| Polecat | |
|---|---|
 A picture of the Lockheed-Martin Polecat released at the Farnborough Airshow in 2006 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 2005 |
| Retired | December 18, 2006 |
| Developed from | Lockheed Martin X-44 (UAV) |
| Developed into | Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel |
The Lockheed Martin Polecat (company designation P-175) was an unmanned aerial vehicle by Lockheed Martin. It was developed by the company's Advanced Development Programs division in Palmdale, California.
Design and development
Designated P-175, the Polecat was funded internally by Lockheed Martin (as opposed to using United States Government funds) at the beginning of 2005. The prototype was unveiled at the 2006 Farnborough Airshow. It was developed over a period of 18 months.
On December 18, 2006, the aircraft crashed due to an "irreversible unintentional failure in the flight termination ground equipment, which caused the aircraft's automatic fail-safe flight termination mode to activate."
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 0
- Capacity: 1,000 lb (450 kg) of weapons or sensors
- Wingspan: 90 ft 0 in (27.44 m)
- Gross weight: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Williams FJ44-3E turbofan engines, 3,010 lbf (13.38 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Endurance: 4 hours
- Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
References
- "Farnborough picture: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works releases picture of secret Polecat UAV." Flight International. July 19, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2013
- "Aviation Week ShowNews Farnborough Day 4 E-zine Archived 2017-02-03 at the Wayback Machine." Aviation Week & Space Technology. July 20, 2006.
- Butler, A. "Lockheed Unveils Secret Polecat UAV Design." Aviation Week & Space Technology. July 19, 2006.
- Trimble, S. "What Killed the Polecat?." Flightglobal.com. July, 2007.
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