Blue Force Technologies (BFT) and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have successfully completed a ground test for a novel carbon fiber composite propulsion flow path system for BFT’s Fury uncrewed fighter under the AFRL Bandit program.
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“On an uncrewed fighter like Fury, proper integration of the propulsion flow path is the most significant design driver for the overall vehicle. It was crucial to us to demonstrate, prior to building flight test aircraft, that we could correctly predict the interaction between the propulsion flow path components and the Williams International engine,” said Scott Bledsoe, President of Blue Force Technologies.
The Fury has been developed under the AFRL Bandit program. The Fury is specifically designed to provide 5th-generation adversary air training for fighter crews at greatly reduced costs compared to current manned capabilities. When combined with autonomy, mission payloads, and sensors, the Fury is expected to greatly improve training for pilots and provide them with the opportunity to work with unmanned systems in a training environment.
The Small Business Innovation Research contract was awarded to Blue Force Technologies in March 2022. The 12-month effort will mature the vehicle design to a critical design level, perform engine ground testing, and validate the design of the engine installation under the technical guidance of AFRL subject matter experts. If options under this contract are exercised, BFT will complete the design and engineering tasks, produce up to four air vehicles, and complete initial flight testing.
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