The Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), which is considered the advanced technologies development unit of the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), is preparing to produce the UAVs of the future by choosing the XBSGSG proposal among many projects. New UCAVs will use designs that have not been tried to date. It is also stated that UCAVs, which will be ready for flight in 2026, can take off from anywhere and “fly as fast as an airplane.”
AGREEMENT HAS BEEN MADE WITH TWO COMPANIES
Defense One, the US-based international defense publication, announced that DAPRA signed an agreement with two aviation companies for the construction of super UAVs. Super UAVs, which have high speed and can take off vertically from any runway, will be produced by Aurora and Bell Textron companies, which are subsidiaries of aviation giant Boeing. The UCAVs, which will be produced within the scope of the super UCAV program called ‘SPRINT’ by DARPA, will also have the features of “taking off from anywhere like a helicopter” and “flying as fast as an airplane”.
WILL BE PRODUCED AGAINST CHINA
The new UAVs will be primarily delivered to the Air Force Special Operations Command and will be deployed to military bases in the Pacific Ocean against China. is also among the information shared by defense sources. It is also aimed for the new super UAVs to be able to operate in a very wide area such as the Pacific Ocean and to have a maneuverability that will not make them an easy target.
FAN WINGS
The super UAV named ‘Bell Sprint It is also stated that the SİHA will have a speed of more than 740 km per hour. A subsidiary of Boeing Among the innovations brought by the ‘X-Plane’ concept developed by Aurora, there are four retractable fans on the wings of the UCAV. The company also claims that the vehicle can move faster than 833 km per hour, thanks to the fans that add maneuverability and additional speed to the UCAV.
THEY WILL TAKE OFF VERTICALLY FROM SHIPS
According to the information shared by The Defense Post, another US-based global defense publication, DARPA’s super UAV project includes a total of six separate unmanned aerial vehicles. Among these tools There are also UCAVs that can take off vertically from all sea vehicles and travel as far as a warplane, such as the ‘VTOL Plane’ produced by Northrop Grumman and the ‘HEX’ UCAV produced by Sikorsky. Among the details shared by Pentagon sources is that Super UAVs can take off vertically without needing any additional equipment or special infrastructure.
FIRST FLIGHT IN 2026
It is also expected that the super UAVs to be developed will operate in all land and sea conditions. According to information obtained from sources, the Pentagon expects the 6 companies it has reached an agreement with to make their super UAVs ready for the first demonstration within 10 months. Within the agreements It is also requested that UCAVs complete their first flight tests by the beginning of 2026 and be ready for mass production in the same year.
IT IS KEPT LIKE A SECRET
Publications emphasize that only certain features of the super UAVs included in DARPA’s ‘SPRINT’ program are shared. All information about the electronic systems, digital software, ammunition, weapons they will use, what kind of composite materials they will be made of and their weight are kept secret.
