Extendable Loitering Wing (ELW) based on Spacecraft Boom Technology Adaptation

An Extendable Loitering Wing (ELW) weapon is proposed in which a large flying wing lifting surface is deployed from a vehicle with a stored volume not much larger than LOCAAS. After weapon release, a tail-mounted parachute slows vertical descent such thatwing deployment occurs at low airspeed and high altitude (i.e. low dynamic pressure). After the parachute cord is cut the ELW pitches up to achieve best L/D and glides to the target area, providing significant standoff range (87 miles) and conserves fuelfor loitering. Upon reaching loitering altitude for the LADAR seeker (300 to 750 ft AGL), the reciprocating engine is started and the search pattern is established. The weapon has 12 hour endurance at 67 mph and a 750 meter wide scanning footprint,covering a 382 square mile area, more than ten times greater than LOCAAS (which has only 30 minute endurance).Key to this performance is an extremely lightweight and aerodynamically efficient deployable structure using low cost pultruded composites for deployable wing spars. The fundamental technology for the deployable spar has been used on numerous deployablespacecraft booms, and can be readily adapted to Loitering Weapon requirements using novel methods such as Shape Memory Alloy locking elements. Upon completion of Phase I, a detailed weapon aerodynamic and structural design and analysis will be generated. A full-scale wing deployable spar shall be fabricated. This structure will be used to demonstrate multiple deployment and retraction cycles toverify the robustness and reliability of the deployable structure. It shall then be proof loaded to assure that the structure has adequate safety margins for all flight conditions. Many military systems use deployable wing structures based on inflatablefabrics and rigid hinged structures. The proposed concept, once proven, would provide designers with another viable approach to developing a large wing from a small package. Markets could include easily transportable UAVs and long-range weapons. Sizescould be scaled down for man-portable