Hummingbird Aircraft Takes Flight

Aerovironment Inc. successfully demonstrated a tiny, lightweight aircraft designed to look like a hummingbird. The company designed the aircraft for the Nano Air Vehicle program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Aerovironment manufactures its unmanned aircraft at facilities in Simi Valley. The Raven, Wasp and Puma aircraft are used by the military for scouting and reconnaissance missions. The Global Observer, the largest unmanned aerial vehicle built, is still in a testing phase. The prototype Nano Hummingbird has a wingspan of 6 ½ inches and carries its own power source and a video camera. The aircraft is larger and heavier than an average hummingbird, but is smaller and lighter than the largest hummingbird currently found in nature, the company said. The success of the tiny aircraft was dependent on a combination of creative, scientific, and artistic problem-solving skills from the many Aerovironment team members aided by a philosophy of continuous learning, said project manager Matt Keennon.