Orion UAS Claims Record, Flies for 80 Hours
The Orion unmanned aircraft system flew for a record 80 hours in early December last year. Photo: Aurora Flight Sciences.
Aurora Flight Sciences announced it has filed for an official world endurance record after its Orion unmanned aircraft system completed an 80-hour flight.
From Dec. 5-8, 2014, Orion flew uninterrupted with observers from the National Aeronautic Association, who also inspected the aircraft and supervised the flight.
Orion made its first flight for the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 23, 2013, as part of the Ultra Long Endurance program and has now shattered the previous official endurance record of 30.5 hours held by the Global Hawk UAS.
“The need for persistent surveillance in areas far from U.S. bases is a geopolitical fact of life,” says Aurora CEO John Langford. “Orion can do this at operational costs significantly below any competing system. There are also important applications for this airplane in areas such as communications relay and Internet service provision.”
The record-breaking flight was not limited by fuel. After flying at altitudes between 4,500 and 10,000 feet above sea level, limited range availability required Orion to land with 1,700 pounds of fuel remaining.
