2 Huntsville companies to collaborate on new high-speed drone
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Huntsville firms Cummings Aerospace and ATRX have just signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of high-speed unmanned aircraft systems.
These drones will be designed to fly five times faster than the speed of sound. Here’s more:
About these high-speed drones
The companies will work together to integrate a high-speed turbo-rocket onto a proven airframe with the goal of developing affordable UAS that can fly at supersonic and hypersonic speeds.
The goal is to have a drone that will give the U.S. military and its allies unprecedented capability against America’s near-peer adversary. As well, the technology paves the way for a spaceplane, which can take off and land from any runway in the world.
What these Huntsville companies will do
Cummings Aerospace and ATRX will have different roles in the development of these drones.
Cummings Aerospace’s role:
For this partnership, Cummings Aerospace will develop an aircraft designed to accommodate a hypersonic-capable engine. Key features include:
- Affordability, thanks to its 3D-printed modular design and commercial off-the-shelf hardware
- Rapid payload swaps in fewer than five minutes, with no tools required
ATRX’s Air Turbo Rocket:
- A high-speed, air-breathing propulsion system
- Capable of flying at hypersonic speeds, 5 times the speed of sound
- Completed multiple prototype tests
“The modern battlefield demands systems that are capable of flying faster and further into contested airspace. This partnership with ATRX will allow us to develop ATR-powered UAS that can offer both of these characteristics in a single vehicle, at an affordable price.”
Sheila Cummings, CEO of Cummings Aerospace
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