Marine Cpl. Joseph Fuchs prepares the Dragon Eye aircraft for launch near the Iraqi border in Kuwait in this February 2003 photo. photos by Joe Raedle/getty images

Researcher Steven Mattos, center, with fellow Dragon Eye developers Brent Azzarelli and Ronald Colbow of Dahlgren. photos by Joe Raedle/getty images

Video goggles help Fuchs track the unmanned Dragon Eye, a reconnaissance plane developed at Dahlgren. photos by Joe Raedle/getty images

Dahlgren engineering showcased in exhibit at National Air and Space Museum

Date published: 8/1/2008

By RUSTY DENNEN

Much of the engineering work at the Naval Support Facility at Dahlgren is buried in technical reports or classified and out of public view.

But one recent project at the base's Naval Surface Warfare Center is on display for everyone to see at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The exhibit on military unmanned aerial vehicles opened in April and features Dragon Eye, the first of a new generation of small, lightweight reconnaissance planes.

The high-tech drone with a 3-foot wingspan, sophisticated guidance system and cameras in its nose and side was developed at the King George County base's research and development lab.

First used during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 for intelligence briefs, it also has flown surveillance missions for the Marines in Afghanistan.

"Dragon Eye has been tremendously successful for the [Marines] and represents a very early fielding of a an unmanned aerial vehicle" before they came into widespread use, Pete Lilly, head of the unmanned systems integration branch at NSWC, said in a news release.

Brent Azzarelli and Ron Colbow, both NSWC scientists and engineers, and Steven Mattos, a retired Marine colonel and senior research scientist at Old Dominion University, developed the system.

Colbow said the team, "guided Dragon Eye through design, production, fielding--an opportunity not all engineers get to experience these days."

The project was funded by the Office of Naval Research. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico was also involved.

Dragon Eye's main mission is to allow battlefield commanders to "see" across the next hill or behind buildings to assess enemy numbers and positions so troops don't have to.

Weighing in at about six pounds, the AeroVironment Dragon Eye RQ-14A has two propellers powered by a virtually silent electric motor. Because of its small size, the craft is nearly invisible on enemy radar. It can fly up to 35 mph at altitudes up to 1,000 feet for about 6 miles.

It is assembled and launched by a two-person team in about 10 minutes. A hand-held computer does flight planning, monitoring and storage of real time, high-resolution color or infrared video images.

The plane--made of fiberglass and Kevlar--can be flown manually or fully automatic from a wireless modem on a ground station, using Global Positioning Satellite coordinates. It is launched by a bungee cord or by hand.

Nearly all the components are off the shelf and easily replaced. One estimate put production costs at about $60,000 to $70,000 for each kit.

The National Air and Space Museum display features a Dragon Eye used by the Marines, with its control unit, laptop and operator video goggles.

Dik Daso, curator of modern military aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum, said the Dragon Eye is "simple, compact and is easily understood by younger kids, particularly those who build and operate powered model planes."

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com

THE EXHIBIT The Dragon Eye is one of six unmanned military aerial vehicles in the National Space and Air Museum exhibit. The others are Lockheed Martin/Boeing's RQ-3A Darkstar, the Pioneer UAV's RQ-2A Pioneer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' MQ 1L Predator A, AAI Corporation’s RQ-7A Shadow 200, and the Boeing X46A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System. The Predator, a much larger UAV armed with Hellfire missiles, is one of the best-known aerial drones. THE MUSEUM The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is on 6th and Independence St. SW, in Washington, D.C. It's open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day during summer months. Admission is free. ON THE NET For more on museum exhibits: nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/

Date published: 8/1/2008