UK group and top university unveil radical flight control technology demonstrator UAV

British aerospace, defence, security and shipbuilding group BAE Systems and the University of Manchester unveiled on Wednesday their joint Magma experimental jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme. They announced that the Magma had successfully completed its first phase of flight trials. Magma is described as a “small scale” UAV, with no indication of its size. Chairs and a table just visible in the background of the photo issued with the media release suggest that its dimensions are in the range of a few metres. It is serving as a technology research, development and demonstrator platform for a unique concept for controlling aircraft in flight, using what is called “blown air” instead of conventional flight control surfaces such as ailerons, elevators and rudders. (The air that comes out of a hairdryer is an everyday example of blown air.)