Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, recently completed a seven-hour flight test of the SKIRON-XLE, a fuel-cell-powered small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS). The test flight was conducted at an airfield in Virginia and represents a significant advancement in flight endurance for the Group 2 platform.
The SKIRON-XLE is designed for long-range reconnaissance and fits into Aurora's SKIRON sUAS product line, which also includes the battery-powered SKIRON-X with 3.5-hour flight endurance.
Most Read on IEN:
- 2 Former Union Presidents Among 7 Indicted in Boilermaker Scheme
- Boeing Workers Angry as NASA Switches to SpaceX
- Lax FAA Oversight Blamed for Deadly Military Helicopter Crash
- $3M Hypercar Prototype Crashes During Test
SKIRON is a hybrid eVTOL platform that combines electric vertical takeoff and landing with fixed-wing forward flight. It is compliant with U.S. FAA Part 107 regulations for sUAS operations and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) ready.
According to the FAA, any drone or uncrewed aircraft flown in the U.S. must perform operations within the operator's visual line of sight. However, operators can gain BVLOS approval, which allows the drone to be flown at greater distances. The FAA grants BVLOS approval on a case-by-case basis.
For the seven-hour test flight, the SKIRON-XLE system included:
- Two five-liter hydrogen tanks.
- An Intelligent Energy fuel cell.
- A Trillium HD45 EO/IR camera payload.
- A Lithium Polymer (LiPo) auxiliary battery.
- A takeoff weight of 54 pounds.
SKIRON-XLE landed at 7.0 hours with its hydrogen fuel tanks depleted and ample safety margin remaining on the battery.
In a statement, Jason Grzywna, senior director of products at Aurora Flight Sciences, said the SKIRON-XLE can unlock the longer flight times customers demand. He says deliveries will begin in early 2025.
Aurora first announced the SKIRON-XLE in June 2024. The vehicle has up to three payload mounting locations, including the nose, belly and underwing. The craft's ground control station features Kutta Technologies' Unified Ground Control Station (UGCS) software, and a 2.4G 10W radio and tracking antenna provide up to a 75 km command and control (C2) link range.
Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter featuring breaking manufacturing industry news.
