Firebird UAV drone in FAM markings (What if)
A speculative dressing for a prototype drone
- ölçek:
- 1:72
- durum:
- Tamamlanan
- Başlatılan:
- January 15, 2021
- Tamamlanan:
- January 30, 2021
- Harcanan zaman:
- 30 hours
The Northrop Grumman Firebird is primarily an intelligence gathering aircraft with the capacity for manned and unmanned flight. It is also called an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV). It was conceived by Northrop’s Scaled Composite design team derived from Burt Rutan drawings. Although still not in production, the Firebird tested capacities to fly up to 40 hours at a top speed of 230 mph (370 km/h) at an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100 m) impressed US government officers who may use it for border surveillance and law-enforcement. Nevertheless, the twin-boom propeller aircraft has a payload capacity of 1,240 pounds (560 kg), enough to carry weapons.
I was surprised when the Ukrainian company SOVA-M released the UAV version back in 2017.
In recent years, the Mexican Air Force (FAM), Navy and law-enforcement agencies have acquired a considerable number of unmanned aerial vehicles for their continuing combat against drug trafficking. As these UAVs have seen extensive use, it is likely that they will be replaced by next-generation drones such as the Firebird or an indigenous design. So, I went for a rather liberal interpretation of how a Firebird will look in FAM markings.