CNN sent reporter Brian Todd to the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel at the University of Maryland to witness wind tunnel tests of the AD-150 aircraft, being developed by American Dynamics Flight Systems, an unmanned aircraft that can take off vertically and fly horizontally.
The AD-150 is being developed for emerging U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps requirements for high-speed, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems.
The wind tunnel’s large turbine blew high-speed wind over the propulsion system while sensors measured the resulting forces and moments from which flight behaviour can be predicted. Smoke may was used to visualize airflow.