2. Lockheed Martin studies concepts for uninhabited fighters

The Naval Air Systems Command has been searching for uninhabited naval strike fighter concepts that would allow launching of aircraft from a variety of ships and submarines. It has enlisted Lockheed Martin (www.lockheedmartin.com) in its endeavors to define three of these concepts: a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) concept; a vertical attitude takeoff and landing (VATOL) concept; and a submarine-launched VATOL concept.

The study will consist of aircraft launch and recovery directly from decks, pads, or elevators and VATOL operations, which will use jet-powered and rocket-assisted lift to launch aircraft alongside the ship or off the stern. Both the VATOL and STOVL configurations will operate from various types of air-capable surface ships including destroyers, cruisers, small-deck amphibious ships, and carriers. The most revolutionary of these concepts is the VATOL configuration that will be launched from ballistic missile tubes of submarines and recovered by land or at sea. The uninhabited naval strike aircraft concepts will be configured for missions that will attack high-value fixed targets or suppress enemy air defenses within a range of 600 mi. These concepts will be used to identify required technologies for the further development and advancement of VATOL and STOVL designs.