USAF awards Exosonic contract for Supersonic UAV concept, to reduce risk for future supersonic executive transport and for military utility as a training platform.
Low boom supersonic transport company Exosonic, Inc. announced a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract award from the US Air Force (USAF).
The contract will fund the development of a low boom supersonic uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrator. Awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s AFWERX, the contract is in partnership with Air Combat Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate.
Exosonic will develop the first purpose-built supersonic UAV to aid the USAF in its pilot training mission. This vehicle will demonstrate technologies directly relevant to Exosonic’s quiet supersonic airliner and build a short-term path to revenue.
The company plans to reinvest the profits from UAV sales to fund future supersonic product developments, such as the airliner.
Norris Tie, Exosonic’s CEO, said:
“Our vision at Exosonic is to fly people supersonic everywhere with our airliner designed to fly supersonic overland with a muted sonic boom. The supersonic UAV work is critical to our company’s strategy due to how much we’ll learn about designing, manufacturing, and maintaining supersonic airplanes with our first UAV products. The UAV is also important to our company’s longevity. It will provide profits that we can funnel back into our company and give investors, suppliers, and customers confidence that we can deliver supersonic aircraft to the market before anyone needs to make a multi-billion dollar investment.”
source Exosonic
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