Volume 01 | Issue 25 | November 23, 2020
VTOL Business Jet, Royal Drones, Radar Modernization

Welcome back to the Future of Aerospace, where each week we dive into a few of the trends rapidly defining the next generation of aircraft and aerial markets.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the grounded Boeing 737 MAX for a return to passenger carrying service, more on that here.

Today, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) unveiled plans for a new digital health pass that could help streamline air travel border regulations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Next week, you do not want to miss NVIDIA's virtual keynote speech about how it is supporting data science and machine learning innovation and advancements across various segments of the aerospace industry on Wednesday Dec. 2, 2020 at 11:30 AM ET, as part of the new Connected Aviation Intelligence two-day virtual program hosted by Access Intelligence, register for free here.

THIS WEEK: Pegasus Universal Aerospace is advancing development of its next-generation vertical takeoff and landing business jet at its Johannesburg-based South Africa facility, where the company's founders hope to disrupt the global private air travel and specialized missions aircraft market within the next decade. (Longshots)

During the Littoral Response Group (Experimentation) (LRG(X)), the Royal Navy conducted over 40 different experiments during nine real-time exercises in Cyprus to develop the Future Navy and Future Commando Force (FCF), a modernization project that will change how Royal Marines operate in future battlefields. A key to the battlefield of tomorrow showcased in the experiments was the use of drones, autonomous systems, quad bikes, jet skis, and new communications equipment, according to an overview of the new program provided by the United Kingdom's (U.K.) Ministry of Defense. (UAS Integration)

The U.S. Air Force is examining the modernization of its system of early warning radars and airborne command and control assets in Alaska. (Public Policy)

Thanks for reading.

—The Future of Aerospace Team
Pegasus Aerospace is Developing a New Business Jet with Vertical Takeoff Capability in South Africa
Image: Pegasus

Pegasus Universal Aerospace is advancing development of its next-generation vertical takeoff and landing business jet at its Johannesburg-based South Africa facility, where the company's founders hope to disrupt the global private air travel and specialized missions aircraft market within the next decade.

The vertical business jet (VBJ) under development by Pegasus made its first major public debut at the 2019 European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) with a scaled model and limited information about their future development plans. Now, with a newly granted U.S. patent and a hover test achieved in their hangar, Pegasus making progress toward achieving its goal of introducing a regional business jet with helicopter-like takeoff and landing capabilities.

What is the Pegasus VBJ?
  • A nine-seater business jet being developed with 2,330-shp turboshaft engines to travel up to 4,400 km (2,375 nm) with a cruising speed of 796 km (430 knots).

  • The business jet is being developed with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability.

  • Pegasus obtained a patent in July for their design which describes it as comprising a "fuselage defining a forward end and an aft end, the fuselage accommodating at least one engine, a left wing and a right wing, a lift fan drive system and a forward thrust fan drive system."

  • A key differentiator for their VBJ is its ability to takeoff land anywhere, including helipads, yachts and small regional airports as the first configuration envisioned by Pegasus is for the private aircraft market.

  • Their patent cites similar aircraft concepts and technologies from Airbus Defense, Boeing, XTI Aircraft, and Sikorsky among other well-known aerospace OEMs as examples of the type of flying their aircraft will perform.

    What Progress has Pegasus Made Recently?

  • In September, the company completed a hover test flight of a 1/8th scale model of their aircraft.

  • Dr. Reza Mia, founder and chairman of Pegasus Aerospace, told Aviation Today that the company is making progress with design considerations.

  • Mia: "The hover test completed was that of the 1/8th scale model which contributed valuable information to us regarding the shape of the ducts, inlets and wings in the [vertical takeoff and landing] VTOL mode as well as to take our control system and balance development forward for a more refined hover."
Mia: "We are currently building a full-scale hover demonstrator and possibly two quarter-scale models as well. Flight testing and certification are for a future portion of the project and will take a mixed path including Part 23, rotorcraft, and powered lift standards."

