From The Archives: Brits' UCAV Out Of The Black

The cover story 20 years ago in Aviation Week for the issue dated February 20, 2006, detailed BAE Systems’ work on an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, called Raven, as part of a classified research program that originated in late 2003. 

Flight trials of the blended wing-body, low-observable design had begun on Dec. 17, 2003—100 years to the day since the Wright Brothers’ first flight—at the Woomera Range in Australia. 

BAE at the time also was involved with Rolls-Royce in further risk- reduction work on UCAV technology for the U.K. Defense Ministry. 

The Raven project was later superseded by the Taranis UCAV program. BAE Systems photo, with inset from SonicBlue Aerospace.

See the cover and read the full issue dated February 20 2006 | Aviation Week

Read the feature on page 34 Out Of The Shadows.

Read the feature article about The Future Of Military Propulsion on page 49.

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