RapidFlight E2 flies in T-REX demo

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE COMPANIES

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) designer and manufacturer RapidFlight completed the Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) 2024 demonstration as part of a contract with the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER).

Highlights included integration of customer payloads and additional flight requests from senior officials of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Other requests included rapid design and production of a custom component. Leveraging its on-site Mobile Production System (MPS), the component was delivered in less than 72 hours.

The E2 aircraft, built with commercial off the shelf (COTS) components, features a 20 lb to 37.5 lb payload along with three hours’ maximum endurance, allowing missions greater than 140nm from the launch point.

This contract represents the next phase of the E2 drone platform evolution, which previously was selected by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E) as one of its platforms for further development. https://ac.cto.mil/pe/rder; https://www.rapidflight.aero

National Drone Association formed

The United States National Drone Association (USNDA) has been formed, with offices in Washington, D.C. and national headquarters on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

The USNDA’s mission is to rapidly and responsibly accelerate the U.S. drone industrial base by advancing drone research, prototypes, and proliferation of practical applications across multiple industries with student and faculty teams via academic and technology partnerships. https://www.fullsail.edu; https://www.usnda.org