Scaled Composites Proteus

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Scaled Composites Proteus
Proteus in flight
Type: Experimental airplane
Design country:

United StatesUnited States United States

Manufacturer:

Scaled composites

First flight:

July 26, 1998

Number of pieces:

1

The Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus is a privately financed twin- jet jet aircraft with tandem wing , named after the Greek deity Proteus , which enables experiments with different payloads to be carried out at great heights.

more details

The aircraft was designed and built by Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites . It has a wingspan of 23.65 meters, which can be extended up to 28 meters with removable wing tips.

Proteus can be considered one of the forerunners of the White Knight carrier aircraft . Currently owned by aircraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman , it is used by the United States Department of Defense and NASA as a research and altitude platform for unmanned robotic aircraft.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 2 (1 pilot, 1 payload operator)
length 17.10 m
Rear wingspan 23.6 m (28 m with removable wing tips)
Front wingspan 16.6 m (19.70 m with removable wing tips)
height 5.30 m on the chassis
payload 816 to 3293 kg (depending on the task)
Empty mass 2676 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 5669 kg (7166 kg for military use)
speed 350 km / h in 6000 m, 518 km / h in 15,000 m,
Mach 0.42 as cruising speed
Climb performance 30 m / s at 3600 kg, 17 m / s at 5669 kg
Service ceiling up to 19,800 m with 3175 kg, 17,700 m with 5669 kg
Takeoff route 762 m
Flight duration up to 18 h, depending on the payload and height
Fuel capacity 2720 ​​kg (in the fuselage and in wing tanks)
Engines 2 × Williams Research / Rolls-Royce FJ44-2 turbofans with 10.23 kN thrust each

See also

literature

  • Mark Broadbent: Shape-shifter - Proteus . In: AIR International April 2019, pp. 84–87

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Refueling drones: 12 meters away at a height of 14 kilometers - Article on Golem.de , from April 15, 2019
  2. ↑ Mark Broadbent: AIR International April 2019, p. 87