The US Air Force took delivery of a CubCrafters XCub
The US Air Force latest lease is an aircraft one would not expect, it is a CubCrafters XCub. The very slow propeller aircraft will be used by the USAF Research Laboratory (AFRL), headquartered in Maryland.
The XCub, a modern version of the well-known eighty plus year-old Piper Cub, will be fitted with an advanced avionics kit in support of Project Lyslander. The 2018 manufactured XCub with registration N17XC (construction number CC19-180) was recently leased to become a research aircraft. The aircraft is originating in Yakima (WA) and was flown over to Maryland late December 2020.
The avionics kit will be connected to an ultra-modern flight helmet for the pilot and specialized mission equipment like a thermal camera, night vision goggles, and various other components. These systems will be used for “personnel recovery and other ‘featherweight airlift’ special missions” as the USAF revealed. Sage Technologies, the prime contractor on the project, owns the aircraft, so the XCub will not get a USAF serial.
Project Lysander is funded by the USAF and involves recovering people from Combat Operations in Denied Environment (CODE). The USAF describes CODE as rescuing isolated personnel in both heavily defended and undefended airspace. The advanced avionics kit, the Sage Technologies Low Altitude Sensing Helmet System (LASH), is designed to fill the missions need and provide pilots with sensory situational awareness.
The project Lysander is named after that great Royal Air Force aircraft, produced by Westland, that was used in the second World War. The Lysander liaison and reconnaissance plane were also used to insert and extract British military, governmental and civilians people (spies) behind enemy lines. The Lysander was able to land and take-off from nearly every location without using dedicated runways as it used Short Take-off and Landing technology as well as large robust wheels as main gear.
The USAF reported that the XCub was chosen for its performance, including STOL. The XCub is able to fly at extreme low speeds, at very low-altitudes and hardly makes noise during such flights. The LASH package that will be attached to the XCub is designed in a way that it can be quickly installed on any general aviation aircraft. In that way, the USAF is able to choose the correct platform for the (local) circumstances. The kit is packed into a compact, easy-to-transport, one-person carrying system so it can be easily fitted (temporarily) to virtually any small aircraft without additional modification. After the XCub test aircraft has completed its role in this project, AFRL will be able to use it as a test asset for future research projects as well.
The USAF is not able to use aircraft from its current inventory for this mission, as these are often to large, loud, and fast. The 711th Human Performance Wing (711th HPW) is based at Wright-Patterson AFB (OH) and is executing Project Lysander. The 711th is the human-centric warfare wing to consolidate human performance research, education, and consultation within the USAF. The Wing includes about a dozen smaller operating locations within the United States but also operates internationally.
The LASH system itself could be on track for technology transfer and possible deployment as early as 2022.
Photos by USAF Richard Eldridge