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Aviation / Aerospace

Arcturus T-20


Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) [ 2009 ]



Up to 160 units of the Arcturus T-20 are planned for United States Navy procurement.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/17/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The Arcturus T-20 was initially developed as a private venture by the Arcturus-UAV LLC concern of California, USA and furthered by the US Air Force Research Laboratory. Arcturus-UAV LLC, as its name suggests, is a developer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) featured in both commercial and military applications. Today, the firm markets three distinct models of UAVs made up of the "T-15", "T-16" and - its largest UAV design to date - the "T-20". The T-20 is classified as a medium-range, reusable reconnaissance UAV which dictates a payload of advanced sensors, cameras and other applicable surveillance, tracking and monitoring equipment. First flight of the T-20 was recorded in 2008 while the United States military evaluated the system in early 2009. To date some 10 have been delivered while a full complement of 160 is ultimately expected.

Design of the T-20 is of a conventional aircraft nature with the airframe constructed largely of composites. Its design is characterized by its slab-sided fuselage capped with a nose-mounted engine installation and a traditional "T-style" tail assembly at the rear. Avionics are housed in the aft portion of the fuselage while fuel is stored throughout the wings. The empennage is made up of a single large vertical tail rudder completed with a horizontal tail surface at its extreme top. The main wing assemblies are shoulder-mounted which allow for strong lift capabilities (especially at launch) and good ground clearance overall (with four underwing hardpoints available for parachuting "drop pods"). Each wing is straight in their design and feature clipped wingtips. The internal fuselage bay can house up to 65lbs while a modular pallet system allows awaiting ground personnel the capability to replace existing payloads within minutes, getting the T-20 back airborne in the shortest amount of time possible. An onboard camera suite allows for real-time relay of the visual feed to the applicable ground station and offers an unobstructed 360-degree field-of-view (FOV). The T-20 is also completed with integrated electro-optical, infrared and target laser systems as well as a GPS-based autopilot which can autonomously navigate preset waypoints.©MilitaryFactory.com
The T-20 airframe enjoys a full wingspan of 17.25 feet with a running length of 9.4 feet and is powered by a single fuel-injected, 4-stroke gasoline engine of 10 horsepower fitted to the nose, this managing a two-bladed propeller. Top listed speed is 104 miles per hour with a cruise speed of 63 miles per hour. The T-20s configuration allows for a mission endurance time of over 16 hours (this with a 35lb payload - up to 500 miles at altitudes of 15,000 feet). Empty weight is listed at 80lbs while a full mission load sees the T-20 weigh in at 165lbs.

While the T-20 lacks any integrated undercarriage facilities, the aircraft is allowed airborne via the included pneumatic portable catapult. This launch system is formally designated by Arcturus as the "Portable Launching System" (PLS) and can be set up for UAV operations from land or sea-based naval vessels - literally anywhere in the world where a flat landing surface can be found for the UAVs recovery. The Arcturus T-20 can land in one of two ways - via a prepared net arrangement or along its belly on a skid. This allows the T-20 to operate just about anywhere it has the space to both launch and be recovered and does not require the prepared runaway facilities of its larger, more expensive brethren.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Arcturus-UAV LLC / Air Force Research Laboratory - USA
Manufacturer(s)
United States
Operators National flag of the United States
2009
Service Year
United States
National Origin
0
(UNMANNED)
Crew
20
Units


INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
UNMANNED
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.


9.5 ft
(2.90 meters)
Length
17.4 ft
(5.30 meters)
Width/Span
3.3 ft
(1.00 meters)
Height
110 lb
(50 kilograms)
Empty Weight
187 lb
(85 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+77 lb
(+35 kg)
Weight Difference


1 x Aviation Gasoline AvGas 110LL 4-stroke engine developing 10 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion
87 mph
(140 kph | 76 knots)
Max Speed
25,000 ft
(7,620 m | 5 miles)
Ceiling
497 miles
(800 km | 432 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


None. Modular payload of up to 65lb. 4 x underwing hardpoints for mission drop pods.


4
Hardpoints


T-20 - Base Series Designation
T-20 Block I - Carburetor equipped
T-20 Block II - Fuel-injection equipped
T-20A - Provision for underwing pods
T-20R - Research Variant


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Images



1 / 2
Image of the Arcturus T-20
Close-up view of the Arcturus T-20 UAV ready for flight
2 / 2
Image of the Arcturus T-20
The Arcturus T-20 UAV on its full catapult launch stand

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