Russia’s Meridian amphibious unmanned aircraft programme has completed a water test campaign using a dynamically representative subscale vehicle ahead of full-scale prototype manufacture.
Developer JSC Centre for Autonomous Robotic Systems (TsARS) said the trials assessed water landing characteristics, hydrodynamic behaviour during splashdown, and directional stability during surface operations.
Testing employed catapult-assisted launch conditions across multiple entry profiles. According to TsARS, measured loads, water-run performance, and vehicle behaviour correlated with analytical predictions and earlier laboratory towing trials.
The company reported stable planing characteristics across the assessed centre-of-gravity range and said the results will be incorporated into the configuration of the full-scale aircraft.
Meridian is being developed jointly by TsARS and Bauman Moscow State Technical University under a state-supported R&D programme. The aircraft is intended for unmanned logistics missions with a payload capacity of up to 700 kg and is designed to operate from prepared runways, unprepared surfaces, and water.
TsARS stated that production of major prototype assemblies is under way, with preliminary and certification testing to follow.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...