Meet the Air Force’s secretive long-range drone that flies for days
The robot surveillance aircraft can fly for 80 hours without refueling.
AUDREY DECKER | JULY 2, 2024 01:37 PM ET
AIR FORCE DRONES INDUSTRY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT MIDDLE EAST
The U.S. Air Force is getting closer to realizing its vision of low-cost surveillance drones with an autonomous drone that can fly for more than three straight days. And it’s already flying missions in the Middle East.
The Ultra Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, or ULTRA, was operating in the shadows until U.S. Central Command in May inadvertently revealed that the drone was deployed in the Middle East by releasing pictures of it at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
Developed by drone maker DZYNE Technologies in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the ULTRA promises a “new chapter” for the services as they steer away from expensive, legacy ISR aircraft, the company said. Before the drone photos were released, DZYNE had remained quiet about its long-endurance programs because it was working directly with warfighters on “active missions,” said Matt McCue, CEO of DZYNE.
“The business was brought forth by really working with the end users. We were brought into usually secure, classified environments, they would talk about a need that they couldn't get from industry, and we would put together a program for them and help them solve a problem,” McCue told Defense One.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/07/meet-air-forces-secretive-long-range-drone-flies-days/397816/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story
