Northrup Songster Tactical UCAV
  The Northrup Songster Tactical Support Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle is a tilt-wing airplane used for precision and battlefield attack. Designed for high temp action, the Songster is a well armed and armored UAV. Using their experience with the UD-4L, Northrup engineers developed the Songster along those lines. Instead of keeping the inefficient vectored thrust with pusher engine configuration, Northrup engineers went with the tilt-wing rotor design. This also allows the vehicle to land in tight areas, or work within a confined environment due to it’s VTOL capability. This is highly praised on the battlefield, and is one of the main selling points of the design: Maneuverability.
  The main flight configuration of the Songster is a simple tilt-wing layout with trinary wings serving as mounts for the deployable weapons pods. Flight control is handled by fly-by-wire systems and the "butterfly" arrangement of the tail and tailplane sections. These sections provide most of the lift, providing smooth transition from hover to flight, as well as keeping the platform stable, and counterbalancing the trinary wings weight. A coating of Radar Absorbing Materials is also mounted in this area to prevent the region from becoming a radar trap. Power is provided by two Northrup Engines Division Allison TF-35A turboprops, with cold air blowers to reduce the thermal output of the engines. The rotor blades have been designed to create as little noise as standard engines, giving the Songster added stealth capabilities. Some stealth shaping has been provided, but the Signature is still comparable with other UAVs in service today. Landing gear is like the UD-4L, with two landing pads on each side of the fuselage, with a massive rear skid on the rear. The main gear retracts flush with the load points for the undercarriage and the rear skid retracts flush under the rear butterfly tail section.
  The Songsters electronics suite is security grade only, despite the role it plays. This does not hamper the plane, and is considered adequate for this drone. Also installed is security grade ECM and ECCM, providing electronic protection of the vehicle. Mounted in a micro turret is a laser designator for use of it’s armament and to provide illumination for other friendly units. This also incorporates direct view optics for positive identification of a target. It features full night vision with thermographic capability, as well as flash compensators for protection. This can be downloaded on a secure datalink for recon missions where pictures count. Added to this is the IPA Clearsight Autosoft program, to prevent fuzzy images when it’s critical. With the new Battletac FDDM Receiver, the Songster also has the capability to engage targets it cannot see, providing efficient target acquisition and destruction. Added to this is threat avoidance software when the drone is on it’s own. This allows the Songster to avoid threats when the UCAV is on it’s own.
  To effectively perform it’s job, the Songster contains a wide variety of weapons systems on efficiently designed weapons stations. The main armament of the Songster is the M34 Medium Machine Gun mounted on a retractable turret on the aircraft’s belly. The weapon drops down below the fuselage when in flight, and hover modes as well. The turret is designed to be used in all flight regimes, even with the propeller blades forward. The turret can traverse 360 degrees with the landing gear retracted, and can elevate from +10 to -40. When the gear is deployed, traverse is limited to 45 degrees to either side. Elevation of the gun is impossible, but depression is limited to -30. The forward mounted turret is slaved with the movement of the gun, allowing the pilot or rapidly acquire and provide illumination if the UCAV is operating in a restricted environment. Mounted inside the static load points for the landing gear are deployable launchers for self defense AAMs. These are usually modified Saeder-Krupp Model 404 Surface to Air Missiles (equivalent to the Generic SAM in SSC). This can also accept similarly modified missiles, providing flexibility for the Songster. Mounted mid-wing is a hardpoint for any heavy weapon or weapon pod. One of the principal weapons developed for the Songster is the Saeder-Krupp Model 408 fire and forget ATGM. This also incorporates a radar seeker combined with a laser seeker for the indirect fire mode. With the FDDM Receiver, the Songster can download targets that are being designated. Software in the missile will lock on the target when in view, providing unequaled battlefield lethality. Like the turret and all other weapon systems mounted on the Songster, all have been designed to be used in all flight regimes, preventing anyone from getting a drop on the UCAV. The most interesting feature of the Songster is the use of cross folding weapons pods mounted behind the main wing. This arrangement does reduce it’s stealth capabilities to some degree, but Northrup designers did not see stealth as the major concern in the design. The normal armament is a six cell Ballista launcher pod. This can be replaced with other weapons pods, providing high flexibility for any mission anytime. A future design element is to allow the removal of the main pods, allowing other systems to be installed, providing an excellent growth capability unmatched on today’s battlefield.

  Handling | Speed | Accel. | B/A | Signature | Pilot | Cost
  2 | 200 | 20 | 4/6 | 7 | 5 | 1,278,500¥

  Cargo: 1 CF
  Load: 300 kg
  Fuel: Jet (160 liters)
  Economy: 0.6 (Idle: 15min/liter)
  L/T Profile: VTOL
  Setup/Breakdown Time: 10 minutes
  Sensors: Security I (5)
  ECM/ECCM: Security I (ECM)/Security I (5)
  ED/ECD: Security I (5)/Security I (5)
  Armament: pop-up mini turret with MMG with 600 belted rounds. Deployable missile packs on static load points with two launchers for AVMs, AVRs, SAMs, or HEMs. One hardpoint per wing with 2 CF storage. Cross folding trinary wings with modular weapons pod. Standard armament is 12 x Ballista missiles with Laser Designators.
  Other Features: Remote Control Interface, Rigger Adaptation, Learning Pool (Threat Avoidance), Signature Improvement (1, Aural Masking), RAM (1), micro remote turret with laser designator, Battletac FDDM Receiver, IPA ClearSight Autosoft.
  Return to Home Page.
  Comments?
  Me.
  Fresh Productions, 1997