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Q47 (IAS/2016) Science & Technology › Space & Defence Technology › Military aircraft systems Official Key

What is 'Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)', recently in the news?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The GL-10 is a remotely piloted plane with a 10-foot wingspan that has eight electric motors on the wings and two electric motors on the tail[1], making it fundamentally an electric aircraft. Greased Lightning (GL-10) is an aircraft configuration that combines cruise efficient airplane characteristics with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability, and has been designed, fabricated and flight tested by NASA at the small unmanned aerial system (UAS) scale[2]. The GL-10 UAV with the 10-ft wingspan was flown on September 1, 2015, during an acoustic research flight test at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia[3], confirming it was tested by NASA around the timeframe relevant to this 2016 question. The other options are incorrect as the GL-10 was neither a solar-powered Japanese aircraft, nor a Chinese space observatory, nor an ISRO reusable rocket—it was specifically NASA's electric plane prototype designed to demonstrate distributed electric propulsion and VTOL capabilities.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/ten-engine-electric-plane-prototype-takes-off/
  2. [2] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20170007194/downloads/20170007194.pdf
  3. [3] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20170007194/downloads/20170007194.pdf
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Q. What is 'Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)', recently in the news? [A] Electric plane tested by NASA [B] Solar-powered two-seater aircraft d…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a pure Current Affairs question with zero static book overlap. It rewards scanning Science & Tech headlines for major global agencies (NASA, ESA, ISRO). If you missed the news, the name itself is the only clue—static knowledge won't save you here.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) an electric plane that was tested by NASA in 2016?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The remotely piloted plane has a 10-foot wingspan (3.05 meters), eight electric motors on the wings, two electric motors on the tail and weighs a maximum of 62 pounds (28.1 kilograms) at take off."
Why this source?
  • Describes the GL-10 prototype as a battery-powered / electric concept developed at NASA Langley.
  • Specifies the remotely piloted prototype has eight electric motors on the wings and two electric motors on the tail, confirming electric propulsion and NASA testing.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The GL-10 UAV with the 10-ft wingspan was flown September 1, 2015, and a mishap occurred which caused damage to the airframe during an acoustic research flight test at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia."
Why this source?
  • Documents actual flight activity of the GL-10 UAV, showing it was flown (tested) by NASA-affiliated activity.
  • Provides a specific flight date of September 1, 2015, which indicates testing occurred in 2015 rather than 2016.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 12: Transport, Communications and Trade > Major Events > p. 58
Strength: 5/5
“2013: • PSLV-C25 successfully launches Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraftfrom Sriharikota (Nov 05, 2013). • Successful launch of GSAT-7 by Ariane-5 VA-215 from Kourou French Guiana (August 30, 2013). • Successful launch of INSAT-3D by Ariane-5 VA-214 from Kourou French Guiana (July 26, 2013). • PSLV-C22 successfully launches IRNSS-1A from Sriharikota (Jul 01, 2013). • PSLV-C20 successfully launches SARAL and six commercial payloadsfrom Sriharikota (Feb 25, 2013). • 2015: Ariane-5 VA-227 launched GSAT 15 (Communication Satellite) • GSLV-D6 launched GSAT 6 (Communication Satellite)• 2016: PSLV C35 launched Cartosat 2 (Meteorological Satellite) • GSLV F05 launched INSAT-3DR (Meteorological Satellite) • 2018: PSLV C41 launched IRNSS-11 (Navigation Satellite) • PSLV C40 launched Cartosat 2 (Earth Observation)• PSLV-C33 launched IRNSS-1G (Navigation satellite)”
Why relevant

Lists specific aerospace events and launches by year (including 2016), illustrating that major aeronautical tests and launches are recorded with year-specific entries.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern to look for a similarly dated entry or press release from NASA or aerospace records for 2016 mentioning GL-10.

Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: Magnetic Effects of Electric Current > Activity 12.5 > p. 198
Strength: 3/5
“• n Take a battery (12 V), a variable resistance (or a rheostat), an ammeter (0–5 A), a plug key, connecting wires and a long straight thick copper wire.• n Insert the thick wire through the centre, normal to the plane of a rectangular cardboard. Take care that the cardboard is fixed and does not slide up or down.”
Why relevant

Describes basic experimental setups with batteries and electric current, showing textbooks treat small-scale electric propulsion/electric experiments explicitly.

How to extend

A student could infer that an 'electric plane' would be discussed in contexts mentioning batteries/electric propulsion and therefore search 2016 NASA materials for those keywords linked to GL-10.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > lightning and thunder > p. 54
Strength: 2/5
“An estimated 8 million lightning strikes occur each day on earth. Lightning refers to fashes of light caused by enormous electrical discharges – tens to hundreds of million of volts – which briefy superheat the air to temperatures of 15,000o C – 30,000o C. Te violent expansion of this abruptly heated air sends shock waves through the atmosphere – the sonic bang, known as thunder. Te greater the distance a lightning stroke travels, the longer the thunder echoes. Lightning at great distance from the observer may not be accompanied by thunder and is called as heat-lightning. Lightning poses a hazard to aircraft and to the people, animals, plants and structures.”
Why relevant

States that lightning poses a hazard to aircraft, indicating safety and environmental concerns are commonly noted when discussing aircraft tests.

How to extend

A student might check NASA test reports from 2016 for discussions of aircraft hazards or environmental testing that could mention GL-10 if it were tested then.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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