AQM-34 Lightning Bug vs. MQ-4C Triton
The development of
Unmanned Aerospace Systems (UASs) has closely paralleled that of manned
aviation since the Wright brothers first flew in 1903. UAS platform design generally consisted of a
fuselage, wings/tail, and a propulsion system.
Depending upon the intended purpose, each UAS may also have been designed
to accommodate a specific payload or suite of payloads. This paper will compare and contrast the
AQM-34 Lightning Bug designed by the Ryan Aircraft Company in the 1950s and the
MQ-4C Triton designed by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in the 2000s. The irony with this compare/contrast is that
the Ryan Aircraft Company was eventually acquired by the Northrop Grumman
Corporation in “1999” (Northrop Grumman Corporation, 2013a, Teledyne Ryan
Aeronautical).
Both UASs were designed
specifically for long-range, high-speed, intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance missions (Barnhart, Shappee, & Marshall, 2011; Northrop
Grumman Corporation, 2013b). Additionally,
each UAS was designed to fly at very high altitudes; in excess of 50,000 feet (Barnhart,
Shappee, & Marshall, 2011; Northrop Grumman Corporation, 2013b). Finally, each UAS was designed with a turbojet
propulsion system (Barnhart, Shappee, & Marshall, 2011; Northrop Grumman
Corporation, 2013b).
The main differences
between the AQM-34 Lightning Bug and the MQ-4C Triton are the size and
launch/recovery methods. The AQM-34
Lightning Bug consisted of several variations with a length of 26 feet to 30
feet, a wingspan of 13 feet to 32 feet, and a weight of 3,065 pounds to 6,200
pounds (Parsch, 2003). The AQM-34
Lightning Bug was launched from the ground with a rocket assisted takeoff or released
from the wing of an airborne aircraft such as a C-130 (Parsch, 2003). At the end of the mission the Lightning Bug
was recovered via a parachute descent (Parsch, 2003).
The MQ-4C Triton is a
much larger UAS with a length of 48 feet, a wingspan of 131 feet, and a gross
weight of over 32,000 pounds (Northrop Grumman Corporation, 2013b). Based upon the figures provided by Parsch
(2003) for the Lightning Bug and Northrop Grumman Corporation (2013b) for the Triton,
the Triton UAS is approximately 1.5 times longer, has 4 times the wingspan, and
weights 5 times as much as the Lightning Bug.
Finally, the MQ-4C Triton takes-off and lands in the conventional
fashion via a rolling start and stop from an improved runway surface (Northrop
Grumman Corporation, 2013b).
Design changes that
occurred as the UASs were developed followed typical patterns of the manned
aviation industry. Namely, improvements
in composite material manufacturing produced structural materials that are
lighter and stronger than the typical metal fabrication processes of the
1950s. Additionally, the miniaturization
of electronic components permitted the incorporation of multiple sensor suites
within the same airframe such as the MQ-4C Triton. Future design improvements will most likely follow
along these lines. According to
Barnhart, Shappee, and Marshall (2011); “The size of many platforms will become
smaller driven mostly by advances in materials and processing technology. Each evolution of electronics technology
allows designers to build in more capability into smaller spaces. (p.
186). Additional UAS design improvements
envisioned by the author for future platforms include the incorporation of
aerial refueling systems to extend UAS range and voice command technology to
improve the human-machine interface.
References
Barnhart, R. K., Shappee, E., & Marshall, D. M.
(2011). Introduction to unmanned aircraft
systems. London, UK: CRC Press.
Northrop Grumman Corporation. (2013a). Northrop Grumman: Our heritage.
Retrieved from http://www.northropgrumman.com/AboutUs/OurHeritage/Pages/default.aspx
Northrop Grumman Corporation. (2013b). Triton. Retrieved from http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/Triton/Pages/default.aspx
Parsch, A. (2003). Directory of U.S. military rockets and missiles: AQM/BQM/MQM/BGM-34.
Retrieved from http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-34.html
