Skydweller Aero has successfully completed the uncrewed autonomous flight test campaign of its Skydweller Unmanned Aerial System. A series of uncrewed flight tests – with the two longest being 16 hours and 22 ½ hours – were launched from the company’s facility at Stennis International Airport in Kiln, Mississippi. This campaign is one more step towards bringing extreme flight endurance to the world, demonstrates the feasibility of remaining airborne for weeks to months using solar energy and batteries, and is another significant milestone in the development of the Skydweller aircraft and its high reliability autonomous vehicle management system. This campaign was initiated under a Joint Concept Technology Demonstration (JCTD) by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD R&E) and sustained by a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to evaluate Autonomous Maritime Patrol Aircraft (AMPA).
Barry Matsumori, President & Chief Operating Officer of Skydweller Aero, said: “We have accomplished a major milestone toward demonstrating the feasibility of perpetual flight by leveraging the trillions of dollars in global research and development investment in solar energy, battery storage, and the handing and manufacturing of extremely strong, ultra lightweight carbon fiber assemblies. As these subsystems improve, we will continue to leverage them for the benefit of our customers.”
Dr. Robert Miller, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Skydweller Aero, said: “This flight test campaign is an important achievement and validates our business vision, marking a new era in autonomous aviation. Skydweller Aero is redefining what is possible in the aerospace industry, and the data gathered that validates our models for multi-day fights is a testament to our team’s dedication and innovation. We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what uncrewed solar-powered aircraft can achieve and will continue on with our mission to bring perpetual flight to the world.”
Highlights of the Flight:
- Uncrewed Autonomous Operation: At high operation tempo, the Skydweller aircraft conducted a series of long endurance flight tests demonstrating potential to perform extreme endurance missions.
- Solar-Powered Flight: Powered by solar energy, the aircraft delivers zero carbon emissions with ultra-quiet operations.
- High Reliability Autonomous Systems: The flight demonstrated uncrewed operation of Skydweller’s fully redundant autonomous systems and beyond-line-of-sight operations & communication.
Skydwellers can accomplish missions with a single aircraft that has historically required a fleet of conventional aircraft, flight crews and maintenance personnel. A single Skydweller aircraft capable of perpetual flight, coupled with minimal operating personnel, replaces all of this cost for the same mission. As such, solar-powered Skydwellers are 10 to 100 times less expensive to operate than conventional aircraft for long duration missions. Furthermore, autonomous aircraft directly save lives by removing the need for flight crews to be physically present in hostile or dangerous airspace. For example, a Skydweller aircraft can take off from the United States, fly itself to the South China Sea, and stay in the air on mission for weeks or months before returning home. Additionally, autonomy enables not just traditional long-duration missions, but also new missions that would have formerly been deemed unacceptable due to risk to the flight crew.
Skydweller Aero Inc. is a pioneering transatlantic aerospace company developing and manufacturing a fleet of very large solar powered aircraft solutions capable of achieving perpetual flight with heavy, powerful payloads. Skydwellers are autonomous aircraft manufactured from carbon-fiber, each with a wingspan greater than a 747, and will be used for long duration missions such as providing continuous coverage above conflict zones, surveilling naval activity in contested waters, and detecting drug smugglers and pirates at sea. Because Skydwellers are solar powered, they are inexpensive to operate and maintain and feature zero carbon footprint. Skydweller Aero Inc., primarily backed by venture and private capital, has World and US headquarters in Oklahoma City and European offices headquartered in Spain. With a flexible payload system, including communications relay, 4G/5G cellular, day/night full motion video, satellite communication, imaging radar, and more, Skydwellers will enhance commercial and government telecommunication, geospatial, meteorological and emergency operation efforts around the world, allowing customers to operate persistently in more challenging areas for longer durations, while reducing environmental impact.
