ThunderB UAS flies for 25+ hours
Bluebird Aero Systems has demonstrated the ability of its ThunderB UAV system to fly for more than 20 hours, completing a flight of 25.5 hours endurance.
The flight was part of demonstrations for an unnamed potential customer. The customer’s requirement called for a UAS to fly for more than 20 hours carrying an advanced EO/cooled IR payload with long range communication capabilities.
The flight was undertaken during inclement weather, with automatic launch, airbag safe recovery and an additional 5.5 hours of max speed flight successfully demonstrated. The UAS landed with enough fuel to have continued the mission for a total of 28 hours.
ThunderB is a 28kg tactical UAS designed for long endurance ISTAR missions. Its control range can be extended up to 150km, and it carries a triple CCD, cooled/uncooled IR and optional laser pointer payload.
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