The SKY-Y is a Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology demonstrator developed by Leonardo SpA of Italy. The type has been used prove several qualities of possible future drone platforms and applications - including a focus on in-flight "Sense-And-Avoid" (SAA). The product was selected by the MIDCAS European consortium for just that, the data collected to be used in development of new rules and regulations for unmanned vehicles operating within the sphere of commercial air traffic.
The aircraft's appearance is a mix of existing types - the bulbous nose section of the Global Hawk is an obvious comparison. Unlike the Global Hawk, however, the SKY-Y utilizes a conventional, diesel-fueled, low-cost commercial-based engine with its propeller set in a "pusher" arrangement at the rear of the fuselage. The wing mainplanes are straight-lined (as in the General Atomics Predator) and low-mounted at the sides of the fuselage (with clipped tips). The aircraft relies on a twin-boom tail arrangement with each boom emanating from the wing mainplanes and joined by a high-mounted horizontal plane sitting atop the twin vertical planes. The tricycle undercarriage is wheeled at all three legs and fixed in place during flight (i.e. non-retractable).
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May 2015 - The SKY-Y was successfully tested against a C-27J manned, fixed-wing transport to record the Sense-And Avoid response of the drone. The SKY-Y, upon sensing the inbound C-27J, autonomously changed its course to avoid a mid-air collision.
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
1 x Diesel-fueled engine driving power to a three-bladed propeller unit arranged in pusher configuration at the rear of the fuselage. Propulsion
None. Payload restricted to mission equipment only.
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