Scaled Composites Proteus
The Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus is a tandem-wing high-endurance aircraft designed by Burt Rutan to investigate the use of aircraft as high altitude telecommunications relays. The Proteus is actually a multimission design, able to carry various payloads on a ventral pylon. An extremely high-efficiency design, the Proteus can orbit a point at over 65,000 feet for more than 18 hours.
The Proteus (mainly the wing design) was developed into the Model 318 White Knight aircraft, which is the launching platform for the Tier One and the DARPA X-37.
With the initial research complete, NASA is now using the Proteus to research new UAV technologies, as it can be controlled from the cockpit, a ground control station, or operate semi-autonomously. Scaled is offering an unmanned version of the Proteus, labeled Model 395, as part of the competition for their USAF Hunter-Killer competition. If selected, that product would fly in 2007.
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