Is it a plane? Is it a helicopter? Actually, it's a bit of both.
Researchers at NASA Langley have developed a prototype 10-engine aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, but can transition to fly like a plane. Their Greased Lightning / GL-10 is remotely controlled from the ground, and the team behind the impressive aircraft say it is "quieter than a neighbour mowing the lawn with a gas-powered motor".
The researchers have successfully completed a test flight of their latest prototype, which has a wingspan of just over 3 metres and weighs a maximum of 28.1 kilograms. You can see an impressive video clip of that test below.
The aircraft is battery powered and it is hoped it will be significantly more efficient when cruising than a helicopter. The size, form, capabilities and efficiency of the UAV all look set to differentiate it from existing helicopter and plane hybrid aircraft.
Aerospace engineer said Bill Fredericks, "we have a couple of options that this concept could be good for. It could be used for small package delivery or vertical take off and landing, long endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping and other applications. A scaled up version - much larger than what we are testing now - would make also a great one to four person size personal air vehicle."
The Greased Lightning is currently being shown at an exhibition at the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International 2015 conference in Atlanta, USA. Meanwhile the team at NASA Langley in Virginia will continue developing their concept through further prototypes.
You can see a video of the successful tight below, showing the aircraft both flying and hovering:
