Aviation / Aerospace

Northrop Grumman R-BAT (Rotary-BAT)

Military Unmanned Helicopter System (UHS) [ 2014 ]

The Northrop Grumman R-BAT unmanned helicopter system is based in the Yamaha R-MAX system of Japanese origin.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/30/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from official Northrop Grumman marketing material.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The success of the R-MAX unmanned helicopter system from Yamaha Motor Company in the civilian marketplace (mainly farm/agricultural spraying) has led to the company to join forces in 2014 with American defense powerhouse Northrop Grumman to develop a more versatile special-market form to cover a wider band of industries including military and security. The result is the "R-BAT" (Rotary-BAT) system designed around the concept of rapid response for the purposes of reconnaissance, scouting, and Search and Rescue (SAR) sorties. The versatility of the air system allows it to take-off and land virtually anywhere and operate in areas generally found to be inhospitable to ground forces such as troops and firefighters. Beyond its obvious military value, the helicopter can also be called upon to fulfill border patrol / border control requirements and serve in humanitarian / disaster relief operations.

R-BAT retains much of the form and function of the earlier R-MAX which was developed during the 1990s. The streamlined fuselage is used to house the powerplant, fuel stores, and avionics fit. A camera/sensor-laden blister pack is set in the fuselage's chin position offering 360-degree traversal and real-time relay of information. Over the top of the fuselage is a two-bladed main rotor unit and a two-bladed tail rotor unit is offset to the starboard side at the aircraft's aft end. A tail stem houses the drive system for this rear unit. The undercarriage is a four-point, twin-skid component allowing for operation from just about any surface.

Unlike the R-MAX, which is remotely-operated through Line-of-Sight (LoS), the R-BAT is completed with an autonomous control scheme. Flight testing was had out of the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.

Performance specs of the air system include a mission endurance window of over four hours, a maximum ceiling up to 6,000 feet, and a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 95lb. Payload capacity is limited to 43 lb.

As far as is known, the R-BAT continues to be actively marketed by the company.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

2014

Origin

United States

Status

IN-DEVELOPMENT
Program in Progress.

Crew

0
UNMANNED

Production

1
UNITS

Northrop Grumman - USA / Yamaha Motor Company - Japan

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (possible)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

✓ Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

Length

12.0 ft
(3.65 m)

Width/Span

2.4 ft
(0.73 m)

Height

3.6 ft
(1.10 m)

MTOW

209 lb
(95 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Northrop Grumman R-BAT production variant)

Installed: 1 x Yamaha 2-cylinder, 2-stroke water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed main rotor and a two-bladed tail rotor.

Ceiling

6,004 ft
(1,830 m | 1 mi)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Northrop Grumman R-BAT production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Mission equipment up to 43 lbs centered on sensors and camera systems.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

R-BAT (Rotary-BAT) - Base Series Name.

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Image from official Northrop Grumman marketing material.

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