RU-38 Twin Condor
Encyclopedia
The Schweizer RU-38 Twin Condor is a two or three-seat, fixed gear, low wing, twin boom
covert reconnaissance aircraft.
RU-38 is the US military designation for the aircraft, indicating Utility, Reconnaissance. The Schweizer company model number is Schweizer SA 2-38A Condor and, in its three-seat configuration, Schweizer SA 3-38A Condor
Based on the Schweizer SGM 2-37
motor glider
, a total of five RU-38s were produced between 1995 and 2005. The aircraft remains in production.
motor glider for training use at the United States Air Force Academy
led to two reconnaissance versions of that design, carrying the company model numbers SA 2-37A
and SA 2-37B
. In Central Intelligence Agency
, US Army and US Coast Guard service these were designated RG-8A and B. The RG-8s were employed in border security and surveillance missions.
In the mid-1990s the Coast Guard decided that the aircraft would be more useful if their capabilities were improved to include night operations by the addition of more mission sensor equipment. Discussions with Schweizer Aircraft resulted in a plan to upgrade two RG-8As and build one new aircraft to provide a total of three.
The design missions for the RU-23A were:
In converting to the new RU-38A configuration, the conventional RG-8A airframe was greatly modified by:
(FLIR) and Low-Light TV enhanced vision systems.
For navigation the RU-38A originally carried both OMEGA
and GPS receivers, although the Omega has since been removed with that system's withdrawal from service in 1997. The aircraft also has HF
, VHF
and UHF
radios for voice and encrypted voice communications, plus direction finding. The crew may also use night vision goggles
.
The aircraft has no flaps and instead retains the top and bottom surface divebrakes of its sailplane ancestors. Maximum take-off weight of the RU-38A is 5300 lb (2404 kg)
The RU-38A is designed to transit to its operational area with both engines operating. Once in the surveillance area the rear engine would normally be shut down and the aircraft operated in "quiet surveillance mode". The second engine would be available for use in an emergency and for transit back to base.
The first Coast Guard RG-8A was returned to Schweizer for conversion to RU-38A status on 24 January 1994. The initial plan called for the conversion of two RG-8As and then build one new RU-38A.
The first flight of the converted aircraft took place on 31 May 1995. The second USCG RG-8A aircraft that was earmarked for RU-38A upgrade crashed near Puerto Rico
in 1996. As a result the program was reduced to provide only two RU-38As to the USCG. The loss of the RG-8A delayed the program for many months and it was not completed until May 1997.
The first RU-38 was tested by the Air Force 445th Flight Test Squadron
at Edwards AFB on behalf of the Coast Guard, starting in July 1998. The RU-38A was subject to approximately 100 test flights during the four month test program.
By September 1999 the two converted RU-38As had been delivered to the Coast Guard in Miami, Florida
for operational employment. The RU-38As were flown in drug interdiction missions over the Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean Sea
, but the aircraft were reportedly grounded during 2000, due to problems with the aircraft meeting mission requirements or serviceability.
turboprop
engines which allowed raising the gross weight to 7200 lbs (3265 kg). The new aircraft carries the military designation of RU-38B.
The RU-38B has 140 cubic feet (4.1 cu m) of payload space with a payload weight of 800 lbs (363 kg) available. The payload bays all have large access doors and are located both in the tailbooms and also behind the pilot and co-pilot seats in the fuselage. The latter space can also accommodate a third crew member, if required. Using pallet-mounted sensor packages the aircraft can be quickly changed from one mission to another.
The RU-38B is able to achieve quiet operation while loitering by using a propeller speed as low as 1000 rpm. This is possible because the sailplane-derived wing is efficient and flight at low airspeed can be sustained with low power.
Two RU-38Bs were delivered to the US Department of Justice, one in 2004 and one in 2005.
The RU-38B model was still being actively marketed by Schweizer in 2011.
. Instead all aircraft operate as experimental aircraft
in the Research and Development category.
Twin boom
Twin-boom aircraft have their tailplanes and vertical stabilizers mounted on the tail of either two fuselages or on two booms fixed to either both sides of the single fuselage, the wings or the engine nacelles.The reason for this design choice may be:...
covert reconnaissance aircraft.
RU-38 is the US military designation for the aircraft, indicating Utility, Reconnaissance. The Schweizer company model number is Schweizer SA 2-38A Condor and, in its three-seat configuration, Schweizer SA 3-38A Condor
Based on the Schweizer SGM 2-37
Schweizer SGM 2-37
The Schweizer SGM 2-37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A...
motor glider
Motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: A fixed wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion ,...
, a total of five RU-38s were produced between 1995 and 2005. The aircraft remains in production.
Background
The development of the Schweizer SGM 2-37Schweizer SGM 2-37
The Schweizer SGM 2-37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A...
motor glider for training use at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
led to two reconnaissance versions of that design, carrying the company model numbers SA 2-37A
Schweizer SGM 2-37
The Schweizer SGM 2-37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A...
and SA 2-37B
Schweizer SGM 2-37
The Schweizer SGM 2-37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A...
. In Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, US Army and US Coast Guard service these were designated RG-8A and B. The RG-8s were employed in border security and surveillance missions.
In the mid-1990s the Coast Guard decided that the aircraft would be more useful if their capabilities were improved to include night operations by the addition of more mission sensor equipment. Discussions with Schweizer Aircraft resulted in a plan to upgrade two RG-8As and build one new aircraft to provide a total of three.
