Turais

Turais Wing and Bomb Bay Launched Unmanned Air Vehicle (WBBL-UAV) is an unmanned air reconnaissance system developed by Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC) under a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) PMA-290 Phase II SBIR contract issued in January 2007. The 800 pound aircraft is designed to be launched from the bomb rack of a manned P-3C or P-8A anti-submarine warfare aircraft for stand-off maritime surveillance and ISR missions. Upon deployment, a drogue parachute deploys to slow the vehicle to a speed at which its turbojet engine can start. It features a scissor wing configuration and a parachute recovery system. The UAV has 200 pounds of payload capacity, a maximum speed of 200 knots, 6.5 hours endurance, and 150 nautical mile range.

NAVAIR awarded an option phase contract in May 2008, leading to a flight test of a full scale WBBL-UAV on January 5, 2010. The free flight test vehicle was launched twice from a SC-7 SkyVan airplane at altitudes of 6,000ft and 10,000 ft. This successful free flight test met the requirements of the SBIR Phase II contract.