Aurora’s Centaur Flies From New York UAS Test Site
Photo: Aurora Flight Sciences.
Aurora Flight Sciences recently flew its optionally piloted Centaur aircraft from the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, home to one of the six Federal Aviation Administration-approved UAS test sites.
The Manassas, Virginia-based company said the mid-June flights marked the first time that a large fixed-wing UAS has flown at any of the sites.
“Having Centaur lead the way in the U.S. as the first large aircraft to fly in one of the FAA-approved test sites is an important milestone for our company, Griffiss, and the FAA,” Dr. John S. Langford, chairman and CEO of Aurora, said in a press release. “This aircraft is coming into high demand from a range of customers, both military and commercial interests, in the U.S. and abroad. The flights conducted at the Griffiss site enable our company to offer these customers an aircraft that has been at the leading edge of efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft into the U.S. national airspace.”
The Centaur is based on a Diamond DA42 manned aircraft and can be converted to unmanned mode in less than four hours. The ability to switch modes allows the aircraft to more easily reach airports worldwide and then convert to unmanned mode for specific tasks.
