RapidFlight awarded $10M for autonomous aircraft development

June 4, 2024 - By Jesse Khalil

Photo: RapidFlight

RapidFlight has been awarded a $10 million contract from the United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) under the AFWERX Autonomy Prime program. Under the contract, RapidFlight will develop and produce the SPX, a customizable, autonomous fixed-wing aircraft system.

The project objective is to design and produce the SPX UAV, featuring a 12 lb. payload capacity, 150 nm range, and a modular payload bay. The RapidFlight Common Avionics 2.0 will be used to support autonomous flight with various payloads.

During the initial phase of the 36-month contract, RapidFlight will design SPX UAVs for testing at the Autonomy Prime Proving Ground. This will be followed by a contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) demonstration at the RapidFlight facility in Manassas, Virginia. Comprehensive training for USAF operators is also included.

Each SPX system includes four airframes, a ground control station, a field kit and a compact launcher. The system’s modular design supports a range of payloads, sensors and autonomy packages for rapid and economical real-world flight testing.