraft appears in the following collections:
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.