Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
US Army’s HADES Surveillance Aircraft Completes First Test Flight
The US Army’s HADES prototype completed its first test flight on September 11, and the Army announced it on October 30.
HADES is a jet aircraft designed for long-range surveillance and intelligence missions.
It can detect enemy communications and radar signals, as well as movement on the ground, and send information to commanders.
Defence company Sierra Nevada modified a Bombardier Global 6500 business jet to make the aircraft.
Its jet design allows it to fly faster and higher than the propeller-powered surveillance aircraft it is intended to replace.
From high altitude, HADES is meant to monitor wide areas and detect targets and signals deep inside a battlefield while staying beyond the range of enemy air defences.
The Army has not announced what comes next for the prototype.
The US Army’s first HADES prototype completed its first test flight on September 11, the Army said.
The announcement was made on October 30, about seven weeks after the flight.
HADES is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft designed for long-range, high-altitude missions.
It is intended to detect enemy communications and radar signals, as well as movements of ground targets, and relay information to commanders.
HADES is based on Bombardier’s Global 6500 business jet, modified for military reconnaissance by Sierra Nevada Corporation.
- Who
- The US Army’s first HADES prototype.
- What
- It completed its first test flight.
- When
- September 11, according to the US Army; the announcement was made on October 30.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- HADES is being developed for long-range, high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The first HADES prototype completed its first test flight.
The US Army announced the flight, about seven weeks after it took place.
- Aircraft
- HADES, short for High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System
- First test flight
- September 11
- Announcement
- October 30
- Manufacturer and platform
- Sierra Nevada Corporation modified Bombardier’s Global 6500 business jet
- Planned replacement
- RC-12X Guardrail and MC-12S turboprop intelligence-gathering aircraft