Jump to content
  • Fly In My Soup
    Fly In My Soup

    Meet the 200bhp jet powered quad-copter....

     

    The current AB5 JetQuad prototype has a claimed top speed of 250 mph (402 km/h)
    The current AB5 JetQuad prototype has a claimed top speed of 250 mph (402 km/h)
    VIEW 3 IMAGES

    While propeller planes certainly do have their place, sometimes the extra speed and thrust of a jet engine is what's really needed. Dallas, Texas-based FusionFlight has applied that sort of thinking to quadcopter-style drones, resulting in the AB5 JetQuad.

    Instead of the usual four electric motors and propellers, the current prototype has four diesel-powered microturbine jet engines which produce a combined 200 horsepower (149 kW) at full throttle. Thanks to a proprietary vectoring system known as the H-Configuration, the thrust from these engines can be directed either to move the drone vertically when taking off and landing, or horizontally while in flight.

    The AB5 JetQuad measures 4 ft L X 4 ft W X 2 ft H (1.2 by 1.2 by 0.6 m)
     
    The AB5 JetQuad measures 4 ft L X 4 ft W X 2 ft H (1.2 by 1.2 by 0.6 m)

    The production version of the aircraft will reportedly have a top speed of over 300 mph (483 km/h), with one fill of its 5-gallon (19-l) fuel tank being good for 30 minutes of hovering or 15 minutes of cruising. Down the road, the addition of components such as afterburners could boost its speed considerably.

    It will carry a maximum payload of 40 lb (18 kg), with cargo being either attached to the drone itself or dangled on a line underneath – the company states that the cargo won't be blasted by the engines in the latter configuration, as the thrust is never vectored straight below the AB5. The drone itself weighs a claimed 50 lb (23 kg), with a full tank of fuel adding another 40 lb.

    The AB5 has a theoretical altitude limit of over 30,000 ft (9,144 m)
     
    The AB5 has a theoretical altitude limit of over 30,000 ft (9,144 m)

    FusionFlight CEO Alexander Taits tells us that the AB5 may be on the market by 2021, priced somewhere between US$200,000 and $250,000 depending on the model. Potential buyers are likely to be putting a premium on speed and power.

    "The jet engines can put out significantly more power then electrically-driven propellers and also allow the vehicle to travel at much higher speeds," says Taits. "Diesel fuel, on a pound-for-pound basis, stores 40 times more energy then any lithium-type battery and also will take minutes to refuel instead of the hours it takes to recharge an electrical drone."

    You can see the prototype taking off and hovering, in the following video.

    jetquad-db5

     


     




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Interesting - reminds me of the Harrier which managed with a single, albeit complex, engine.  Of course the harrier needed elevators, ailerons and a rudder for most vectoring in forward flight.  

     

    Makes you wonder, considering the weight and cost, why these guys didn't use two engines and some other method for control whilst in forward flight.  Presumably it's USP is speed, not necessarily  the hyper maneuverability that a regular 4 engine quad has.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    As capri boy stated similar to the harrier but with 4 engines.

    With the thrust vectoring of all 4 engines independently when flown correctly this thing could out maneuver anthing else in the air...
    I.E barrel roll while flipping on its axis.

    Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    Loading...

  • Latest Articles

    By Tug, in Reviews,

    By Nick, in Interviews,

    By Nick, in Reviews,

    By Nick, in Reviews,

×
×
  • Create New...