As development of the VA001 is ongoing, engineers will continue to push the boundaries of this intriguing aircraft. As it stands, the aircraft can fly for up to ten days under quiet operation at altitudes of 15,000 feet and speeds up to 75 knots. It can loiter (under autopilot) in orbit while traveling at around 55 knots.
In January of 2017, the Vanilla Aircraft crew claimed a World Record with a recorded unrefueled 56-hour flight, the longest for an unmanned combustion-powered aircraft. Range restrictions and icing potential ended what was a planned 120-hour test flight.
In an October 2017 test flight involving NASA/DARPA, the VA001 completed a journey lasting 121 hours, 24 minutes - this covering some 7,000 miles. This showcases the aircraft's impressive inherent range capabilities and the system was still left with another three days of fuel in its onboard stores. The action marked broke the previous endurance record for longest unmanned internal combustion-powered flight.
The VA001 certainly has commercial and military implications and is especially of interest to both for its low cost function and impressive performance. In the latter, the product is seen as a potential support system at the platoon level where it can be used for long-endurance reconnaissance as well as modest-sized cargo delivery.
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