Kimaco Eclipse
| Kimaco Eclipse | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A Montesayettean Air and Space Force Eclipse D.1 in flight in 2011 | |
| General information | |
| Role | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle |
| National origin | Multinational |
| Manufacturer | Kimaco Group Aeronautics Systems |
| Service | |
| Number built | N/A |
| History | |
| First flight | 4 February 2011 |
| In service | 2023-present |
| Variations | Kimaco Celestia |
The Kimaco Eclipse is an Ecrosian multinational unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed and manufactured by Kimaco Group. Its main functionalities include penetrating protected airspace, and identifying targets for subsequent attacks. This tailless jet-powered blended-wing-body aircraft can operate semi-autonomously and refuel in mid-air. It incorporates an onboard flight computer equipped with predictive analytics, making it the first remotely piloted aircraft to possess such capabilities. In certain circumstances, the Eclipse can operate independently if the onboard flight computer has been pre-programmed to do so, particularly in situations where communication between the remote pilot and the drone is lost.
The development of the Eclipse began in 2001 when the Montesayettean Air and Space Force issued a request for proposal for the Apex Predator unmanned combat air system program. The initial technology demonstrator preceding the Eclipse conducted its first flight in 2003. Subsequently, prototypes of the Eclipse, an enlarged version of its predecessor, commenced flight tests in 2011. An even larger variant, the current iteration of Eclipse, took its inaugural flight in 2022 and was officially accepted into service by January 2023. Beyond the Eclipse, there have been various proposals and derivatives, including the Celestia, which is a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle designed for reconnaissance purposes. Additionally, there are carrier-based variants and even larger stealth versions intended for multirole combat applications.
Contents
Development
Design
Operational history
Variants
Operators
Current operators
Specifications
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
