You are invited to hear

a talk by

Program Manager, Tactical Technology Office (TTO), DARPA

Friday, April 21, 2017
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.
Guggenheim Building Room 442

About the Talk

Dr. Bagai’s seminar will summarize DARPA's contribution to advancing vertical flight technologies, and the position of his programs in this space. It will specifically contextualize the VTOL X-Plane program that he developed, along with a historical frame work that demonstrates capability gaps in vertical flight. Data from contemporary helicopters and historical experimental aircraft are used to identify trends in performance (flight speeds and efficiencies), and identify opportunity spaces that were used to design the VTOL X-Plane program. Justification for the program objectives and conceptual approach that was developed will be discussed, along with a top level description of the competitive program execution plan. An overview of the selected hybrid-electric XV-24A aircraft will be presented, along with a summary of key technologies that will be matured for future application. Additionally, details of a sub-scale demonstrator aircraft will be provided, along with a discussion on the flight test effort. The presentation will serve to exemplify the vast and emerging opportunities enabled by the program in advancing the state of the art. Finally, a discussion of areas of research opportunities, will be presented.

About the Speaker

Dr. Ashis Bagai is a Program Manager with the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has been managing the development of novel vertical flight technologies and systems, most notably the ARES modular, reconfigurable air vehicle and the XV-24A hybrid-electric VTOL X-Plane — concepts that are to be demonstrated in flight at full scale. Prior to joining DARPA, Dr. Bagai spent several years at Sikorsky Aircraft, mostly as an aerodynamicist and technical lead for rotor systems design, and before that at Boeing. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland.