It's not easy to pull such a time off, but the Lockheed Fury does it

May 17, 2014 07:09 GMT  ·  By

Aircraft are some of the most complicated and important parts of human transportation and military applications, which means that someone is always working on improvements. Lockheed Martin has just revealed the latest advancement.

This time around, we're not getting some new boost to airplane travel time or comfort, or even something cool for human military pilots.

Instead, Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force are introducing a new unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV for short.

UAVs are essentially airplane-shaped drones that get launched through a variety of means, and are kept in the air through a mix of remote control technology and autopilot.

They are most often used for reconnaissance, but can carry and drop payloads or supplies too, when the situation calls for it.

Unfortunately, they have a certain problem: due to the small size compared to manned planes and, consequently, the low fuel tanks, these things can't last for long in the air.

The Lockheed Fury 1500 can go for over half a day though, specifically 15 hours, which is a lot.

The Fury 1500 is based on the Fury UAS and is meant for intelligence gathering, surveillance and recon tasks.

It is made to be deployed by ground forces in less than favorable or known areas, which means it doesn't need a runway.

Instead, it can be sent into the air using a pneumatic launcher, like the one in the picture up there. Not exactly something you can cart around in, say, a forest, but will do nicely for a remote base.

The air drone uses JP8 fuel. The motor produces 2KW of power, which drives a three-blade rotor located at the rear. The top height is of 18,000 feet / 5.48 kilometers and the top distance that can be traveled just by exploiting air currents is of 1,700 miles / 2,700 kilometers.

Infrared and EO sensors are used to scan while in flight, and the Fury 1500 can fly circles above relevant sites for 15-16 hours without needing a refuel.

All the while, the encampment can receive real-time footage or be remotely piloted thanks to STANAG 4586 SharkFin mission management software, though autonomous operation is also an option. Finally, drone recovery is done either by letting it land in a body of water, or with a net.

All in all, the Lockheed Fury 1500 is a more than competent weapon of war. Too bad there's still a need for such things.