Scaled Composites ARES

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scaled Composites ARES
Scaled Composites ARES 151
Type:
Design country:

United StatesUnited States United States

Manufacturer:

Scaled composites

First flight:

19th February 1990

Number of pieces:

1

The aircraft Scaled Composites ARES ( english A gile R esponsive e ffective S upport ) was described by Burt Rutan developed and Scaled Composites manufactured. At Scaled Composites it is listed as Model 151 . The first flight was carried out on February 19, 1990 by Doug Shane.

History and construction

Development began in 1981 at the request of the US Army for a small, cheap ground attack aircraft that could provide air support with great endurance in the lower airspace and could be used from unprepared runways. The entire machine should be designed so simply that repairs can be carried out directly in the field. Originally, a turboprop machine with a pusher propeller was planned. A 30 mm cannon should serve as armament. Scales Composites then decided to build a demonstration machine with its own resources, but it was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D -5 jet engine . The machine is armed with a GAU-12 / U-25 mm Gatling cannon . Because of the relatively large cannon, Burt Rutan chose an asymmetrical design. The air inlet is on the left and the cannon muzzle on the right side of the fuselage, so that powder fumes and muzzle flash are prevented from being sucked in. In addition, the thrust tube is inclined to compensate for the recoil. The aircraft has canards to ensure maneuverability at low speeds.

In November 1991, operational tests were carried out by the US Air Force, which were successfully completed. A total of 250 flight hours were accumulated. The machine is still ready for use and can be used for flight tests.

The only prototype was shown in the film Stahlerne Adler III as the Messerschmitt Me 263 .

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 1
length 8.97 m
span 10.67 m
height 3.0 m
Wing area 17.49 m²
Empty mass 1308 kg
Takeoff mass 2767 kg
Top speed 763 km / h
Engines 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D -5 with 13.14 kN thrust
Armament 1 × 25 mm cannon, bombs or missiles

Web links

Commons : Scaled Composites ARES  - collection of images, videos and audio files