Neuron Gains Altitude

摘要

A French-led industrial consortium is developing Europe's first combat-size stealth aircraft. The program will produce an unmanned aerial vehicle to serve as a testbed to validate a variety of materials, computer and avionics capabilities. Another important goal is to provide European aerospace engineers with the skills and understanding to apply advanced technologies in future airborne military platforms. Modern combat aircraft require considerable time and resources to design and produce. New technologies that minimize radar and infrared signatures also add to a platform's development time and cost. By pooling resources, European governments hope to limit their individual expenses while benefiting from a collective aerospace research effort. Launched by the French government in 2003, the goal of the Neuron program, sometimes spelled nEUROn, is to develop an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator that features the combined skills of the European aerospace industry. One objective is to nurture strategic technologies such as stealth and to validate their application through flight tests.