VELOCITY Vz-11
One Velocity aircraft was evaluated by the Army in threat simulation operations as the forerunner of later production OPVs...

Though no photograph is known of the Vz-11, it is supposedly similar in every way to the standard Velocity XL RG show above.
Line drawing © 2000 Velocity Aircraft

Customer:  U. S. Army OPFOR
Builder:  not known

Type:  experimental threat simulation version of Velocity XL RG pusher

Program:  not known

Powerplant: not specified

Significant date: 2001

A canard design developed from the Long-EZ concept and called the Velocity XL RG has been evaluated by the U.S. Army as the 'Vz-11' from July 2001 onwards as a threat simulator by the OPFOR. The aircraft totalled 55.3 flying hours and doesn't seem to have been flown over the past few years. As with the Rutan Vz-10, the use of the Vz- prefix is rather mysterious.

One official document (also found here) also indicates a potential development of this: "A customer has a requirement for a UAV Surrogate, in particular the Vz-11 Velocity XL-RG to be ready for test as soon as possible. Test dates will be determined and commence once the aircraft and pilots are ready. The test requires a unique multipurpose payload which will require the development and integration of a custom pallet in the rear cabin area as well as the addition of two antennas loacted externally and directly underneath where the pallet is to be installed. One of these antennas is required to be retractable." This might indicate that the custom-made OPFOR Vz-11 eventually served as a prototype for the Proxy SkyWatcher and SkyRaider series, two OPVs based directly on the Velocity design.


Population: 1 [03-05148, marked as "148"]

Specifications:
Speed: 200 kts.

Crew/passengers: not known

Main sources:
(see above)