DARPA NEWS & EVENTS
ANCILLARY Autonomous Vertical Takeoff & Landing Aircraft
Defining Possible in next generation VTOL uncrewed aircraft systems
Long endurance, autonomous vertical takeoff and landing aircraft design for DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Northrop Grumman to develop an initial design for its AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) X-Plane program capable of operating from a moving Navy ship at sea.
As an unmatched leader in the design and development of innovative autonomous solutions, Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft and long-endurance uncrewed aircraft systems, we are uniquely qualified to develop DARPA’s ANCILLARY VTOL X-Plane demonstrator and advance the next generation of autonomous VTOL military aircraft.
Designing a next gen military vehicle for the warfighter community
Northrop Grumman will lead a collaborative team, leveraging Leigh Aerosystems’ VTOL unmanned aircraft system, along with Near Earth Autonomy, to meet project goals and transition an affordable near-term capability to the warfighter community.
Northrop Grumman's ANCILLARY design is a cost-efficient, multiple-mission capable vehicle built on an agile platform that will not rely on complex launch and recovery infrastructure. It meets DARPA’s challenging performance objectives, weighs no more than 330 pounds, and can be deployed and retrieved anytime or anywhere with no special infrastructure, including ship-based operations.
Our vertical lift aircraft also performs intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR/T) missions, employing artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled automated targeting capability. It supports expeditionary and special operations missions, as well as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore logistical missions with significant affordability benefits for delivery of critical parts and supplies.
