This
is one of two models that came about as a result of my job. There is some back
story to the two models I’m submitting and I thought that they might make for
some interesting reading during Silly Week. I’m a long time reader of ARC and
this is my first submission. I’ve been building models of airplanes and
helicopters since I was in the 5th grade, hard to believe I’ve been
modeling for 26 years now. Normally I build 1/48 scale military aircraft of the
cold war era in my free time. Steve Bamford sounded a little worried when he
mentioned he only had one submission for Silly Week by December 30th.
Since I normally enjoy the results of all of Steve’s hard work I thought it
was time to help him out and send off my first submission.
I’m
a UAV pilot/mechanic by trade with a private company. In the spring of 2009 my
company sent me and my good friend and fellow co-worker Bronson Ignacio to a UAV
flight test course taught by American Aerospace Engineering (AAE). AAE is a
small aviation engineering consulting firm. The company is owned and the course
is taught by Mike Bartlett a former South African military test pilot and all
around great guy. Part of the syllabus involved designing a UAV around a
specific mission and writing a test plan for our designs. This gave us some
rudimentary exposure to aircraft design, aero performance engineering and the
opportunity to apply our newly acquired flight test skills. Again this was a
introductory course and in no way made us test pilots or engineers. What it did
was give us a set of skills that would allow us to be more effective members of
a UAV flight test team.
When
we graduated from the course Mike took CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawings of
our UAVs and ran them through a machine that can cut plastic sheets into the
shape of our designs. As an avid modeler this peaked my interest, I had no idea
that there were machines out there that could cut plastic into the shape of
something that I had drawn. A model builders dream! It was cool to get a
physical model of something I had designed. So here it, for your viewing
pleasure my MQ-10 Firebat UAV in 1/48 scale!
Here
are portions of the Aircraft Description section of my test plan to give you an
idea of the capabilities the Firebat would have…
The
MQ-10 Firebat will provide the user with an all weather ISR and covert light
strike capability. The Firebat will use a 23 pound EO/IR laser designator in a
gimbalized turret and the LAHAT missile to accomplish these missions. The LAHAT
(Laser Homing Attack or Laser Homing Anti-Tank) is a 29 pound semi active laser
homing low-weight anti-tank guided missile developed and manufactured by Israel
Aerospace Industries. Key features of this airframe that will ensure mission
success will include natural airframe stability for optimal ISR/weapons delivery
and a quiet engine to increase covert capability.
The
aircraft will have hard points to accommodate two 29 lb LAHAT munitions or two
external fuel tanks that will permit the aircraft to fly a 24 hour/ persistent
ISR mission. These hard points are each rated at 30 pounds each and will have
electrical connections for integration with future payload/drop tank
configurations. The engine will incorporate hush engine muffler technologies,
the engine will not exceed 60 decibels at cruise speed.
Performance:
120 mph maximum horizontal speed (for dashing to targets), cruise speed of 90
knots, 19,000 foot service ceiling,14 hour endurance on internal fuel, hard
points to accommodate two jettisonable external fuel tanks (each carry 20 lbs of
fuel to extend range/loiter time to a minimum of 24 hours), constant speed 3
bladed propeller, pitch changed driven by aircraft electrical system, flaps for
low speed approaches/landings/takeoffs. It will also be certified for land based
and shipboard operations.
Avionics/Safety:
GPS primary navigation system that will update and back up an INS that will
calculate heading and position when GPS fail, A line of sight communications
range of approximately 100 kilometers, TCA, GPWS , Transponder/IFF, Barometric
AIMS altimeter as well as GPS altitude, dual secure/digital video transmitters,
fixed forward pilot vision camera with 60 degree field of view – with EO and
Night Vision mode, Standard aircraft navigation and anti collision lights, one
IR landing light, one white landing light, digital aircraft to GCS comm,
ergonomically designed GCS incorporating standard cockpit
conventions/configuration and HOTAS type technology for simultaneous camera and
aircraft operation by one pilot/operator.
I
did not know that Mike Bartlett was going to get models made for us until he
presented them to us at graduation. As a model builder I would have loved to
have visited the company that has this magical model making machine.
Unfortunately time was not on my side. The whole idea of this machine turning my
designs into models was fascinating. I guess the price to cut a CAD design into
a plastic model was somewhere between $70 and $200 for 1/48 scale. I may have to
call Mike up and get some details on this company for future projects and maybe
swing by for a visit when I’m not on company time.
The
Build. As you can tell this is not a typical out of the box model. I guess you
would call this a modeling “rough draft”. It was formed by horizontally
stacking sheets of thin pressed plastic that are then cut by the machine. The
end result is a hunk of plastic that roughly resembles your design. Not award
winning but still interesting.
SIDE
NOTE: I learned in the Flight Test course the wing of the WWII era Spitfire is
an almost perfect aerodynamic design. As a result I took the basic shape of a
Spitfire wing and swept it back 18 degrees for the Firebat. I wanted this design
to be aerodynamically stable and I also needed enough sweep for the wing hook to
snag the recovery Skyhook rope.
Since
this is a one of kind model I did not want to get carried away with sanding and
scribing for fear of messing it up beyond repair/recognition. I decided to leave
the body as is and only to paint and decal it as accurately as possible. The
model was airbrushed with Model Master paints. The only new technique I tried
was to airbrush black lines to represent the ailerons, flaps and rudders. Not
the neatest line painting job but from a distance it makes for a nice effect. I
custom built the tail hook and the upper anti-collision light with styrene
plastic. On the belly I painted the hard points and closed landing gear doors a
darker gray. The decals are a combination of things from my binder with 26 years
worth of spare decal sheets. I used some leftovers from a 1/72 Predator for the
tail code, crew chiefs names, aircraft name (Snake Eyes) and tail hook warnings.
The USAF on the wing is from a 1/72 C-130 decal sheet and the national insignia
is from a 1/48 F-15E decal sheet. I nervously drilled a hole in the belly of
this one of kind model for mounting. I bought a wood dowel, finished wood plaque
and a can of glossy black paint from Hobby Lobby to make a display stand.
The
aircraft represents a UAV that would be owned and operated by the USAF at the 57th
Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada. I imagine that would be a good place
for the first few MQ-10 Firebats to be assigned so that the Air Force can
develop tactics and techniques for its newly acquired UAV.
One
of the hardest parts of designing a plane was coming up with a name for it. Just
about everything you can think of is already being used by something already
flying, be it manned or unmanned. After two hours of surfing the internet trying
to find a unique name I decided just to “borrow” one from a GI Joe toy I
owned as a kid. The Firebat was a little red jet that launched out the Cobra
Terror dome. Any kid who grew up in the 80’s will know what I’m talking
about. So maybe I should have named it the MQ-10 Firebat 2?
I
made this one for Bronson and will be shipping it to him after New Years. If it
survives the shipment it will look great on his bookshelf. If it doesn’t
survive at least we have some great pictures of it and hopefully a nice ARC
article to look at.
It
may not be award winning, but it is one of kind and it will make for some
interesting conversation. These fine custom painted UAV models can be yours for
$500.00. If you want us to make the actual UAVs for you add an additional
$30,000,000.00 (cash or money orders only). Happy New Year to all of you! Steve
Bamford thanks for all you do for us and our hobby! Comments are always welcome.
Mark Atkins
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