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A Real UFO |
R. W. Stuart This little flyer is saucer shaped, an inverted bed pan with a rather large hole through the middle. and about 20 inches thick in the body with a 78 inch diameter. It has been seen in Stratford, Conn. and in Ft Benning , Ga. It is not an Unidentified Flying Object, but is better called an Unusual Flying Object. It is the product of Sikorsky Aircraft engineering and has been evaluated by the military at the Ft. Benning Antisniper Concepts Facility. The 250 pound machine, called Cypher, can range 20 miles or so and stay airborne up to 2.5 hours; is capable of slow or hovering flight and can peer into windows, using TV cameras, and softly land on a building roof. A pair of counter-rotating rigid propellers provide lift when powered by a 52 hp rotary engine- the approximate size and weight of a lawnmower engine, and no torque prop or boom is required. A three legged beam structure supports the power system inside the donut and the shroud protects the rotors from external objects as well as improving rotor efficiency. Advanced software, by Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman, provides Cypher with exceptional autonomy. One test, to locate and trail a solitary soldier walking in a field, required only two orders from the operators to the craft- one command to take off and a second command, issued after Cypher had found and trailed the man, which told the craft to return. The builders emphasize that the real beauty of the machine is that it can fly low and slow- up and down narrow streets while hovering when needed. It might make a real project for a truly dedicated RC developer. |
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