MAGIC
Abstract
The Medium Altitude Global ISR and Communications (MAGIC) project is an Air Force led technology and concept development to test the ability for a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to stay aloft in the medium altitude structure for a multiple day duration with a minimum of 1,000 pounds payload capacity of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor sytems. The MAGIC concept was initiated by OSD/DDR&E in FY 2010 in response to five COCOMs ranking this type of initiative as the highest priority for a joint concept and tecnology demonstration (JCTD). In FY 2011, the Air Force accepted this initiative as the sponsor and MAGIC was subsequently removed from consideration as a JCTD and transitioned into the Air Force as a developmental project. Data gathered from the development of the MAGIC project will support end-to-end long endurance ISR planning. Persistent ISR supports both regular and irregular warfare. The challenge to supporting regular and irregular warfare is the integration of legacy ISR architectures with emerging end-to-end infrastructures. The MAGIC project will provide the USAF with critically needed data regarding sensor and aircraft performance parameters at a multiple day duration at medium altitude flight. This data will augment the Persistent ISR study completed by ACC and AFMC in 2nd Quarter FY 2011 and the AF/A9 Endurance UAV study completed in 3rd Quarter of FY 2012. This project is designed to address the requirement laid out in two separate joint urgent operational needs (JUON) for long dwell and persistent ISR. The objectives laid out in the JCTD competition and selection is being honored by the Air Force which will test the MAGIC project on an RPA for a flight duration of five days (120 hours) with a minimum sensor payload of 1,000 pounds at 20,000 feet altitude. In FY 2010, OSD/DDR&E (now ASD/R&E) provided $5M of initial funding to AFRL to initiate the MAGIC project. In FY 2011, ASD/R&E provided an additional $5M to keep the MAGIC project development moving forward. The Air Force followed suit and provided $10M of FY 2011 below threshold reprogramming (BTR) to allow the Aurora Flight Sciences' RPA development team to set up an operational endurance engine bench test and software integrations lab in preparation for an inflight five-day duration demonstration of the Orion RPA at a later date. The last week of January 2012, Aurora Flight Science performed a 123 hour duration endurance engine bench test. In December 2012, Aurora Flight Sciences assembled all the aircraft components of the Orion RPA at their Manassas, VA facility to begin a series of ground testing efforts in preparation for the first flight series of tests projected to be conducted at NAWS China Lake, CA in the 3rd Quarter of FY 2013. As of February 2013, the majority of the electrical and avionics continuity checks to include multiple engine runs have been completed. Slow speed taxi tests are the next milestone in their master schedule and they should commence and complete in March 2013. First flight series testing is projected for 3rd and 4th Quarters of FY 2013 at NAWS China Lake, CA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 67A026_0305205F_7_3600_PB_2014
Related Documents
- Root: Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
- Child Accomplishment: MAGIC
- Child Cost Item: b5bcb0326d0a2b4a4f690ddbb9599f6e