WESTLANT23 MOJAVE GA ASI - Recent trials report
"More on update on the Mojave trials carried out on PWLS.
Below is a link to an article by GA ASI themselves on the trial.
Some interesting points;
*Mojave, a medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft derived from the company’s highly successful Gray Eagle. With a different engine, wings, control surfaces and landing gear, Mojave had been built to need less ground roll for takeoff and landing, as well as operate from rough or unimproved surfaces. (Some parts from the MQ9B as well).
*Even though HMS Prince of Wales has an inclined ramp at its bow to help its jets power into the air on takeoff, Mojave wouldn’t need that. Rather than driving the aircraft to a conventional starting position and then running straight down the normal launch axis of the carrier, Mojave could take off in a run from the stern at an angle toward the left – or as sailors say, port – side of the flight deck.
*Mojave’s pilots would need to be situated on the ship. So GA-ASI engineers built a ground control station on the back of a truck bed and drove it at speeds similar to those used by the Prince of Wales when it’s underway at sea for flight operations.
*100 real-life takeoff and landing cycles at a company test facility, as well as new software for the aircraft, the engineering team achieved a smooth process of execution and developed great confidence in their ability to take the Mojave from land to sea.
*The ship’s flight controllers talked on the radio to Mojave’s pilot as though he were onboard the aircraft, even though he was sitting at his instruments in a different part of the ship. After the flight, the ship recovered the aircraft as expected, just as it would any other in its air wing.
*Mojave’s successful test aboard HMS Prince of Wales has shown what’s possible and where new aircraft could lead; Royal Navy leaders already say they are thinking about what will come next.
What follows will hopefully be interesting and useful to innovating further UK carrier Aviation and support needs.
See -
https://www.ga-asi.com/mojave-uas-carri ... IMo4GMslI8