Centaur begins flight test program
Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) has begun its flight test program. The first fully-configured Centaur made its first flight on Saturday, January 22, 2011 from Aurora's base at Manassas, Virginia.
The flight crew for the first flight was Thomas Washington, serving as test director and pilot, and Jason Fine, serving as flight engineer. "The first flight served mainly to validate that all the hardware and software were working as planned," explained Washington. "Following a careful review of the data, we conducted a second flight on the 24th and a third flight on the 25th, during which all the basic UAV flight modes were turned on and carefully monitored. The initial results look fantastic."
Centaur will gradually expand its flight envelope over the next several months, leading to fully automatic takeoffs and landings by late spring. Centaur will then be fitted with an electro-optical payload and a high-bandwidth data link to demonstrate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
All of Centaur's test flights are being conducted with the flight crew on board. Fully unmanned flights will begin later this year, at a test range to be announced.
Centaur is based on the highly successful Diamond DA42 NG general aviation aircraft. The combination of advanced avionics, efficient diesel engines and composite structure make the DA42 NG the ideal platform for persistent ISR flights. Centaur is able to support many commercial and military electro-optical, radar and communication payloads in its universal nose pod and belly pod modifications.
Aurora is currently taking orders for Centaur OPA deliveries in the second half of 2011.
Source: Aurora
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
