Brock Technologies has announced that its Havoc Unmanned Aircraft System undertook its first flight on 24 October 2011. Brock Technologies claim that the UAS will ‘bridge the gap between affordability and capability’. The Havoc was developed under a series of Air Force SBIR contracts. The twin boom, pusher 2-stroke engine platform was intended to provide users with a robust modular UAS capable of long endurance flights while carrying an assortment of payloads.
The test flight programme has used two platforms with a variety of payloads. Swapping integrated forward payload bays between flights, Havoc successfully demonstrated video data transmission to the ground station, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communications, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) functionality, and vehicle identification through a mode C transponder and blind encoder. A second series of flight tests was scheduled to take place in November, to test additional capabilities and endurance.
Built using advanced composite construction, the radio frequency transparent Havoc airframe structure offers multiple internal antenna placement locations that enable increased endurance and payload capability. With 1000 watts of power provided by the onboard generator at its disposal the Havoc can host a variety of payloads in either the forward or aft payload bay. The tails are also hollow and offer additional space for payload integration. Variable launch and recovery options continue to illustrate the systems modularity. The current prototypes have demonstrated successful rolling take-offs and landings. Future renditions will validate additional launch and recovery methods such as catapult launching and belly skid landing.
Source: Press Release