Dual-aircraft system
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation
InventorNicholas K. Christensen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One example includes a dual-aircraft system. The system includes a glider aircraft configured to perform at least one mission objective in a gliding-flight mode during a mission objective stage. The system also includes an unmanned singlecopter configured to couple to the glider aircraft via a mechanical linkage to provide propulsion for the glider aircraft during a takeoff and delivery stage. The unmanned singlecopter can be further configured to decouple from the glider aircraft during a detach stage in response to achieving at least one of a predetermined altitude and a predetermined geographic location to provide the gliding-flight mode associated with the glider aircraft, such that the glider aircraft subsequently enters the mission objective stage.
Claims10
A dual-aircraft system comprising:
- a glider aircraft configured to perform at least one mission objective in a gliding-flight mode during a mission objective stage;
- and
- an unmanned singlecopter configured to couple to the glider aircraft via a mechanical linkage to provide propulsion for the glider aircraft during a takeoff and delivery stage, the unmanned singlecopter being further configured to decouple from the glider aircraft during a detach stage in response to achieving at least one of a predetermined altitude and a predetermined geographic location to provide the gliding-flight mode associated with the glider aircraft, such that the glider aircraft subsequently enters the mission objective stage, wherein the unmanned singlecopter comprises a singlecopter control system configured to command the unmanned singlecopter to travel to a location associated with the glider aircraft and to mechanically reattach to the glider aircraft during a reattachment stage in response to receiving situational awareness (SA) data that is indicative of a critical altitude associated with the glider aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.