Unmanned Vehicles
Aurora secures Orion UAS development contract
Aurora Flight Sciences has received a $48 million contract from the US Air Force for the continued development of the Orion UAS, the company announced on 3 January.
The Orion is a twin-engine UAS capable of flying for over 100 hours at a time with large payloads.
Work on the Orion UAS began in 2006 and its first flight was conducted in August 2013. In December 2014, Orion set the current UAS world endurance record with an 80 hour, two minute and 52 second flight.
The UAS capabilities support multiple intelligence missions simultaneously, including full motion video, electro optical infrared sensor, communication relay, cross cueing and payload fusion.
The Orion can fly at an altitude between 15,000ft and 30,000ft, has an endurance of more than 120 hours and can carry a payload of up to 2800lb.
Work under the contract will be performed in Columbus, Mississippi, and Manassas, Virginia.
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