Cassidian’s Sagitta UAS Program Enters Integration Phase 

Photo Courtesy of Cassidian

By Ashley Addington



Cassidian is developing a tailless, flying-wing unmanned aircraft with the help of private and university researchers, with first flight planned for 2015.



Work on the Sagitta program is being conducted by research institutes and university researchers, who have been testing core elements. The next steps include building the demonstrator aircraft’s lightweight carbon-fiber structure.



Cassidian plans to integrate the aircraft components at its military air systems center Manching, near Munich. Although the ultimate aircraft is intended to have a 12-meter (39-foot) wingspan, the first demonstrator will be built to quarter scale, the company says.



"Sagitta is a perfect example of a successful cooperation between industry, research institutes and universities in the field of high technology and future-oriented research," Aimo Buelte, Head of Research & Technology at Cassidian, said in a press release. "Our goal with Sagitta is to raise our knowledge of unmanned aerial systems to the next level, because UAS are the future of aviation." 



The company plans to brief reporters about the system at the Dubai Air Show.