| Persistent Munition Technology Demonstrator (PMTD) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Boeing PMTD | |
| Role | Remote controlled UAV |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Integrated Defense Systems |
| First flight | April, 2006 |
| Status | Testing to improve future UAVs |
| Primary user | Boeing |
The Persistent Munition Technology Demonstrator or PMTD is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed and produced by the Advanced Weapons and Missile Systems division of Boeing as a test bed in order to further develop and flight test various UAV technologies. It has also been referred to as the Dominator. [1] The PMTD weighs 60 pounds (27 kg), has a 12 feet (3.7 m) wingspan and is powered by a single piston engine driving a pusher propeller. It was first flown in April, 2006, at Vandalia Municipal Airport, Vandalia, Illinois.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS); which include a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two. The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator or autonomously by onboard computers.
The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support services. Boeing is among the largest global aircraft manufacturers; it is the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world based on 2017 revenue, and is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value. Boeing stock is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Vandalia is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. At the 2010 Census, the population was 7,042. Vandalia is 69 miles (111 km) northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. It served as the state capital of Illinois from 1819 until 1839, when the seat of state government moved to the current capital of Springfield. Vandalia was for years the western terminus of the National Road.
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Designed for either air or ground launch and high loiter times, the PMTD has the ability to operate completely autonomously. During its maiden flight, the UAV autonomously flew to 14 programmed locations, changed altitude four times, and met all programmed speeds. The initial set of flight tests focused solely on validation of the autonomous flight mode, while future tests will include sensor integration, weapon guidance systems, munitions dispensing systems and in-flight refueling.
EDO Corporation funded the development of the aircraft's composite airframe, while Boeing funded all the flight tests.
EDO Corporation was an American company, which was acquired by ITT Corporation in 2007. EDO designed and manufactured products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets, and provided related engineering and professional services. It employed 4,000 people worldwide and had revenues of $715 million in 2006. EDO's assets went to ITT Defense Electronics and Services. As of May 2015, these assets are now part of Harris Corporation
Just-in-Time Strike Augmentation (JITSA) is a United States Air Force program proposal for network-centric operations to command the battlefield from the air using the C-17 Globemaster III to launch large numbers of PMTD into the battlespace. [2]
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.
Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations or net-centric warfare, is a military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990s.
In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are progressing. A theater can include the entirety of the airspace, land and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations.
