Even though the Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator made its first flight on Aug. 10, 2013, BAE Systems has just released the video. Named after the Celtic god of thunder, Taranis made its initial flight at the Woomera Test Range, Australia. The first flight was made under the command of Bob Fraser. During the test flight, the Taranis conducted a takeoff, rotation, climb out, and landing. The Taranis, jointly funded by the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation Systems, QinetiQ, and BAE Systems, is in many ways the U.K. version of the X-47B. Like the X-47B, Taranis is to serve as an aid to the Royal Air Force as they make decisions regarding the future of manned and unmanned aircraft.
The Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator made its maiden flight on Aug. 10, 2013, at the Woomera Test Range, Australia. The first flight was a milestone for a program that has seen one-and-a-half-million man hours of work put into it by the U.K.’s leading scientists, aerodynamicists, and systems engineers from 250 U.K. companies. BAE Systems photo