Il Transformer della Darpa could be operational within two years. THE'Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System o ARES, was built by Lockheed Martin (software) with Essington Piasecki Aereo (hardware) thanks to a contract signed by DARPA for a value of 77 million dollars.
Ares is a tiltrotor that can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. The fuselage will be able to transport various payloads to troops on the battlefield.
To lift its payload, the load module plus the fuel weighs three thousand pounds (1.360 kg), the demonstrator will be powered by two Honeywell Aerospace HTS900 helicopter engines capable of delivering 989 horsepower. The transmission is very similar to that of the Sikorsky CH-53E helicopter.
According to the specifications, Ares will have to reach a top speed of 170 knots at 20.000 feet, with a mission radius of around 175 miles. Lockheed Martin and Piasecki Aereo are working on a variant that can reach 250 nodes with a mission radius similar to the V-22 Osprey.
Ares' first flight is scheduled for next autumn, a couple of weeks after the flight of the new V-280 Market, convertiplane of Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky-Boeing.
(image: Lockheed Martin)
