Arcam AB fka AMAVF

[charlie T colton]

3D-printing the future of drones as Northrop Grumman hit TERN milestones

3D printing the future of drones as Northrop Grumman hit TERN milestones - November 29, 2016

The introduction:

DARPA’s futuristic drone-like ‘air system’ known as TERN has passed another milestone according to manufacturers Northrop Grumman. The Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node, or TERN, is a project being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). According to DARPA’s video, TERN is a ‘revolutionary medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) highly autonomous unmanned air system (UAS)’. Basically, the vehicle which is being developed for the US military can be seen as a hybrid of a helicopter and drone with capabilities to fly both vertically and horizontally.

DARPA recently performed a critical design review (CDR) in mid-October of the design’s General Electric engine. The GE engine will enable the drone to fly both vertically and horizontally. GE are rarely far from 3D printing news, not just for developing their 3D printing portfolio but also for repairing 3D printed engines with 3D printing. Naturally, the details of TERN’s engine have not been made public by DARPA but it may be fair to speculate that GE would have looked to use their latest developments with 3D printing in the project, especially given the value of 3D printing for making low volume or one-off complex components.



Visualization of the Tern in flight. Image via DARPA.



Tern Phase 3 Concept Video

Uploaded on Nov 14, 2016

Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), seeks to greatly increase the effectiveness of forward-deployed small-deck ships such as destroyers and frigates by enabling them to serve as mobile launch and recovery sites for specially designed unmanned air systems (UASs). DARPA last year awarded Phase 3 of Tern to a team led by the Northrop Grumman Corporation to build a full-scale technology demonstration system. The program has since made significant advances on numerous fronts, including commencement of wing fabrication and completion of successful engine testing for its test vehicle, and DARPA has tasked Northrop Grumman with building a second test vehicle.

Tern envisions a new medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS that could operate from helicopter decks on smaller ships in rough seas or expeditionary settings while achieving efficient long-duration flight. To provide these and other previously unattainable capabilities, the Tern Phase 3 design is a tailsitting, flying-wing aircraft with a twin contra-rotating, nose-mounted propulsion system. The aircraft would lift off like a helicopter and then perform a transition maneuver to orient it for wing-borne flight for the duration of a mission. Upon mission completion, the aircraft would return to base, transition back to a vertical orientation, and land. The system is sized to fit securely inside a ship hangar for maintenance operations and storage.