Mayman Aerospace’s RAZOR drone completes first round of test flights
The full-scale RAZOR prototype being tested at a military base in southern California. (Photo: Mayman Aerospace)
The successful test flights of RAZOR were undertaken at a military base in southern California, where seven autonomous mission sets were completed. Additional test flights have been scheduled for later this year.
Mayman Aerospace has completed successful test flights of its RAZOR VTOL test bed drone. The full-scale prototype uses the same dimensions and weight as the RAZOR P100. The primary objective of these tests focused on the transition of engines moving out of hover mode – crucial for winged flight. It also tested avionics, thrust vectoring mechanisms, software and command and control (C2).
The company obtained a US DoD contract worth US$3.2 million to develop the aircraft in 2019 and has since tested five full-scale prototypes. The full-scale VTOL was first unveiled in May 2024.
The RAZOR drone has been designed for multi-role capabilities – as an ISR platform or on utility missions – and comes in various configurations depending on the payloads attached to the UAV. It is powered by a high-speed jet propulsion system, allowing it to fly at projected speeds up to 500mph.
Configuration possibilities include the option to extend the range of small air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles, such as Brimstone and Hellfire, or host ISTAR payloads. With a payload capacity of 45kg, it can also act as a cargo carrying drone, while its AI-guided C2/C3 enables precise payload delivery, offering defence commanders a cost-effective alternative to cruise missiles.
Dr Manu Sharma, chief engineer at Mayman Aerospace, said that the test flights were beneficial “to get additional autonomous flight time on the vehicle, take-off and landing in particular, to increase our confidence in the system as a whole”.
Mayman Aerospace claimed its RAZOR100 was fully scalable, with the company planning to develop the P500 and P1000 variants in due course. Manufacturing and sales of the P100 have been slated to start in 2025.
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Following the completion of successful ground tests, one more exercise remains before flight testing can begin.
