Lockheed Martin Stalker VXE UAS completes world record 39-hour flight

The flight establishes a new record in the Group 2 (five to 25kg) category with a flight time of 39 hours, 17 minutes and seven seconds. The flight has been submitted to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world sanctioning body for aviation records, through its US affiliate, the National Aeronautic Association, for certification.

A production Stalker VXE was modified for this record-setting flight with an external, wing-mounted fuel tank. The flight provided valuable insight for improvements to Stalker VXE aimed at scaling its mission capabilities for the future.

To achieve this world record flight time, Lockheed Martin partnered with:

• Edge Autonomy as a developer and original equipment manufacturer of high-performance unmanned systems, including the Stalker VXE aircraft
• Adaptive Energy to develop fuel cell technology, investing in advanced power sources and testing implementation techniques for field operations
• Composite Technology Development Inc. to build a light-weight external wing tank
• Precision Integrated Programs to provide flight operations support
• Clovis Area Modelers to provide FAI official contest directors to continuously monitor and adjudicate the world record flight for ratification.

Stalker VXE’s endurance, broad operating envelope, modular payload compliance, vertical take-off and landing capability, and open system architecture allow it to execute diverse and demanding missions while maintaining a small operational footprint and crew.