Development
The RU-38 was intended to fulfill both the low altitude, quiet, over water/hostile terrain reconnaissance role and also the high altitude standoff surveillance role.The design missions for the RU-23A were:
- Border integrity
- Counter-terrorism surveillance
- Drug enforcement
- Electronic intelligence
- Fishery patrols
- Illegal alien surveillance
- Intelligence collection
- Maritime patrol
- Pollution patrol & environmental monitoring
- Search and RescueSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
In converting to the new RU-38A configuration, the conventional RG-8A airframe was greatly modified by:
- Removing the single 235 hp (175 kW) Lycoming O-540-BLycoming O-540|-Specifications :-See also:-External links:...
powerplant - Installing two Teledyne Continental Motors GIO-550A engines with a 3:2 gear reduction to 2267 operating rpm. The engines are mounted one in the nose and the other in the rear of the fuselage.
- Enlarging the crew compartment
- Improving the engine mufflers
- Increasing the wingspan from 56.5 ft (18.14 m) to 84.13 ft (25.65 m)
- Changing the single tail fin to a twin-boomTwin boomTwin-boom aircraft have their tailplanes and vertical stabilizers mounted on the tail of either two fuselages or on two booms fixed to either both sides of the single fuselage, the wings or the engine nacelles.The reason for this design choice may be:...
configuration with two fins - Greatly enlarged sensor bays
- Improved noise signature reduction
- Tricycle landing gear replacing the conventional landing gearConventional landing gearthumb|The [[Piper PA-18|Piper Super Cub]] is a popular taildragger aircraft.thumb|right|A [[Cessna 150]] converted to taildragger configuration by installation of an after-market modification kit....
RU-38A
The resulting aircraft bears little resemblance to the original TG-8. Installation of the twin-boom pods permits the carriage of more sensors. The left-hand pod houses an AN/APN-215(V) color multi-function X-band sea search radar with mapping capabilities. The right-hand pod houses the AN/AAQ-15 forward looking infraredForward looking infrared
Forward looking infrared cameras, typically used on military aircraft, use an imaging technology that senses infrared radiation.The sensors installed in forward looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal imaging cameras, use detection of infrared radiation, typically emitted from a...
(FLIR) and Low-Light TV enhanced vision systems.
For navigation the RU-38A originally carried both OMEGA
OMEGA Navigation System
OMEGA was the first truly global radio navigation system for aircraft, operated by the United States in cooperation with six partner nations.-History:OMEGA was originally developed by the United States Navy for military aviation users...
and GPS receivers, although the Omega has since been removed with that system's withdrawal from service in 1997. The aircraft also has HF
High frequency
High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
, VHF
Very high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
and UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
radios for voice and encrypted voice communications, plus direction finding. The crew may also use night vision goggles
Night vision goggles
A night vision device is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users...
.
The aircraft has no flaps and instead retains the top and bottom surface divebrakes of its sailplane ancestors. Maximum take-off weight of the RU-38A is 5300 lb (2404 kg)
The RU-38A is designed to transit to its operational area with both engines operating. Once in the surveillance area the rear engine would normally be shut down and the aircraft operated in "quiet surveillance mode". The second engine would be available for use in an emergency and for transit back to base.
The first Coast Guard RG-8A was returned to Schweizer for conversion to RU-38A status on 24 January 1994. The initial plan called for the conversion of two RG-8As and then build one new RU-38A.
The first flight of the converted aircraft took place on 31 May 1995. The second USCG RG-8A aircraft that was earmarked for RU-38A upgrade crashed near Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1996. As a result the program was reduced to provide only two RU-38As to the USCG. The loss of the RG-8A delayed the program for many months and it was not completed until May 1997.
The first RU-38 was tested by the Air Force 445th Flight Test Squadron
445th Flight Test Squadron
The 445th Flight Test Squadron is part of the 412th Test Wing and is based at Edwards Air Force Base, California.-Overview:...
at Edwards AFB on behalf of the Coast Guard, starting in July 1998. The RU-38A was subject to approximately 100 test flights during the four month test program.
By September 1999 the two converted RU-38As had been delivered to the Coast Guard in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
for operational employment. The RU-38As were flown in drug interdiction missions over the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, but the aircraft were reportedly grounded during 2000, due to problems with the aircraft meeting mission requirements or serviceability.
RU-38B
The company further improved the aircraft by replacing the two piston engines with two Rolls Royce Allison 250-B17FRolls-Royce Model 250
|-External links:*...
turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
engines which allowed raising the gross weight to 7200 lbs (3265 kg). The new aircraft carries the military designation of RU-38B.
The RU-38B has 140 cubic feet (4.1 cu m) of payload space with a payload weight of 800 lbs (363 kg) available. The payload bays all have large access doors and are located both in the tailbooms and also behind the pilot and co-pilot seats in the fuselage. The latter space can also accommodate a third crew member, if required. Using pallet-mounted sensor packages the aircraft can be quickly changed from one mission to another.
The RU-38B is able to achieve quiet operation while loitering by using a propeller speed as low as 1000 rpm. This is possible because the sailplane-derived wing is efficient and flight at low airspeed can be sustained with low power.
Two RU-38Bs were delivered to the US Department of Justice, one in 2004 and one in 2005.
The RU-38B model was still being actively marketed by Schweizer in 2011.
Certification
Neither the RU-38A or B was certified by the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
. Instead all aircraft operate as experimental aircraft
Experimental aircraft
An experimental aircraft is an aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in flight. Often, this implies that new aerospace technologies are being tested on the aircraft, though the label is more broad....
in the Research and Development category.
Operators
- Schweizer AircraftSchweizer AircraftThe Schweizer Aircraft Corporation is a manufacturer of sailplanes, agricultural aircraft and helicopters located in Horseheads, New York. It was incorporated in 1939 by three Schweizer brothers , who built their first glider in 1930...
- Two RU-38A and one RU-38B - United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
- two RU-38B
