Aviation Week reports, “An air-launched missile-carrying uncrewed aircraft developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for DARPA’s LongShot project has been designated the X-68A ahead of flight tests expected by year-end. The LongShot is designed to be carried by fighters and bombers, or as a palletized munition on airlifters, and launched to fly ahead and engage targets with its own internally carried air-to-air missiles. The goal is to increase launch platform survivability and extend combat reach.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: Uncrewed
DARPA Announces 2026 X-plane Competition for New Uncrewed Cargo Drone
Flight Global reports, “The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to launch the Lift Challenge in 2026, seeking novel designs for uncrewed aircraft that can carry payloads more than four times their own weight.”
Aurora Flight Sciences’ sUAS Completes Long-Endurance Flight Test
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, recently completed a successful seven-hour flight test of its fuel-cell-powered small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS), SKIRON-XLE. The test flight, conducted at an airfield in Virginia, represents a significant advancement in flight endurance for the Group 2 platform.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
DARPA Announces 6 New Designs for Uncrewed VTOL Military Aircraft
SPACE reports, “The U.S. military could soon have new uncrewed aircraft that carry weapons and take off and land vertically. The vehicles could undergo test flights as early as 2026. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced it is moving into a new testing phase for proposed experimental aircraft in which designs will be assessed for risk and analyzed for efficiency.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
DARPA’s AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY X-Plane program
(DARPAtv; YouTube)
Airbus Helicopters Uncrewed VSR700 Completes First Test Flight Campaign
Aviation Week reports that Airbus Helicopters’ uncrewed VSR700 rotorcraft “has completed its latest flight test campaign, demonstrating its ability to take off and land in fully automatic mode on a French Navy frigate.” The flight test campaign “took place Oct. 2-9 on board the Provence frigate off the Mediterranean coast.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Zephyr S Sets Another New Record for Longest Uncrewed Flight
BBC News reports that the solar-powered Airbus Zephyr S has set a new record for an uncrewed flight. The Zephyr S “has spent 26 continuous days in the air, beating the record it set in 2018.” The aircraft flew from Arizona to Belize and back.
Full Story (BBC News)
AIAA Statement on Successful Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2022 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“Congratulations to the NASA and Boeing team on the successful Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, including the beautiful launch of the Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. We applaud their combined efforts to deliver this uncrewed cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The OFT-2 mission is a major step on the path to further realize the potential of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to safely and reliably fly humans to and from low Earth orbit (LEO). We are encouraged to see human spaceflight capability to the ISS from the United States increase, as the aerospace industry continues opening access to space for more people as part of building the space economy.
New spacecraft programs like Starliner rely on a highly qualified team of partners. We recognize the countless AIAA members involved in all aspects of the supply chain in this endeavor, including those who have helped design, build, and test this new spacecraft. We salute everyone involved for their important contributions to this much needed new capability.”
Video
Boeing Starliner Launches to the International Space Station on Atlas V (Boeing via YouTube)
Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cellAbout AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
NASA Makes Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Eligible to Launch Uncrewed Scientific Missions
The Wall Street Journal reports that NASA said Wednesday that the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will be eligible to launch uncrewed scientific missions for the agency later this decade. There was no contract award given to Blue Origin, but the announcement marks the first time the company has become eligible to launch science missions for NASA. Blue Origin joins SpaceX and ULA, who have already been cleared to launch scientific missions for the agency.
Full Story (Wall Street Journal–Subscription Publication)