Exportable Predator Sets Endurance Limit: The export version of General Atomics' Predator UAV, the "XP" model, conducted a 40-hour test flight, the company announced Thursday.
During the flight, Predator XP validated its long-endurance capability by flying at 10,000 feet for greater than 40 hours, the company said. The flight began Feb. 6 and ended Feb. 8, at the company's Castle Dome Flight Operations Facility at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona.
Derivative of the MQ-1, the XP is designed solely for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and cannot be fitted with weapons. The company previously listed the XP's endurance at 35 hours.
"This flight was a landmark event for Predator XP in that it truly demonstrated the long-endurance capability of our latest [remotely piloted aircraft]," said Frank Pace, president of the company's aircraft systems unit. "In addition, it was a new company record for our aircraft."
