DARPA last month awarded Aurora Flight Sciences a contract to work on an experimental plane that will essentially function as a helicopter and fighter jet in one. Now, Aurora has successfully tested a mini version of its so-called "LightningStrike" X-Plane.
The sub-scale model weighs in at 325 pounds, or 20 percent of the full-scale VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) X-Plane that Aurora will build over the next two years. It's made of a combination carbon fiber and 3D-printed FDM plastics to keep it as lightweight as possible.
The unmanned aircraft take-off, hover, and landing took place at a US military facility, and was controlled by Aurora personnel who were in a nearby ground control station.
"This first flight is an important, initial confirmation that both the flight controls and aerodynamic design are aligning with our design predictions," Aurora CTO Tom Clancy said in a statement.
DARPA hopes the technology will be a useful companion for cargo runs. If the final drone gets in the air and works as prescribed, it would be capable of carrying several thousand pounds of cargo and whip around at speeds of nearly 500 miles per hour. It could be used for humanitarian missions, as well as to drop cargo in dangerous war zones, all without risking the life of a pilot.
"This is an extremely novel approach," DARPA program manager Ashish Bagai said last month. "It will be very challenging to demonstrate, but it has the potential to move the technology needle the farthest and provide some of the greatest spin-off opportunities for other vertical flight and aviation products."
