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Long Discarded VTOL Concepts Revived in Unmanned Systems

September 21st, 2010

The V-STAR mock-up designed by Colorado-based Frontline Aerospace was displayed in booth 1435. Sized at full-scale in the same category as the AD-150, the V-STAR would be powered by two Rolls-Royce Model 250 engines. The engines drive one ducted fan in the centre of the V-shaped fuselage for vertical lift and an aft-mounted ducted fan for horizontal thrust. A diamond box wing is incorporated to provide lift without interfering with the ducted fan installed inside the fuselage. Frontline's V-STAR is designed for the emerging requirement for an autonomous resupply capability, says company founder Ryan Wood. The company has flown a quarter-scale model.

At Robot Show, Future of Warfare is on Display

September 7th, 2010

Frontline Aerospace, another small aerospace firm, brought a mock-up of its V-STAR™ aircraft to the show, a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicle with an unusual diamond-box wing with ducted fan lift and forward flight propulsion—fancraft. "We think we have the better mousetrap," Ryan Wood, the company's president and CEO, told AOL News. The aircraft could be used for supplying troops, or be easily reconfigured to carry weapons or spy sensors.

Frontline Aerospace Unveils IsoCool & V-STAR™ UAS Flight Results

August 25th, 2009

Frontline Aerospace, Inc., announced a breakthrough engine modification for the Rolls-Royce Model 250 gas turbine code-named IsoCool – for isothermal cooling and associated V-STAR Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) subscale flight test results. "Our patent-pending IsoCool and our MicroFire products create a powerful combination for the Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine, a common engine in the UAS marketplace in addition to having the largest installed base of helicopters in the world, said Ryan S. Wood, CEO."

AUVSI: Frontline V-STAR™ has 1min maiden flight

August 25th, 2009

By Rob Coppinger

Denver based-Frontline Aerospace flew its prototype unmanned air vehicle for the first time in Colorado on 9 August for 1min, with its next test planned for early 2010 when a lift fan will be incorporated.

The prototype uses an electric motor ducted fan and has a mass of 41lb, including its maximum payload of 12lb, and is to be offered as a product that will compete in the small tactical class, against the likes of the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle. The lift fan to be added is 5.5in in diameter. The prototype is remote controlled and its autonomous systems are under development. Frontline is also looking to use a proton exchange membrane type fuel cell using liquid hydrogen to increase its endurance.

A hot idea for RR 250 could cut fuel burn by 40%

February 22nd, 2009

by Harry Weisberger

Savings of up to 40 percent on jet fuel for the Rolls-Royce 250 turbine-engine family? That is the prospect offered by Frontline Aerospace, said company CEO Ryan Wood in describing an emerging aviation technology called gas turbine recuperation.

Frontline's patent-pending product, MicroFire, extracts waste heat from turbine- engine exhaust gases and injects it into air passing from compressor to combustor. The result of hotter air entering the combustion process is greater energy release per unit of fuel burned. Wood explained that until now turbine recuperators, though proven in land-based applications like power generation plants, have been too heavy and bulky for aviation use....

V-STAR™ Tactical UAV - Engineering TV

August 4th, 2008

The V-STAR™ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) offers next-generation solutions for frontline military logistics and related multi-role endurance missoins. Providing commanders with a VTOL-Swift Tactical Aerial Resource – V-STAR™ provides vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), transitioning to fixed-wing flight and able to reach mission areas up to three times faster than helicopters. Dubbed the "HUMVEE of the air," the vehicle's unique modular payload allows for rapid change out in the field – one minute providing troops with ammo, food, water and fuel – and the next minute providing tactical reconnaissance, communications and close combat support.

More >> V-STAR™ VIDEO

'Flying HUMVEE' Designed to Autonomously Deliver Supplies

August 1st, 2008

Unmanned aircraft can hover, land like a helicopter. It's expected to have the functionality of a helicopter but be much faster, making Frontline Aerospace's "flying Humvee" the next wave of unmanned aircraft. "It's very quick and quiet," said Ryan Wood, Frontline Aerospace Inc.'s chief executive. The private Broomfield-based company was formed in September 2007 and is in the midst of producing its VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) Swift Tactical Aerial Resource in addition to working on its other major product, the MicroFire. Dubbed the V-STAR™, or flying Humvee, the tactical resource uses Frontline's MicroFire technology to increase its fuel efficiency by mixing hot exhaust air with compressed air before combustion....

What's New in UAVs: Better Engines, Morphed Wings

June 30th, 2008

At the AUVSI unmanned systems show earlier this week, it was interesting to note all the interest in engine technology for UAVs. ... Another interesting development came from Frontline Aerospace, Inc. with its V-STAR™ UAV. The V-STAR™ employs morphing wing technology in the form of extensions at the end of its wings that flip up to handle slow flight conditions. So far the craft is only a concept, and there is some pooh-poohing about it from the aviation press because the company is a start-up. But there is a 50% scale demonstrator under construction that should be ready next year.

More >> PDF

VTOL UAV To Become the HMMWV of the Sky

June 29th, 2008

Frontline Aerospace, Inc., unveiled at AUVSI 2008 a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft configuration called V-STAR™. The company is implementing this design concept in a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, associated with the MicroFire gas turbine fuel-efficiency technology also developed by the company. ... The system is extracting heat from the engine through counter-flow heat recuperator, transferring heat from the exhaust air back to the compressed engine air before combustion. Such implementations could double the overall thermal efficiency of the engine. The 50 pound MicroFire system is designed for improved durability and reliability of such system at low specific weight, improving fuel consumption as much as 40% with low pressure drop and low power loss.

Half-Scale V-STAR™ Could Fly Next Year

June 23rd, 2008

Design Intended to Resupply Troops on Battlefield. A half-scale demonstrator of a ducted fan vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle called the VTOL Swift Tactical Aerial Resource (VSTAR) could be flying next year, according to its developer. Using two Rolls-Royce Model 250 series II C20B turboshaft engines, a diamond box wing and a ducted pusher propeller, the full-size VSTAR could cruise at 15,000ft (4,500m) and 288kt (155 km/h) and have a range of 1,045km (565nm), says Colorado-based Frontline Aerospace. The design is intended to resupply troops on the battlefield with ammunition, water and food, with a maximum payload of 180kg (400lb).