US Air Force Awards Exosonic Contract for Supersonic Drone Concept
Aerospace company Exosonic announced that the US Air Force has awarded it a $750,000 contract to research and develop a supersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Exosonic said the technology will be the first supersonic UAV developed to help the Air Force train pilots at a time when the service faces a shortage of aviators.
The 15-month Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract was awarded by the AFWERX innovation unit of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in partnership with the Combat Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory, as well as the president and executive authority of the Air Transport Directorate.
Exosonic said one application of the supersonic UAV is simulating an adversary capable of challenging fighter pilots during combat training missions, which could be conducted at a small fraction of the cost of traditional combat training. The aerospace company said the UAV could also potentially be used as a target drone or for reconnaissance and surveillance applications.
"This supersonic UAV will support the pilot training mission by acting as a near-peer adversary fighter to challenge fighter pilots during combat training. Due to limited training budgets and a shortage of pilots, the US Air Force cannot efficiently produce new, fully trained fighter pilots. As a result, a limited number of aviators receive the adequate real-time training needed to prepare for defending our country against adversaries that are nearly on par," said Exosonic in a statement.
The supersonic UAV demonstrator is expected to be ready by 2024. The project will also advance Exosonic's supersonic airliner. The company said it will reinvest profits from UAV sales into developing supersonic products, including a 70-seat airliner designed for overland flights.
Exosonic's goal is to move people everywhere with an airliner designed for overland supersonic flight with a muted sonic boom. In addition to its work with the US Air Force, Exosonic is working with government contractors such as Tactical Air Support to understand how pilot training can be improved.
“Tactical Air Support is very pleased to see an emerging supersonic UAV platform that can work alongside a contracted crewed adversary, such as the Tactical Air Support F-5 Advanced Tiger. These enhanced capabilities will significantly improve training for US Department of Defense forces at lower cost”
Exosonic also received support for this work from Ted Lieu, representative of California's 33rd district, who said: "I am pleased to support Exosonic's recent proposal to AFWERX for developing a supersonic UAV with a low sonic boom. Their supersonic unmanned aircraft could become a cost-effective way to train future pilots and advance further flight innovation, demonstrating quiet supersonic travel over land with a muted boom. I look forward to seeing Exosonic in action, as small business becomes a new player in supersonic aviation in California."
“Work on supersonic UAVs is critical to our company's strategy because of how much we learn about designing, manufacturing and maintaining supersonic aircraft through our first UAVs. The unmanned aircraft is also important for our company's longevity. It will generate profits we can reinvest in our company and give investors, suppliers and customers confidence that we can bring supersonic aircraft to market before anyone needs to make multibillion-dollar investments”
Exosonic's chief aircraft interior designer and business development analyst said the unmanned aircraft will also help validate methods for shaping flight characteristics.
“Validating our quiet sonic boom shaping methods is invaluable, because we applied these same methods to the Exosonic airliner to ensure our airliner has a muted boom acceptable for supersonic overland flight. In addition, we learn a great deal about developing a supersonic aircraft, though far less complex than our airliner, through our UAV”
Exosonic is an aerospace company developing the world's first quiet supersonic passenger airliner using acoustic ray technology. By muffling the sonic boom, Exosonic will be able to fly supersonic everywhere, over land and over water, delivering passengers to their destinations twice as fast as commercial flights available today.
The company was founded with the goal of bringing people together through faster travel and a commitment to environmentally sustainable practices. Exosonic is setting the standard for faster flight with a supersonic airliner carrying 70 passengers with a short range of 5,000 nm. As part of developing the supersonic airliner, the company is offering short- and medium-term products that align with Exosonic's overall mission of bringing the world together and making it smaller through faster transport.