Read more on Pegasus Aerospace development of a vertical business jet.
How the UK Royal Navy is Researching the Use of Drones for Delivering Supplies and Data Transmissions

During the Littoral Response Group (Experimentation) (LRG(X)), the Royal Navy conducted over 40 different experiments during nine real-time exercises in Cyprus to develop the Future Navy and Future Commando Force (FCF), a modernization project that will change how Royal Marines operate in future battlefields.

A key to the battlefield of tomorrow showcased in the experiments was the use of drones, autonomous systems, quad bikes, jet skis, and new communications equipment, according to an overview of the new program provided by the United Kingdom's (U.K.) Ministry of Defense.

What drones were used?
  • A drone configured as a traditional helicopter.

  • A small backpack-carried quadcopter drone.

  • Richard Hargreaves, a representative from the Royal Navy’s media and communications team: "A number of different drones were used during the Littoral Response Group (Experimentation) (LRG(X)) deployment. This included beyond line of sight airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) fixed-wing, propeller-driven drones, which can be launched from Royal Navy ships, small boats and by personnel ashore.”

  • Royal Marine Commandos used a drone configured as a traditional helicopter and a small backpack-carried quadcopter drone to provide planned and reactive ISR in the land battlespace, Hargreaves said.

  • To support the Royal Marines Commandos, the Royal Navy used large quadcopter drones, Malloy T-150s, as part of Exercise Autonomous Advance Force 3.0 operating drones from ship to shore and ship to ship.

    What were the drones used for?

  • Planning and reactive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

  • Transporting heavy items from ship to ship and ship to shore.

  • Supporting small boats on ISR missions.
The LRG(X) was not solely focused on deploying drones but integrating them with other technology including helicopters, six-wheeled/tracked quad bikes, small watercraft-like jet skis, and new communications equipment.

Commodore Rob Pedre, COMLSG: “Royal Navy Flagship HMS Albion’s hosting of the Capability Demonstration in Cyprus has been a highlight of the LRG(X) deployment. The demonstration by our Sailors and Marines was superb and showcased the quality of our Armed Forces, whilst providing an insight into how the Royal Navy is integrating future technology and new concepts.”

Read more about future drone technology being researched and developed by the British military.
Air Force Examining Modernization of Early Warning Radars
Image: The Raytheon AN/FPS-108 COBRA Dane radar, located at Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, Alaska in the Aleutians, collects radar metric and signature data on foreign ballistic missile launches and space surveillance data on new foreign launches and satellites in low-Earth orbit. (U.S. Air Force Photo)


The U.S. Air Force is examining the modernization of its system of early warning radars and airborne command and control assets in Alaska.

What the Air Force research on warning radars and airborne command and control (C2) in Alaska is focused on:
  • The U.S. Air Force wants improved sensors and communications for the Arctic, including Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), as the service seeks to make operations there more routine and as it fields Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35s and F-22s to enhance U.S. Arctic power projection to the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

  • One of the radar modernization efforts is an upgrade to the Long Range Discrimination Radar [LRDR] at Clear Air Force Station, Alaska.

  • In 2015, Lockheed Martin received a $784 million contract for LRDR, an S-band radar for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense anti-ballistic missile system.

  • Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) has pushed for extending the life of the Raytheon [RTX] COBRA Dane missile defense radar on Shemya Island, Alaska.
Air Force Lt. Gen. David Krumm, the commander of Alaskan Command and the 11th Air Force, said: “The world has changed since those radars were developed and put in. The locations were designed primarily to detect Soviet bombers coming to attack over the poles. With hypersonic weapons and cruise missiles, the world is changing, and so I would anticipate the Air Force will continue to modernize and improve to look at ways we can design a system that gives us multi-domain awareness up here in the Arctic, and I think that you will see a movement to incorporate those long-range radars in JADC2. But there’s some exciting possibilities with using some of the things that are old, with big data [and] with artificial intelligence.”

Read more about modernizing early warning radar research being conducted by the U.S. Air Force.
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