Optionally Manned Surveillance/Attack Plane Proposed

A startup aviation company is proposing an optionally manned surveillance and light attack platform that it says can replace such complicated aircraft as the P-3 and P-8. Icarus Aerospace’s TAV (tactical air vehicle) is a clean-sheet design that looks a lot like a cleaned-up OV-10. Although it comes with two seats, it can also be operated as a drone and as such has swarming capability. “We’ve developed TAV™ to be in alignment with latest international military armed overwatch and persistent presence requirements and challenges,” said spokesman Marko Ivankovic. “The aircraft platform defines a niche of its own and excels in addressing all existing and future daily threats facing our troops, security forces and our world.”

As a manned aircraft, it offers the crew state-of-the-art avionics with “sensor fusion network centric capabilities” and can carry 8,000 pounds of bombs, missiles or torpedoes. It can be used for battlefield management, communication relay, air-to-air refueling and medevac duties as either a manned or remotely piloted platform. It’s powered by two 1,700-horsepower turboprops and has an endurance of 6.5 hours.