Vanilla Unmanned sets world record: American drone stays aloft for more than eight days
Vanilla Unmanned demonstrated eight days, 50 minutes and 47 seconds of continuous flight, breaking the world record for autonomy of an unmanned aircraft with an internal combustion engine.
Vanilla Unmanned is a third-group long-range UAV that holds world records and is capable of multi-day flights with unmatched payload capacity. Vanilla can fly for more than 10 days and is independent of payload and mission. The drone became the first winner of the AUVSI "Startup Showdown" in New Orleans in 2016, outperforming 14 other participants and taking the main prize, and holds both official and unofficial endurance records in its class.
Vanilla took off from Rogers Dry Lakebed on September 24 and was spotted on October 2, flying 19,634 km over Edwards Air Force Base with a communications relay system and enough ballast to carry other sensors. The eight-day flight is a step change compared with Vanilla's previous record of five days, and it cannot be compared with other UAVs. The previous record was set in 2017, when the aircraft stayed aloft for five days and 24 minutes, covering more than 11,000 km in that time.
The flight was conducted in cooperation with Edwards Air Force Base and submitted for ratification as an official world record. The world-record flight was the last in a series of events at Edwards Air Force Base demonstrating Vanilla's unique multi-day, multi-sensor capabilities.
Each of the drone flights lasting more than 50 hours carried two EO/IR (electro-optical and infrared) cameras, two satellite communication systems for BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) operations, and its own radar in addition to a mesh radio system.
“Vanilla has redefined endurance. It is a tactical asset with strategic significance. The notion that a tactical UAV must be vertical-takeoff and fly less than 24 hours rules out a breakthrough technology that can be applied today. The value of affordable multi-day, multi-sensor coverage is enormous”
Unlike long-endurance UAVs, Vanilla is a third-group tactical-scale system powered by an internal combustion engine. Its smaller size allows independent launch from a runway at forward positions with minimal personnel. Unlike high-altitude solar-powered systems, Vanilla responds instantly to operator tasks and flies at tactical altitudes, thereby carrying smaller and cheaper sensors for the same C5ISR value.
C5ISR is the ability to direct, coordinate and control the resources needed to carry out a mission, and to report situations and actions on the battlefield.
Vanilla runs on standard Jet-A fuel, which simplifies logistics during forward operations. The aircraft can stay aloft for up to 10 days with a payload of up to 13.6 kg. The drone can carry up to 68 kg of payload using five internal bays and external mounts, each of which receives onboard power and a data channel for the C2 sensor, but the additional weight limits flight time. A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) variant is in production with government support and will fly in early 2022.
Thanks to its innovative modular design with heavy COTS technologies and multi-day operations, Vanilla is sold for a fraction of the cost of existing long-endurance UAVs and operated at roughly one-third of their lifecycle cost.
Reliable avionics include:
- a widely used autopilot and ground station for proven reliability and ease of system operation
- high-quality redundant flight control actuators
- a laser altimeter and DGPS for autonomous landing
- line-of-sight, and BLOS command and control
Vanilla Unmanned meets the requirements for multi-day surveillance and inspection operations at an affordable price. No other system offers the same endurance, payload capacity and cost as this aircraft.
The absolute flight-duration record among UAVs belongs to the European pseudo-satellite Zephyr S, which in 2018 stayed aloft for nearly 26 days powered by solar panels. In addition, in 2019 the American Boeing X-37 space vehicle returned to Earth after an autonomous secret mission lasting a total of 717 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes.
Vanilla Unmanned is owned and operated by Platform Aerospace, a leader in rapid prototyping and agile aerospace manufacturing. The Vanilla program is led by a dynamic team of experienced defense and aerospace veterans.
Platform Aerospace thanks its employees, industry partners and government sponsors, whose participation played an important role in achieving this milestone in aviation. Government sponsors include the US Air Force 412th Test Wing's Joint Experimentation Force for New Technologies, the Office of Naval Research, Naval Air Systems Command and NASA. Industry partners include AlarisPro, IMSAR, Inmarsat Government, L3Harris WESCAM, Mission Secure, Progeny, Sechan Electronics and VX Aerospace.
Platform Aerospace is a veteran-owned small business with disabled veterans, whose goal is to support the military fighter industry and the success of its customers. The company specializes in manufacturing, modification and prototyping for aviation.
