Nichols Martin
Lockheed Martin‘s Skunk Works arm has showcased an unmanned aerial system configured to accommodate long endurance flights.
The defense company said Monday Stalker VXE UAS exhibited a flight time of 39 hours, 17 minutes and 7 seconds on Feb. 18, making a new world record for aircraft weighing between 5 and 25 kg.
The demonstration at California-based Santa Margarita Ranch provided data to help Lockheed scale the aircraft’s capabilities in anticipation of future requirements.
The UAS offers a vertical take-off and landing capability, an open-systems architecture and other features that address a wide range of mission needs.
Edge Autonomy produced equipment for Stalker VXE while Composite Technology Development built a lightweight external wing tank for the aircraft. Adaptive Energy provided a fuel cell technology for the demonstration, with Precision Integrated Programs performing operational support for the flight.
Lockheed also partnered with Clovis Area Modelers to monitor and examine the world record flight.
