NASA GL-10 Greased Lightning
Hybrid diesel-electric tiltwing UAV with VTOL and 24-hour loiter.
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The NASA GL-10 Greased Lightning is a hybrid diesel-electric tiltwing unmanned aerial vehicle developed by NASA. It is notable for its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability, which eliminates the need for launch catapults or landing catch mechanisms, and for its ability to transition between vertical and horizontal flight.
Background
The GL-10 Greased Lightning is a tiltwing unmanned aircraft that uses a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system. Its wing carries eight electric motor-driven propellers, while the horizontal stabilizer has two. In the planned full-scale version, power is generated by two 6 kW diesel engines that charge lithium-ion batteries.
The propellers on the leading edge of the wing provide high-speed flow and lift even at low forward velocity, giving pitch, roll, and yaw control authority during the critical transition from hover to forward flight. The propellers are designed for a relatively low tip speed, resulting in a marked reduction in noise. The aircraft performed transitions between vertical and horizontal flight in 2015.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: NASA GL-10 Greased Lightning (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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