Lockheed Martin Polecat
Polecat | |
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A picture of the Lockheed-Martin Polecat released at the Farnborough Airshow in 2006 | |
Role | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works |
First flight | 2005 |
Retired | December 18, 2006 |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | Lockheed Martin X-44 (UAV) |
Developed into | Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel |
The Lockheed Martin Polecat (company designation P-175) was an unmanned aerial vehicle by Lockheed Martin. It was developed by the company's Advanced Development Programs division in Palmdale, California.
Design and development[]
Designated P-175, the Polecat was funded internally by Lockheed Martin (as opposed to using United States Government funds) at the beginning of 2005. The prototype was unveiled at the 2006 Farnborough Airshow.[1][2] It was developed over a period of 18 months.[3]
On December 18, 2006, the aircraft crashed due to an "irreversible unintentional failure in the flight termination ground equipment, which caused the aircraft's automatic fail-safe flight termination mode to activate."[4]
Specifications[]
General characteristics
- Crew: 0
- Capacity: 1,000 lb (450 kg) of weapons or sensors
- Wingspan: 90 ft 0 in (27.44 m)
- Gross weight: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Williams FJ44-3E turbofan engines, 3,010 lbf (13.38 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Endurance: 4 hours
- Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
References[]
- ^ "Farnborough picture: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works releases picture of secret Polecat UAV." Flight International. July 19, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2013
- ^ "Aviation Week ShowNews Farnborough Day 4 E-zine." Aviation Week & Space Technology. July 20, 2006.
- ^ Butler, A. "Lockheed Unveils Secret Polecat UAV Design." Aviation Week & Space Technology. July 19, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ Trimble, S. "What Killed the Polecat?." Flightglobal.com. July, 2007.
Categories:
- Lockheed Martin aircraft
- 2000s United States experimental aircraft
- Unmanned military aircraft of the United States
- Twinjets
- Flying wings
- Unmanned stealth aircraft