The Barracuda is a single-engine, jet-powered, military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology demonstrator platform developed jointly by Germany and Spain. The aircraft took its maiden flight on April 2, 2006, and a total of two prototypes were built. The aircraft is no longer operational, but information gleaned from its testing is used for other advanced projects.
The Barracuda initiative began in early 2003 as a secret “black project” to develop a next-generation, multi-mission, MALE (medium altitude, long endurance), low observable craft. Built almost entirely of carbon fiber composite materials, engineers designed the Barracuda’s form to minimize radar cross section (RCS). It has a sleek fuselage with its engine’s intake mounted atop its midsection. It features swept main wings and an empennage comprising a swept horizontal stabilizer and outwardly canted dual vertical stabilizers. It is powered by a high-efficiency turbofan engine that generates up to 3,100 pounds of thrust.
The Barracuda’s fuselage comprises a main bay that can carry a host of modular systems, notably navigation systems, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) data collection systems, electronic warfare systems, and other weapon systems. Notable ISR systems include synthetic aperture radar and electro-optical / infrared (EO/IR) scanners. The Barracuda can navigate by remote pilot, with human operators communicating to it via satellite communication, or it can fly autonomously, navigating to waypoints by way of GPS. It can also navigate autonomously in GPS-denied areas by SLAM, simultaneous localization and mapping, which is a computer vision system that identifies key points of terrain and compares them to in-system terrain models.
The Barracuda measures 27 feet, 1 inch in length and has a wingspan of 23 feet, 8 inches. It has a tested range of 120 miles (extendible with larger fuel tanks), a service ceiling of 20,000 feet above sea level, and a top speed of 650 miles per hour.
