LOCKHEED OFFERS POLECAT PEEK UNMANNED AIRCRAFT FIRST REVEALED AT U.K. SHOW.Byline: JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape SKEEN Staff Writer PALMDALE -- Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. released additional photos and information Monday about its newly revealed P-175 Polecat polecat, carnivorous mammal of the weasel family. The name refers especially to the common Old World polecat, Mustela putorius, found in wooded areas of N Eurasia and N Africa. , an aircraft the company said demonstrates its commitment to the next generation of unmanned systems. Built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.'s Advanced Development Programs unit, commonly known as the Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works, the airplane is testing technologies that could be used in future long-range strike and reconnaissance aircraft. One of those technologies is the use of new, cost-effective rapid composite prototyping and manufacturing techniques using lightweight materials. The aircraft is about 96 percent composite material composite material or composite, any material made from at least two discrete substances, such as concrete. Many materials are produced as composites, such as the fiberglass-reinforced plastics used for automobile bodies and boat hulls, but the , excluding engines, landing gear and electronics. The Polecat's airframe was built with large, integrated composite assemblies and has fewer than 200 parts. ``Fewer parts translated into fewer drawings, inspections as well as fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. and assembly time, resulting in a cascade of cost reductions throughout the build process,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a company fact sheet on the aircraft. Company officials revealed the aircraft's existence last Wednesday during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. program will consist of about 10 flights, with the aircraft reaching altitudes of over 60,000 feet. The aircraft is being flown over ranges at Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base (IATA: LSV, ICAO: KLSV) is a United States Air Force base, in Clark County, Nevada, on the northeast side of Las Vegas. It is also treated as a census-designated place by the United States Census for statistical purposes, and so specific in Nevada. The twin-engine airplane has a wingspan of 90 feet, weighs about 9,000 pounds and is capable of staying aloft for about four hours. The airplane is capable of carrying 1,000 pounds of equipment or weapons. The company describes the aircraft design as ``payload friendly, with a large central bay nestled between the engines providing the best fields of view and smoothest ride.'' The aircraft is intended to help the company better understand the flight dynamics of a tailless unmanned air system and reduce risks in costs and technology development of unmanned air systems. The company spent about $27 million of its own money on the project. The company is using the aircraft to understand technologies that could be applied to a future long-range strike aircraft the Air Force hopes to field by 2018. james.skeen(at)dailynews (661) 267-5743 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lockheed Martin's P-175 Polecat is testing technologies that could be used in future long-range strike and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft's existence was revealed last Wednesday during a United Kingdom air show. |
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