THE VANILLA VA001 DRONE SETS A NEW RECORD

Last year Vanilla Aircraft's VA001 set the world record for the longest unmanned internal combustion powered flight in history. Now, with its 11-meter wingspan, the diesel-powered drone has broken that record by staying aloft for 5 days, 1 hour and 24 minutes. 

After flying in a circular orbit for over 11,256km, it touched down with three days of fuel still in its tanks. 

For the test, the ultra-endurance heavy fuel aircraft took off from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 18 October 2017 under remote pilot control before switching over to autopilot. The drone then maintained an altitude of 5,000 ft is a 2-mile orbit until it landed on October 23. 

The VA001 is the product of a five-person startup in Falls Church, Virginia, and is designed for ultra-endurance operations for military and civilian customers. The drone is intended to demonstrate a generic unmanned aircraft that can be customized for different needs. In addition, it requires much less logistical support than comparable drones. 

After the successful endurance test, Vanilla Aircraft announced that production of the VA001 will proceed in the coming months.

"We have begun to fully demonstrate the viability of this ultra-long endurance aircraft system and are anxious to test new payloads and realize capabilities heretofore unimagined," said Vanilla Aircraft CEO Tim Heely. "We are excited to bring a new affordable, easily sustainable capability to the quickly expanding Unmanned System environment."