Second DarkStar Completes Fourth Flight

The second Tier III Minus DarkStar High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) successfully completed its fourth flight today. The first flight of this vehicle occurred on June 29 this year.

The vehicle took off from the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, CA, at 6:23 AM (PST). During the 1 hour 9 minute flight, DarkStar achieved its planned altitude of approximately 5,000 feet and completed all preplanned basic flight maneuvers. The system successfully executed a fully automated flight from takeoff to landing utilizing the differential Global Positioning System (GPS). This flight included an expansion of the operating flight envelope and completion of input tests to confirm the stability and control characteristics of the vehicle. Also completed was a transfer of control from a line-of-sight radio to a satellite communication system.

This flight marks the continuation of a test program to evaluate basic system performance including the high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Electro-optical (EO) payloads. The next flight planned for the DarkStar vehicle should occur in late November according to George Zielsdorff, the Lockheed Martin DarkStar Program Manager. During the next few weeks several new capabilities including the Electro-Optical camera and a wide band ComSat capability will be integrated onto the vehicle and will undergo a rigorous series of ground checks. At the completion of this work, the system will be prepared for a series of technical demonstrations with the Services. DarkStar vehicle numbers 3 and 4 are progressing nicely and will be moving to Edwards AFB later this year.

The DarkStar system is a high altitude endurance UAV optimized for reconnaissance in highly defended areas. It will operate within the current military force structure and with the existing command, control, communications, computer and intelligence equipment. It can operate at a range of 500 nautical miles and stay on station for greater than eight hours at an altitude greater than 45,000 feet. The air vehicle can carry either the SAR or the EO payload.

The DarkStar program management was changed from DARPA to the Air Force on October 1, 1998. The prime contractor team consists of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA; Boeing, Seattle, WA; and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, Sunnyvale, CA.