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Aviation / Aerospace

BlackBar Engineering Storm


Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) [ 2023 ]



The BlackBar Engineering Storm UAS covers the gamut of mission types - versatile enough to serve multiple sectors.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/08/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The BBE "Storm" is a man-transportable, multirole Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) designed, developed, and manufactured by BlackBar Engineering of Tuscon, Arizona. This unmanned solution is built with modularity and interoperability in mind, attempting to satisfy a broad customer base in military, civilian, and industry market sectors. As such, the design is a versatile one, capable of undertaking roles falling under the Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) banner as well as the more dedicated target acquisition, security / border / fisheries enforcement, structural review, convoy support, Search and Rescue (SAR), and humanitarian support sorties.

Beyond its in-built modularity, the Storm is also showcased with the key qualities of ease-of-use and ease-of-transportation - capable of being transported on the back of an individual to then be assembled and made ready to fly in under ten minutes. The UAS has a complete weight of 12lb and, when assembled, sports a wingspan of 6.56 feet with a running length of 4.36 feet (an optional wing extension kit extends the wingspan to 8.85 feet). As no catapult, vehicle, or airfield is necessary in its launch action, the Storm streamlines mission effectiveness while reducing operating costs.

The external arrangement of the UAS is largely conventional, comparable to other ISR UAVs of this class. Over the top of the 3D-printed, slab-sided body (which houses all pertinent operating systems / mission equipment) is the straight mainplane assembly. The wings of the Storm deserve notice for their precision-machined foam construction which allows the unit to survive combat and / or fall damage and can aid in floatation should the air vehicle be forced to ditch into water. A slim tailboom extends rearward of the aircraft's body, terminating with a sole tail fin sitting atop a low-set horizontal plane completing the control scheme. The propeller unit is positioned at the nose in the traditional "puller" aircraft configuration.

With its inherent modularity, the aircraft's payload can be switched out to suit customer requirements and typical installations run the gamut of available Electro-Optical / InfraRed (EO/IR) sets, cameras, and sensors providing real-time data collection delivered directly to the ground-based operator. Moving target tracking is also possible and in-flight autonomy aids the operator in delivering the Storm to the desired target area.

Per BBE marketing materials, the Storm showcases a mission-endurance window of 2.4 hours and can cruise at speeds of 46 miles-per-hour up to an altitude of 3,500 feet. The maximum speed is listed at 113mph. Control is via a handheld set. A hardened case is also featured for air-transporting / air-dropping actions, this either from rotary-wing or fixed-wing elements, when air-drops are needed in support of ground operations (accuracy tested up to 3 meters at the drop point). This allows ground forces to simply collect, assemble, and launch the unit.©MilitaryFactory.com
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Specifications



BlackBar Engineering (BBE) - USA
Manufacturer(s)
United Kingdom (probable); United States (probable)
Operators National flag of the United Kingdom National flag of the United States
2023
Service Year
United States
National Origin
Active, Limited
Project Status
0
(UNMANNED)
Crew
10
Units


CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
SPECIAL-MISSION: SEARCH & RESCUE
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).
INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
SPECOPS
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.
UNMANNED
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.


ALL-ELECTRIC
Design utilizes an all-electric powerplant for drive power.
RUGGED AIRFRAME
Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.
HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE
Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.
HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.
EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.
SUPER PERFORMANCE
Design covers the three all-important performance categories of speed, altitude, and range.
UNMANNED OPERATION
Design features ability to fly sans pilot, actions controlled onboard through programming and / or ground-based operator.
AUTONOMOUS OPERATION
Design features autonomous flight operations made possible through onboard artificial intelligence or pre-programming.
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.


4.3 ft
(1.30 meters)
Length
6.6 ft
(2.00 meters)
Width/Span
11 lb
(5 kilograms)
Empty Weight
11 lb
(5 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+0 lb
(+0 kg)
Weight Difference
monoplane / shoulder-mounted / straight
Mainplane Arrangement
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.


1 x Battery-powered electric drive with propeller at nose in puller arrangement.
Propulsion
113 mph
(182 kph | 98 knots)
Max Speed
46 mph
(74 kph | 40 knots)
Cruise Speed
+67 mph
(+108 kph | 58 knots)
Speed Difference
3,501 ft
(1,067 m | 0 miles)
Ceiling
50 miles
(81 km | 44 nm)
Range


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


Payload supports various optics and sensor equipment installations.


Storm - Base Series Name.


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Images



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Image of the BlackBar Engineering Storm
Image from official BlackBar Engineering marketing materials; Used with Permission.

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