More about the Maveric , which was on display at the SOFIC 2011 (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference) in Tampa Florida last week, in this video which was posted on the Defense Review Channel on YouTube.
The Maveric has a flexible monolithic wing made from carbon fibre and rip-stop nylon, allowing the wing to be bent completely around the fuselage. The whole aircraft can be stored inside and deployed in less than two minutes from a 6-inch diameter tube that resembles a jumbo poster tube. Ripstop nylon is only used on part of the wing behind the leading edge. The rest of the aircraft’s body (including part of the wing) is made from carbon fibre.
Maveric can be deployed immediately with no assembly, and with a dash speed of 55 knots, it delivers a rapid, “eyes on-target and tracking” performance. Cursor on target (CoT) compliant capabilities provide a point and click feature for operators to acquire and follow a target, while the unique power distribution board allows Maveric to also fly “stealthy” by not emitting camera RF until the operator decides. Designed as the first smart, customizable SUAS, Maveric utilizes Prioria’s proprietary processing platform, Merlin to enable image processing and vision-based control to be performed on-board and aims to reduce reliance on ground station communication. This unique airframe design combined with the Merlin “brain” gives Maveric the ability to operate and execute missions more effectively and surgically in more complex environments.
Sources: YouTube, Company Web Site